The Main Street Alliance voted recently to officially endorse a new issue: paid sick days. Why do small business owners care about this issue? For a wide range of reasons – like workplace productivity, public health, and a commitment to treating workers like family. In short, it seems like the right thing to do… and it makes good business sense, too.

The productivity case alone is a strong one. According to the Center for Worklife Law, “presenteeism” (employees going to work even though they’re sick) costs U.S. employers and the U.S. economy an estimated $180 billion a year in lost productivity. When workers don’t have access to earned sick time, they’re more likely to go to work sick, risk infecting co-workers (and potentially customers), get less done, and take longer to get back to 100 percent.

We’ll be posting periodic updates about paid sick days in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, if you’re looking to learn more, check out this nifty infographic from medicalinsurance.org.