Short-term absence from work increases after abolition of doctor’s note requirement
The number of employees staying home sick for one day has risen sharply since the removal of the requirement for a doctor’s note, De Tijd and L’Echo report.
Since November 2022, staff of large companies have been able to take one sick day three times a year without having to submit a medical certificate. Doctors had wanted to remove this obligation, allowing them to spend more time on patients with greater needs. However, many employers are unhappy with the measure.
Short-term absenteeism rose most noticeably in companies with 50 or more employees. In the first half of 2022, some 5.44 per cent of staff at such companies were sick for one day. This rose to 9.11 per cent in the first half of 2024, after the rules were changed, representing an increase of 67 per cent.
"The sick note is not sacred, but it is not up to the government to deprive employers of this option"
“One-day absences increase indirect costs because they require extra administration, reorganisation and replacements,” says Heidi Verlinden, analyst at HR provider Securex. Some companies have imposed other conditions, such as requiring staff to inform the HR department of absence by phone.
GP association Domus Medica is in favour of extending the rules to three working days. Employers’ association Unizo, however, wants businesses to be able to decide whether a medical certificate is necessary.
“Employers have completely lost track of their employees’ absences. This, as our entrepreneurs suspected, encourages abuse,” the organisation said. “The sick note is not sacred, but it is not up to the government to deprive employers of this option. If an employer judges that the use of sick notes contributes to their prevention policy, this option should be respected.”
© PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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