Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-15
|S|CK LEAVE EVILS
| MAY Be DISCLOSED
Salary classifiers Will Give
Attention 10 This Phase
of Service Here.
HANDICAP FOR BUREAUS

Abuse of the annual sick leave
privilege in the government depart
| ments in Washington probably will
| receive the attention Of the joint con-
eressional commission on reclassiica-
| ton of salaries in the District. it de-
yeloped today. Indications are that
the commission will give serious con-
sideration to the whole question OF
sick leave among government en-
| ployes.
Safeguards to prevent the abuse and
misuse of the sick leave privilege now
granted federal workers probably viii
be recommended by the commission.
| It is believed by some that the thirty
| davis sick leave granted employees
every year is taken advantage OF to
| a considerable degree.
Claim Thousands Lost.
A beneficent provision of the gov
eminent. the sick leave privilege has
not always been used for illness alone,
some hardy persons have limited. 1t
is even declared that literally thou
sands of dollars are lost to the gov
eminent every month through the
absence of employees from their posts
of duty.
One federal bureau here, it is de-
clared, has drawn the line hard and
fast, and has established a visiting
nurse, whose duty consists in calling
upon those employees who are reported
sick. While rendering all the aid pos
sible this nurse at the same time
manages to keep good check on the
sick ones.
An astonishingly large number of
government employees has been sick
with small illnesses, it is said; so
much SO that in the bureau mentioned
, the position of visiting nurse was es-
tablished to see if the number of alb
sentees could not be cut down. 1t
was, it is declared. and cut materially.
Women, it is asserted, are the chief
offenders In the abuse of the sick
leave privilege. One official, now no
longer connected with the govern
ment service, has been known to say
| that it is easy enough to get doctors
| certificate OF sickness for several
dollars. and remain away several
duction of the fee paid for the doc
| tors certificate still leaves the en-
+; ploye quite few dollars to the sood
and the government just that much
out.
!. Some officials even declare that in
/: making requests for a certain num-
| Der of clerks to complete some new
F.! job it is the custom to ask for per-
haps twice the number really neces-
sary. since it is believed by them that
1 luilS Hall Liz lOICC Will De Oil SIGN
from day to day.
| Such a condition of affairs. if it
really exists, demands attention. and
this the Reconsideration commission
will give it. 1t is realized that :he
/ annual sick leave privilege granted
| government clerks was given for a
good reason and is J. fair privilege,
| both to the employees and to the gov
ernment when used rightly. When
miSused, of course it becomes great
| source of loss to the government and
| source of real injury to those clerk s
who use the privilege rightly.
! Sickness there will always be in and
out of the government service, off,
! Gals realize. and honest employees
who really are sick should be pro-
tected in their rights to sick leave
4, Those who misuse the privilege cast
a reflection upon those who really
are sick, and thus add to the burden
which the sick already have to bear
by reason of their illness.