Source: Michael Hiltzik - L.A. Times ( Paid Registration )

Tip a hat to Darden Restaurants, the owner of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and other casual sit-down chains. The company announced last week that it had implemented a paid sick leave policy for its 190,000 employees, including a starting balance for those with at least six months of employment.

Now cast a gimlet eye in the direction of Richard Branson, whose Virgin Atlantic is asking its 10,000 employees to take eight weeks of unpaid leave over the next three months in an effort to “drastically reduce costs without job losses.” (Virgin Atlantic is losing money, but Branson’s net worth is more than $4 billion.)

Read Full Article: Some employers are doing the right thing, some aren’t