Sick notes for employee absences should be requested on a case by case basis. For example: If you have the flu, and you can’t get out of bed, you genuinely need to stay there and not spread the flu around, potentially putting others at risk of Illness or even death. By the time you feel ok enough to go to the doctor, and when you’re no longer contagious, you might feel well enough to be at your desk most of the day. But instead of being at your desk, you have to go to the doctor, wasting half a day of work on top of the legitimate 4-5 days you just spent in bed. Another example: Sometimes younger staff just need mentorship around work ethic and saving sick days for legitimate Illness. That’s a better use of staff time than running them around for dr notes, IMHO. A final example: sick notes are important when you are injured or have a complicated illness and need longer term care/time off. This helps with insurance and benefits claims. This is also a good time for an employer and / or fellow staff to show compassion and strengthen their workplace culture, making it a great place to want to return to, and to want to work hard for your team.
Debbie - 5 years ago
With wait times high in ER and walk in clinics not easy access and your Dr it takes a week or so to get in this the employer is asking way to often for rediculas reasons. We believe you but you need to bring a note.
Kate Dickson - 8 years ago
Perhaps employees should stop lying to their employers. Request time off in a timely manner, book your appointments on your days off, if you go out drinking the night before prepare to be an adult, take a Tylenol and come to work like a champ. Until then, it's fair to request a note, especially from those who habitually call in 'sick'.
Joe - 9 years ago
I agree 100% with Erin. In fact, by charging for a note, that in and of itself brings question to the validity of issuing the note. Why would a doctor deny a note when they profit from writing it? Think about it... They get paid for examining the patient and then a nice little bonus to spend a few seconds scratching together a note. It's like bribing a doctor! "Here, I'll give you $20 if you just write me a note". How is this practice even considered ethical?? How about health care gets involved and halts the charging of notes and doctors step up and only give them (free of charge) for people who actually are sick... Refuse the healthy ones who are bucking the system! There is WAY too much abuse of sick benefits.
mia wallace - 9 years ago
If people wouldn't take advantage than we wouldn't need sick notes and shame on doctors for charging so much for a 3 second scribble saying you're sick. such a cash grab. in the end we ruin it for ourselves just like everything else.
Ross McKeil - 9 years ago
I think what people need to realize is that the practice of doctors notes was bought on by employees. There was actually a time when employers would take the employees word for it when they missed work do to illness. Then employees began to take advantage of this, they started missing days claiming to be ill, when in fact they were perhaps out to the bars the night before, or maybe didn't want to miss a great concert that was in town, you get the idea. This caused loss in production, sacrificed customer service, employees who did show up had to work harder.
So there is no easy answer, I truly believe its a waste of healthcare resources, but as long as employees abuse it we have a problem.
Jean - 9 years ago
I agree with Erin. In my workplace, which has 100 full-time employees in the way of staff, managers, and faculty, employees are only asked to bring a note if it is felt they have been abusing the sick time by being away constantly on Fridays before a long weekend or even if it's not a long weekend. Funny how people always seem to be sick enough to be away on Fridays and Mondays especially in camping, fishing, and hunting seasons. One person phoned in sick on Friday and was found on the ski hill by a Dean supervising a Physio class. She was fired on the spot.
I agree if a person is ill with coughing and sneezing to make them stay home rather than spread the goods at work. Nobody wants to get ill from a coworker but to force everyone to get a medical note is a huge waste of the doctors' time and resources.
Erin - 9 years ago
Employers don't ask for sick notes because of the dedicated hard working people they value, they need to ask because "sick" is now also being used for "hungover", "want to enjoy a patio with friends" or "there is a good sale on shoes today". Sick time is growing increasingly costly to businesses and with numbers as high as 20% in time off "sick" something has to be done. When doctors notes are provided by employees along with pictures posted on social media of their actual "sick day" activities you have to wonder how a sick note was obtained. If doctors would utilize their highly developed skills to determine if an individual is "actually sick" and refuse to provide a note for people who on examination are perfectly healthy then maybe it wouldn't be so easy for people to use this excuse and continue to put strain on the already over worked medical system, while assisting employers in reducing the increase in convenience "sick days".
Erin - 9 years ago
Employers don't ask for sick notes because of the dedicated hard working people they value, they need to ask because "sick" is now also being used for "hungover", "want to enjoy a patio with friends" or "there is a good sale on shoes today". Sick time is growing increasingly costly to businesses and with numbers as high as 20% in time off "sick" something has to be done. When doctors notes are provided by employees along with pictures posted on social media of their actual "sick day" activities you have to wonder how a sick note was obtained. If doctors would utilize their highly developed skills to determine if an individual is "actually sick" and refuse to provide a note for people who on examination are perfectly healthy then maybe it wouldn't be so easy for people to use this excuse and continue to put strain on the already over worked medical system, while assisting employers in reducing the increase in convenience "sick days".
Karl - 9 years ago
Put it this way, if a boss doesn't trust me enough to take my word for it, then they don't deserve my talents that are making them profits. I'll tell them exactly that and they don't like it, here's my notice. I'm not going to work for anyone that doesn't trust my honesty and integrity.
Belinda - 9 years ago
I dont think Dr's notes are necessary, but if employers request them, then they should have to pay for them and transportation costs. I think its awful that a very sick person has to leave their home and wait in a clinic, just to get a note. No wonder when I actually need to see a Dr in a clinic , I cant get in, because its full of people with colds or flu who should be hime in bed. There is no antibiotics for colds.
Sick notes for employee absences should be requested on a case by case basis. For example: If you have the flu, and you can’t get out of bed, you genuinely need to stay there and not spread the flu around, potentially putting others at risk of Illness or even death. By the time you feel ok enough to go to the doctor, and when you’re no longer contagious, you might feel well enough to be at your desk most of the day. But instead of being at your desk, you have to go to the doctor, wasting half a day of work on top of the legitimate 4-5 days you just spent in bed. Another example: Sometimes younger staff just need mentorship around work ethic and saving sick days for legitimate Illness. That’s a better use of staff time than running them around for dr notes, IMHO. A final example: sick notes are important when you are injured or have a complicated illness and need longer term care/time off. This helps with insurance and benefits claims. This is also a good time for an employer and / or fellow staff to show compassion and strengthen their workplace culture, making it a great place to want to return to, and to want to work hard for your team.
With wait times high in ER and walk in clinics not easy access and your Dr it takes a week or so to get in this the employer is asking way to often for rediculas reasons. We believe you but you need to bring a note.
Perhaps employees should stop lying to their employers. Request time off in a timely manner, book your appointments on your days off, if you go out drinking the night before prepare to be an adult, take a Tylenol and come to work like a champ. Until then, it's fair to request a note, especially from those who habitually call in 'sick'.
I agree 100% with Erin. In fact, by charging for a note, that in and of itself brings question to the validity of issuing the note. Why would a doctor deny a note when they profit from writing it? Think about it... They get paid for examining the patient and then a nice little bonus to spend a few seconds scratching together a note. It's like bribing a doctor! "Here, I'll give you $20 if you just write me a note". How is this practice even considered ethical?? How about health care gets involved and halts the charging of notes and doctors step up and only give them (free of charge) for people who actually are sick... Refuse the healthy ones who are bucking the system! There is WAY too much abuse of sick benefits.
If people wouldn't take advantage than we wouldn't need sick notes and shame on doctors for charging so much for a 3 second scribble saying you're sick. such a cash grab. in the end we ruin it for ourselves just like everything else.
I think what people need to realize is that the practice of doctors notes was bought on by employees. There was actually a time when employers would take the employees word for it when they missed work do to illness. Then employees began to take advantage of this, they started missing days claiming to be ill, when in fact they were perhaps out to the bars the night before, or maybe didn't want to miss a great concert that was in town, you get the idea. This caused loss in production, sacrificed customer service, employees who did show up had to work harder.
So there is no easy answer, I truly believe its a waste of healthcare resources, but as long as employees abuse it we have a problem.
I agree with Erin. In my workplace, which has 100 full-time employees in the way of staff, managers, and faculty, employees are only asked to bring a note if it is felt they have been abusing the sick time by being away constantly on Fridays before a long weekend or even if it's not a long weekend. Funny how people always seem to be sick enough to be away on Fridays and Mondays especially in camping, fishing, and hunting seasons. One person phoned in sick on Friday and was found on the ski hill by a Dean supervising a Physio class. She was fired on the spot.
I agree if a person is ill with coughing and sneezing to make them stay home rather than spread the goods at work. Nobody wants to get ill from a coworker but to force everyone to get a medical note is a huge waste of the doctors' time and resources.
Employers don't ask for sick notes because of the dedicated hard working people they value, they need to ask because "sick" is now also being used for "hungover", "want to enjoy a patio with friends" or "there is a good sale on shoes today". Sick time is growing increasingly costly to businesses and with numbers as high as 20% in time off "sick" something has to be done. When doctors notes are provided by employees along with pictures posted on social media of their actual "sick day" activities you have to wonder how a sick note was obtained. If doctors would utilize their highly developed skills to determine if an individual is "actually sick" and refuse to provide a note for people who on examination are perfectly healthy then maybe it wouldn't be so easy for people to use this excuse and continue to put strain on the already over worked medical system, while assisting employers in reducing the increase in convenience "sick days".
Employers don't ask for sick notes because of the dedicated hard working people they value, they need to ask because "sick" is now also being used for "hungover", "want to enjoy a patio with friends" or "there is a good sale on shoes today". Sick time is growing increasingly costly to businesses and with numbers as high as 20% in time off "sick" something has to be done. When doctors notes are provided by employees along with pictures posted on social media of their actual "sick day" activities you have to wonder how a sick note was obtained. If doctors would utilize their highly developed skills to determine if an individual is "actually sick" and refuse to provide a note for people who on examination are perfectly healthy then maybe it wouldn't be so easy for people to use this excuse and continue to put strain on the already over worked medical system, while assisting employers in reducing the increase in convenience "sick days".
Put it this way, if a boss doesn't trust me enough to take my word for it, then they don't deserve my talents that are making them profits. I'll tell them exactly that and they don't like it, here's my notice. I'm not going to work for anyone that doesn't trust my honesty and integrity.
I dont think Dr's notes are necessary, but if employers request them, then they should have to pay for them and transportation costs. I think its awful that a very sick person has to leave their home and wait in a clinic, just to get a note. No wonder when I actually need to see a Dr in a clinic , I cant get in, because its full of people with colds or flu who should be hime in bed. There is no antibiotics for colds.