Calling in sick is a good idea if you are contagious – the rest of the team won’t thank you for soldiering on and infecting them.
When can you take sick leave? Are there special rules? Yes!
Personal / Carer’s leave is the new lingo to describe it, and fairwork says:
Full-time and part-time employees can take paid sick leave if they can’t work because of a personal illness or injury.
Employees can take carer’s leave (paid or unpaid) if they need to look after an immediate family member or household member who is sick/ injured/affected by an unexpected emergency.
An employee needs to give their employer reasonable evidence that they aren’t fit for work if their employer asks for it.
A medical appointment generally isn’t sick leave, you are able to work, but you are going to the doctor or medical specialist during work hours.
Sick/personal/carers leave can be paid or unpaid. The National Employment Standards set out the minimum entitlements for employees.
The yearly entitlement of paid sick or carer’s leave is based on an employee’s ordinary hours of work. It is 10 days for full-time employees, and pro-rata for part-time employees.
Casual employees or contractors do not get any paid sick or carer’s leave, but can access unpaid carer’s leave.
As an employer, you can ask an employee to give evidence to confirm why they have been away from work at any time. However, you might have a specific policy about when it is required. An employee’s medical certificate doesn’t have to give exact details about the injury or illness.
An employee can take an extended period of unpaid sick leave.
More info can be found here: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/sick-and-carers-leave
Load up on chicken soup, and we’ll see you again when you are well.
