June 2024 – I’ve resurrected this article from the blog archives, as now I find myself in a very different position – today I employ three staff, so am on the “other side” of all things HR!
It’s a bit of a minefield being a small business owner with a team (though the upside is that it does mean my business is expanding!). There’s recruitment, training, building team culture, PDRs, payroll – and then there’s all the legal requirements around contracts, hours worked, leave, etc.
For example, according to the Fair Work Australia website, apparently legislation does not cover using sick leave entitlements for medical appointments unless you are unable to work due to illness. For example, if your sore neck prevents you from going to work, then by all means take the day off and see your chiropractor.
It’s funny to see how my mindset has changed in the nearly 10 years since I first wrote this blog post! See for yourself …
First Published November 2015:
I feel very lucky to have my own business these days, because when it comes to taking sick leave, the boss is amazingly understanding … actually, the boss is just plain amazing, full stop 😉 !
However it hasn’t always been that way.
Not long before I left my last employer, I attended a team meeting where the boss advised that sick leave was no longer to be used for medical appointments. There were horrified glances around the table – surely this couldn’t be serious?
The Case for Using Sick Leave for Medical Appointments
I mean, it’s not like we go to the doctor for fun, people!
Of course you can guess what happened in response to this new ruling.
Up until then, employees would take an hour or two of sick leave to see their doctor, dentist, chiropractor or other health professional, before coming straight back to work.
But with the ban on using sick leave for medical appointments, people simply called in sick and took the whole day off. I think management shot themselves in the foot with that little directive …
So what was behind this change to company policy? Rumour had it, that it was in response to one particular employee taking regular time off (eg once a fortnight), for chemotherapy. CHEMOTHERAPY.
Personally, I think it was awesome that this employee (if the rumour was actually real) even kept coming to work regularly despite battling cancer, and should have been given carte blanche in regard to using sick leave for medical appointments – or pretty much anything they liked, as they obviously had a serious or even terminal illness!
Using sick leave for medical appointments? I say YES! If we have a medical appointment, it’s usually either because we are:
- a) legitimately unwell at that point in time; or
- b) there is some health issue which if not addressed, could develop into a much larger or more serious issue.
Besides – good luck finding a doctor or specialist that is open on the weekend!
I’m curious – what’s the arrangement where you work? Do you use sick leave for medical appointments?!
14 April 2016 Update: Just stumbled across this piece of legislation about sick leave for medical appointments, on the Fair Work Australia website, and apparently it is not part of sick leave entitlements to use sick leave for medical appointments unless you are unable to work due to illness. For example, if your sore neck prevents you from going to work, then by all means take the day off and see your chiropractor.
Absolutely it should. I have had to take a dozen days off this year to go up to the hospital about ongoing medical issues. I am a public patient. I have no choice in when the appointments are made. I can’t go on weekends.
Employees should have absolute discretion about how they use their sick leave. And even if it is all used up, they should be able to get leave for medical appointments. People come first.
You are right Janet. If their needs are not taken into account, people will just take the whole day off. Why shouldn’t they? It’s their sick leave. If they have their doctors/ specialist appointment and then spend the rest of the day with a cup of coffee and a book/ tv remote… whose fault is that?
I wonder what the union would have to say about it …
How ridiculous! I think it is perfectly acceptable to use sick leave to go to a doctors appointment. Good on anyone who needs to go to a doctor for whatever reason and still wants to return to work.
My thoughts exactly Malinda!
Bonus comment today because I got you for #team IBOT 😀
You lucky thing! 😉
I’ve not heard of sick leave being used for medical appointments – perhaps because I’ve always worked in the private sector. We always had to make up the time by doing extra hours in lieu of the time taken for an appointment, which was never a problem because we always did unpaid overtime. If we took a sick day, we had to be legitimately sick, or incur the wrath of the boss! I don’t have to worry about that now – I only have myself to please, just like you Janet! 🙂
I wondered if it was a government thing Lyndall, I know the private sector can be very different.
This is one of my pet hates! OF COURSE people should not only be allowed to use their sick leave for medical appointments, they should not have to feel weird about doing so either. As a slightly sideways comment on this topic, I work for myself now too but in my last job there was such a strange culture of ‘pushing through’ when you got sick with a cold, flu or other contagious bug. So, people would show up to our small air-conditioned office heavy with the flu and by the end of the day every one of us would be infected. I was constantly telling people to please go home if they were unwell and STOP COUGHING ON THE PHOTOCOPIER. But the culture remained. ‘Pushing though’ was to be admired, same as working lots of extra hours unpaid, not taking a lunch hour and not putting your hand up if the workload got too much. Sigh, the ‘push through’ culture is such a rotten part of current society!
Alex, I used to hate that too. If you are sick for goodness’ sake stay home, we don’t want your ruddy germs!!! When will businesses realise that employees perform best when they are treated as adults, or even people, not robots …
I agree though usually took a whole day if it was minor surgery or lengthy specialist appt, but as I worked in government mostly I just used flex time and I’d skip lunch and head out for a few hours.
When I worked there I was permanent part-time (4 days per week) so didn’t have flex time. I tried to schedule all appointments for Fridays (my day off) but it wasn’t always possible.
That sounds like government logic. Or “logic”. I’m a bit of a stubborn PITA so anywhere I work, they don’t get to know why I have sick leave. My reasoning is that if I get a medical certificate from the doctor, it just says “a medical condition” so if that’s good enough for a doctor, that’s good enough for me. My health isn’t their business. My current team is very flexible as all places should be. I know of someone who has to have a medical certificate for any time off work. That is ridiculous and a burden on the healthcare system that is excessive. I think it’s 3 or more days in my workplace. I don’t actually know!
Haha yes, it’s none of their beeswax x
What other time are you meant to see a doctor? I am sue for another breast check up and I will make it first thing in the morning but will probably miss a couple of hours work – but my health is more important
I know Natalie, anybody would think we are robots not people to that organisation at least.
Yes, it should! How daft not to. When can people do them if not in work hours and it’s terrible to ask people to take holidays to ask to see the doc. Hello from another middle aged mum… only my kids are not grown, I have them all still home and the youngest are 9 year old twins – what was I thinking!?
Welcome Seana! You’re certainly not alone – these days lots of women our age are only just starting their families! I miss having my little ones around me, but I’m here to tell you, there IS life on the other side and it’s pretty darn great (once you get used to it)!
Wow, that seems like a no-brainer to me. Of course! It makes me sad to think that some companies treat their employees this way.
They’re not very nice places to work Zilla, I can tell you that much …
Goodness! They were going to run out of sick leave pretty soon with cancer anyway, the poor thing! I can’t believe they used that as a catalyst:(
It was only a rumour Bec, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all …
Yes, I use sick leave for any specialist appointments I have, but I always tend to book them on the days I don’t work. Maybe I should re-think that 😉
I was the same Renee when I worked permanent part-time, would try to schedule for Friday (my day off). However when that wasn’t possible, yes, I used sick leave!