The coronavirus’s impact on the global economy is frightening and uncertain. The Optimist Daily is finding positivity in this volatile time with the help of our partners at Just Capital. They have shared numerous stories this week about finding the economic silver lining in the dark cloud of a pandemic.
One of these stories is about Google’s parent company, Alphabet, which has created a fund to give its employees worldwide paid sick leave. The fund would provide compensations for all of its extended workforce missing work due to illness, quarantine, or risk of infection. The fund would cover all income that would have been provided to these employees if they had been coming in to work as regularly scheduled.
Google has asked that all of its North American employees work remotely for the moment. Unfortunately, for hourly workers in the service industry, COVID-19 poses threats to their livelihood as they forgo critical income due to quarantine and reduced business.
This is a big solution for individuals who do not have the savings to live for a protracted period of time without income. Microsoft has made a similar announcement this week and Darden Restaurants, which operates Olive Garden and many other chains, has announced it will provide paid sick leave for all of its hourly workers as well.
It is all too easy to see the frightening negative economic impacts of coronavirus, but acknowledging solutions and community action being taken to counteract economic instability are important for seeing the power that positive corporate actions can have in tumultuous times like these.
