For American workers, the ability to take a paid sick day isn’t a given. Unlike most developed nations, the U.S. lacks a federal mandate requiring employers to provide paid sick leave—or any paid family or medical leave. Instead, employees depend on a fragmented mix of state regulations and company policies. A 2023 survey of 1,000 workers, backed by Theraflu and conducted by Wakefield Research, reveals a startling gap: half of U.S. workers don’t know what sick leave protections their state offers.
Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First and former head of Girls Who Code, sees AI as a game-changer here. She argues that navigating the maze of state leave programs—often buried in dense government websites—discourages workers from using benefits they’re entitled to. “It’s so complicated, people just give up,” Saujani says. This confusion has a ripple effect: unused policies can seem unnecessary, risking cuts to those very programs. “Generative AI could simplify this,” she adds, making rights easier to understand and access.
Through her latest effort with Moms First, Theraflu, and A Better Balance—a legal advocacy group for working families—Saujani has launched the “Right to Rest and Recover” initiative. This program offers an online hub and a free, confidential helpline to demystify paid sick leave options. For those without employer-provided leave, it also provides $200 microgrants to offset a day’s lost wages. “People don’t even know what they’re eligible for,” Saujani notes. “Do I live in a state with paid leave? Does my job offer it? Knowing your rights is step one.”
Cultural hurdles add another layer. Even when leave is available, many hesitate to take it. Saujani recalls her days in finance and law: “You showed up sick—that was the norm.” COVID briefly flipped that mindset, with staying home becoming a public health priority. But as offices reopen, she sees a slide back to “hustle culture,” where rest feels like a luxury. “It’s why everyone’s sick again,” she says. “We’ve lost that sense of ‘I should stay home.’”
The stakes are high. Without clear access to paid sick leave, workers face tough choices—risking health or a paycheck. This new tool aims to bridge that gap, offering a lifeline to clarity in a system that’s anything but straightforward.