One of the most common points of conflict at my office is coverage. There are 20 people in the same role in the company, and each of us is responsible for covering 4 area codes. Work loads are already high, so we can only handle covering one additional area code at a time. As such, every time someone needs to take a day off, we must first find four people to cover them on that day. Management refuses to get involved, insisting that this builds teamwork. Meanwhile, it is a major source of resentment among the workers.

In the US, it is legal to require employees to find coverage, as there are so laws forbidding the practice. In fact, even if time off is specified in your employment contract, the employer has no obligation to comply on any given date[1]. That said, the practice is generally looked down upon in most professional fields[2]. Scheduling coverage is a managerial task, and outsourcing it to the employees decreases their productivity. Not to mention the fact that someone may feel too sick to do any work, including looking for coverage. In the words of Johny C. Taylor Jr., the CEO of the world’s largest HR professional society, “Requiring someone who’s not feeling well to call around to find their replacement doesn’t seem like the best way to make sure things get covered at work.”[3]

Sources:

1.https://www.timesheets.com/blog/2021/05/is-it-legal-to-require-employees-to-find-coverage-for-time-off/

2.https://www.quora.com/Is-it-unreasonable-to-make-an-employee-find-a-replacement-before-being-able-to-call-in-sick

3.https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/2018/05/01/ask-hr-workplace-sick-day-vacation-policy/564531002/