Watch the video above: Sick note flexibility could cause problems for employers
SASKATOON – As authorities battle to bring the influenza outbreak under control, a debate is heating up over sick notes.
As flu season hit full swing, the Ontario Medical Association was the first to encourage employers not to require sick notes to reduce the spread of germs in medical clinic waiting rooms.
Other doctors have been quick to agree.
“You’ve got people coming to the doctor who don’t necessarily need to be at the doctor, they know they have the flu, they know they should stay home take some Tylenol, Advil lots of fluids,” said Dr. Mark Chapelski, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan president.
“The last place they need to be is in a waiting room at a doctor’s clinic getting everyone else sick.”
The latest statistics show sick leave costs the Canadian economy more than $16 billion a year, made up of things like overtime, missed sales or lost productivity.
“The evidence is pretty clear that the more generous the employers sick leave allotment or paid sick days they provide to employees per year, that the more days off that employees actually take in the end,” said Karla Thorpe, with the Conference Board of Canada.
The argument is that requiring employees to authenticate their illness leads to less sick leave.
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It also allows employers to better plan as well as create consistency across their organization.
“I think some employers would tell you they’ve got sick time that’s become a real burden to their business and they have every right to request sick notes but during this especially bad season we’ve had for influenza we just encourage them to be flexible,” said Chapelski.
READ MORE: Number of flu related deaths in Saskatchewan rises to 12 from seven
“The impact is there but this isn’t the first flu season so people have learned to accommodate and work around it,” said Kent Smith-Windsor, executive director of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.
He says there is no one policy on sick notes and every organization is different.
“The better the relationship you have with your employer the more likely you are going to have a situation where there’s flexibility available,” he added.
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