{"id":11902,"date":"2023-07-04T07:12:33","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T07:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/?page_id=11902"},"modified":"2023-09-20T05:13:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T05:13:24","slug":"taking-sick-leave","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/rules\/employment\/working\/time-off\/taking-sick-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking Sick Leave from Work | UK Employee Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

SICK LEAVE UK<\/strong>: Informing your boss could be as simple as phoning in sick before a certain time of the day.<\/p>\n

As a rule, employees can self-certify an illness for up to a week of paid sick days, according to time off work laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You would only need to give your employer a fit note from a doctor if you take more than 7 sick days off work.<\/p>\n

Fit notes are also called sick notes but most workers know them as a ‘doctor’s note<\/strong>‘.<\/p>\n

What happens if employees have sickness before, or during, a planned holiday from work? In this case they can choose to take that time off as sick leave instead.<\/p>\n

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Fit Note Procedure: Proof of Sickness<\/h2>\n

You must give your employer a doctor’s ‘fit note’ when you are taking sick leave for more than consecutive 7 days. The seven days in a row can include typical non-working days such as UK bank holidays<\/a> and weekends.<\/p>\n

You can get a fit note from your regular General Practitioner or from a hospital doctor. But, a doctor’s fit not could cost up to \u00a315 if you request it before the 7th day.<\/p>\n

Fit notes verify that the recipient has a sickness. It will also state whether employee ‘may be fit for work’ or is ‘not fit for work<\/strong>‘. Employees should keep the original fit note but their employer can take a copy and keep it in the work files.<\/p>\n

There may be some other cause for employee absenteeism<\/a> if it says they ‘may be fit for work<\/strong>‘. In this case employers should try to discuss the matter with their employee. Changing working hours or job tasks may help the employee get back to work sooner.<\/p>\n

Note<\/strong>: You must treat staff as ‘not fit for work’ if no agreement gets made on any such changes.<\/p>\n

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Sick Leave Self Certification<\/h2>\n

Work managers may ask their staff to fill in a form when they return to the workplace. The ‘self-certification<\/a>‘ form confirms that they were off sick for the first 7 days. You may find your employer uses their own company version of this form.<\/p>\n

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Sick Leave and Holiday Entitlement<\/h2>\n

Statutory holiday entitlement continues to get built up while taking sick leave. It accrues while an employee is away from work through sickness no matter how much time they take off work.<\/p>\n

Any unused statutory holiday entitlement<\/a> through illness can carry over into the next leave year. Being ill prior to, or during your holiday period, means you can use it as sick leave in place of your holiday entitlement.<\/p>\n

Employees can also ask to take their paid holiday for the time that they are away from work with sickness. They might prefer this option if they do not qualify for Statutory Sick Pay benefits<\/a>. All sick leave rules will still apply.<\/p>\n

Note<\/strong>: Employers cannot force employees into taking annual leave if they are eligible to take sick leave.<\/p>\n

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Pay During Sick Leave<\/h5>\n

Changing holiday entitlement to sick leave means you will get SSP rates<\/a>. It will also count towards the amount of holiday pay you receive, except when you:<\/p>\n