The Impact of State Paid Sick Leave Policies on Longitudinal Weekday Workplace Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives. To evaluate whether the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) modified the association between pre-existing state paid sick leave (PSL) and weekday workplace mobility between February 15 and July 7, 2020. Methods. The 50 US states and Washington, D.C. were divided into exposure groups based on the presence or absence of pre-existing state PSL policies. Derived from Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports, the outcome was measured as the daily percent change in weekday workplace mobility. Mixed-effects, interrupted time series regression was performed to evaluate weekday workplace mobility after the implementation of the FFCRA on April 1st, 2020. Results. States with pre-existing PSL policies exhibited a greater drop in mobility following the passage of the FFCRA (𝛃=-8.86,95%CI:-11.6,-6.10,P< 001). This remained significant after adjusting for state-level health, economic, and sociodemographic indicators (𝛃=-3.13,95%CI:-5.92,-0.34,P=.039). Conclusions. Pre-existing PSL policies contributed to a significant decline in weekday workplace mobility after the FFCRA, which may have influenced local health outcomes. Policy implications The presence of pre-existing state policies may differentially influence the impact of federal legislation enacted during emergencies.