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- Health and Safety Advice – How to Manage Sick Leave in the Workplace
Health and Safety Advice – How to Manage Sick Leave in the Workplace
- Sickness & Leave
Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
Sick Leave Management 101
Managing
sick leave
or other personal leaves of absence in the workplace is important for the growth of your business and for maintaining a strong organizational culture. As an employer, it is important to understand what rights your employees have and how to find a balance for a
sick leave policy
that fits with your workplace culture. Think about how you can manage employee absence in relation to employee job satisfaction and morale. Get to know the laws around
personal emergency leave
and from there, have a policy in place that best reflects your business practices.
Did you know? The law does not require employers to pay for sick days
The
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Employment Standards Act, 2000
(ESA) sets out the terms and conditions for employee sick leave under the definition for
personal emergency leave.
This provides employees with the right to take up to
10 days of job-protected leave
for illness, injury, and certain other emergencies or urgent matters every calendar year, where the
first two days are a paid
leave of absence. Personal Emergency Leave applies to any staff who have been employed for at least one week, whether they are employed as full-time or part-time.
5 HR best practices to prepare an effective sick leave policy
Having a sick leave policy in place is key to effective absence management. You can set these expectations in your employment agreement or employee handbook. To prepare an effective sick leave policy, here are five HR best practices:
Review the Employment Standards Act to ensure you meet the minimum requirements of current laws
Be transparent about time off and if pay is provided during sickness absence
Outline arrangements and procedures for recording absence
Determine the procedure for short-term and long-term disability
Include information on support and assistance for those who are off and returning to work
Remember, labour laws change. It’s in your best interest to keep up-to-date to ensure your policies and procedures are relevant and effective.
Questions?
Do you have questions about sick leave management?
Peninsula
is dedicated to supporting small business owners with employer advice and
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HR advice
. Call our free 24-hour helpline –
1 (833) 247-3652
You can also read more on our Employer Blog about
Paid Emergency Leave (Sick Leave) for Employers in Ontario
.
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