Sick Leave Entitlement

It is Allotment, Entitlement & Proper Use!

On a daily basis, I listen to HR Professionals and business owners who complain or question the legitimate use and entitlement of Sick Leave. A random review of several Caribbean Countries was done, namely Belize, Haiti, St. Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago. In each country, the entitlement per annum for a worker/employee is 16, 15, 12 and 14, respectively, with an overall average of 14.25 days. Getting the average out of the way, the most critical issue being faced by employers is the legitimate or illegitimate use of this type of leave. If not outlined in the laws in various companies, they provide some guidelines for taking such leave. Some of these guidelines are listed below:

• If an employee takes more than two (2) consecutive days, they should submit a medical certificate from a registered

medical professional.

• Upon resumption of duty, the employee must get fitness to

work certificate.

• A stipulated amount of leave can be taken as certified and

uncertified leave.

And many more.

Many HR professionals and business owners are asking the following questions: • How to penalize staff who exceed their Sick Leave? • How can I get my employees to be honest when taking Sick Leave? • Should I always request a medical certificate?

• And many more

As employees, we should be honest about taking Sick Leave. As employers, we are forced to bear the cost of paying for days not worked, where there was no productivity. Then, the issue of fake medical certificates has arisen as doctors are selling Sick Leave

certificates, and there is no redress for employers as they are not

in a position or certified to say whether the employee is sick or

not. So many questions surrounding Sick Leave; however, it is dependent upon the integrity of the parties involved.

By Kimberly Chan-Boodram