(Bloomberg) -- Darden Restaurants Inc., the operator of Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and other restaurants, announced Monday that the company is providing paid sick leave to all hourly workers who are not currently covered by a policy.
The announcement comes as coronavirus cases surge in the U.S. and abroad, with health officials and federal, state and local authorities urging workers to stay home from work if they are sick. Darden's change in policy was already under consideration, but the outbreak sped up the process, spokesperson Rich Jeffers told Bloomberg.
Under the policy, sick leave will accrue at a rate of one hour for every 30 worked, and current Darden employees will be credited for hours worked in their most recent 26 weeks. New employees begin accruing time when they start working, but cannot use the time earned until they reach 90 days of employment.
While a lack of paid sick leave is common in the restaurant industry, Darden was singled out today by the newsletter Popular Information, which focuses on politics. The publication flagged that a lack of paid sick leave could put employees in the difficult position of being unable to meet expenses -- and therefore prompt them to work through sickness and contribute to the virus's spread.
To contact the reporter on this story: Deena Shanker in New York at dshanker@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Cronin at acronin14@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder
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