Should Idaho Employers Be Required To Give Time Off For Intimacy?

Employers all over Idaho are trying to find ways to attract and keep employees. In a time when loyalty to employers and employees is at an all-time low, what will it take for someone to stay with their current employer for the majority of their career?

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Some employers have started employee of the month programs to reward good behavior. Some employers give new employees the same amount of PTO as employees with 10 years of tenure. Others are just paying a lot more than they used to. Remember how shocked we were to discover that new McDonald's employees were getting close to $15 per hour?

One new study says that employees would be more likely to stay if their employer offered paid time off for intimacy. Yes, you read that correctly. Some of us don't need an entire day, maybe more like 30 minutes... including travel time.

According to the study, employees who have taken a day for sexual wellness say that they are more productive and believe that it helps reduce burnout and could help with mental health.

Let's be honest. We've all taken an extended lunch break for this kind of activity during the workday at least once, right? And when we did, we were better employees, right? The study might have some merit, but I can't imagine any employer offering time off specifically for sex. How do you even enforce that? It's not like you come back with a doctor's note. Can you imagine having to come back to your employer with a note from your lover?

While intimacy time off doesn't seem likely, some employers are generous with time off. During this time off, you can do any activity you want. Netflix offers 52 weeks of paid parental leave. Google gives employees up to 18 weeks of PTO.

These companies give what seems like an unlimited amount of time off because they see an almost 2-to-1 return on their investment. It helps them decrease turnover without having to give raises. In Idaho, state employees get 11 paid holidays yearly and receive eight weeks of paid parental leave at 100% of their salary. They won't give you time off for intimacy, but they will give you extra time off for donating an organ.

Treating employees better is something Idaho employers need to consider doing more of, mainly because the employment growth continues to outpace the national average. Tech and healthcare companies are showing tremendous growth in wages. Still, there is a significant difference between what someone gets paid in Boise and in more rural parts of the state. The most troubling Idaho employment statistic is that women get less than 80% of the salary that men get in the same role.