A temporary staffer at Accenture went unpaid rather than going to work sick. Their story shows how the corporate world still isn't taking coronavirus seriously.

JUSSI NUKARI /Staff/Getty Images

Accenture office.

• A temporary employee at Accenture in Canada took three days of unpaid sick leave and voiced concerns about how that policy would impact workers amid the coronavirus, according to an email thread seen by Business Insider. They said they got no response.
• The US and Canada are both on the small list of countries that don't have federal requirements for employers to provide paid sick leave.
• Another Accenture worker, located in a US office, seems to be getting different treatment.
• Follow all of Business Insider's latest updates on the coronavirus here.
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A temporary staffer on the Facebook team at Accenture's St. Catharines office in Niagara, Canada, went unpaid for three days instead of going to work sick, according to an email thread conversation seen by Business Insider.

This employee asked to remain anonymous because they didn't want to jeopardize their job.

Accenture does not currently provide paid sick leave to temporary workers in Canada, the employee told Business Insider. In an email to the company's HR department reviewed by Business Insider, the employee raised concerns about employees coming in sick with the novel coronavirus, and asked if the company had plans to change this policy for temp workers like them. (The employee said they don't have coronavirus.) The HR team member had not, as of March 18, responded to the inquiry, according to the employee.

Permanent full-time employees at Accenture Canada have up to 80 hours of paid sick leave and temporary workers are entitled to three days of unpaid leave each calendar year, according to the email thread. The three days of unpaid sick time is in line with Ontario's Employment Standards. Accenture's benefits policies are different at its various international offices, the employee said.

A representative from Facebook verified that the tech company has a partnership with Accenture in Canada, and said it was not aware of the company's sick leave policy.

Accenture did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The coronavirus pandemic has left many temporary and gig workers who lack such benefits with the difficulty of choosing between taking unpaid time off or coming into the office sick amid a developing global pandemic.

Coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, has killed nearly 7,500 people and infected more than 189,000.

Canada is among the small list of countries with no federal requirements for paid sick leave. And health experts predict this is worsening the spread of the coronavirus.

Canada has a different set of sick leave policies by province - ranging from three days of unpaid leave in Ontario (where the Accenture employee is located) to 26 weeks in Quebec. It is unclear what Accenture's sick leave policy for temporary workers is in its other Canadian offices. Regardless of these laws, a 2015 national survey in Canada found that more than 47% of the workforce had gone to work while being sick.

Outside of Canada, the people in the US who are least likely to get paid sick time are temp workers in sales, service jobs, construction, and farming, Axios previously reported. But some employers are stepping up to the plate. More than 13 retail chains including Walmart, Trader Joe's, and Starbucks have adjusted their policies during the pandemic, encouraging employees to prioritize their health over work if they have any illness worries, Business Insider previously reported.

Ride-share company Uber said it might temporarily suspend drivers with coronavirus and will offer financial help for two weeks. Google, which relies on about 120,000 contract and temp workers, created a fund that enabled paid sick leave for those with potential COVID-19 symptoms or in quarantine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people stay at home if ill or not feeling well, and a growing list of companies have asked employees to work remotely as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.

When describing Accenture's benefits policy for temp workers in the Niagara office, the employee said it provides no benefits during a six- to eight-month period, after which the majority of temporary contractors are converted into permanent employees.

Earlier this month, an Accenture employee in China was diagnosed with coronavirus, according to an internal company memo seen by Business Insider. The memo, sent to employees by Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, stated that "more than 100 colleagues in China and Italy have been quarantined due to government restrictions." The memo asked employees to "cancel any non-essential international travel and not to plan any additional travel until further notice." An Accenture spokesman confirmed the memo's authenticity.

Nevertheless, the temp employee told Business Insider that workers in Canadian offices are still not allowed to work remotely, and that they are also not allowed to have their cell phones on them. All employees at Accenture Canada are required to put their cell phones in lockers as a way to protect client confidentiality, the temp employee said.

"I hope this changes and they start allowing people to stay home," the employee added.

While some temporary employees at Accenture Canada are struggling with whether they should come into work sick, other full-time workers in US offices have had a different experience. Business Insider recently spoke with another Accenture full-time salaried employee based in the US, who explained that workers in US offices can work remotely. Most clients have required remote work and Accenture "very strongly encourages it," this person said.

This employee also asked to remain anonymous to avoid jeopardizing their employment.

This story is emerging and may be updated or expanded upon.

If you have a tip about a consulting firm that you'd like to share with Business Insider, please email Weng Cheong at wcheong@businessinsider.com.

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