4 August 2020

Time off work: everything you need to know

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Table of contents

The sick leave are situations in which an employee or worker is unable to attend work due to an illness or injury. situation of physical or psychological illness or disability. In these cases, temporary sick leave can be requested, which will last for the time necessary for the worker to recover and be able to return to work normally.

What is sick leave 

Sick leaves are situations in which an employee or worker stops going to work because of a disability which makes it unable to carry out its work normally. 

In most cases, they are associated with a illness, whether physical or psychological. However, this type of deregistration can also be applied for in the following cases cases of accidents or during a period of observation of occupational diseases.

In other words, whenever there is a cause that prevents the worker from carrying out his or her duties in a normal manner and with full guarantees of health and safety for the worker. 

It should also be borne in mind that sick leave is a period of time during which workers continue to receive their salaries, The amount of sick leave, either full or partial (depending on the type of sick leave and the number of days it lasts). Irrespective of whether or not, because of the leave in question, they are not attending work.

Application requirements

It is important to remember that such leave cannot be applied for in all situations. In this sense, any worker who wants to apply for it must meet at least the following requirements. 

  • Be affiliated to the Social Security
  • Have completed a minimum number of contribution days, This will depend on the type of sick leave requested. For example, in the case of a common illness, at least 180 days of contributions must have been paid during the last 5 years prior to applying for sick leave. 
  • However, in the event of accident or occupational disease, If you do not meet the minimum number of days of contributions, you do not need to comply with the minimum number of days of contributions. 

What types of leave are possible

Types of sick leave are usually categorised according to the number of calendar days that the sick leave in question lasts. Thus, they can be divided as follows. 

  • Very short sick leavewhen the duration is less than 5 calendar days. 
  • Short sick leavethose lasting between 5 and 30 calendar days. 
  • Average sick leavethose lasting between 31 and 60 calendar days. 
  • Long sick leavethose lasting more than 60 calendar days. 

In addition to the duration of sick leave, sick leave can be of one of the following types depending on its nature. 

  • Sick leave for common illness
  • Sick leave for occupational disease
  • Sick leave by accident at work.
  • Sick leave for non-occupational accidents.  

What is the maximum amount of time you can be on sick leave?

The maximum length of time that sick leave may be extended is 18 months. In this regard, it is most common that the number of casualties to be extended according to the needs and situation of the worker.

For example, you can apply for 6 months of sick leave. After that time, it can be extended for another 6 months, and then for another 6 months. This can be done until a total of 18 months of sick leave is accumulated. 

The importance of employee care 

One of the aspects that companies have to take into account is that their employees are an integral part of themselves. Because of this, some of the keys to making employees feel that they are an integral part of the company are satisfied and motivated in their jobs (which has an impact on their physical and mental health) is that the company itself provides them with social benefits.

Some of these most common social benefits may include Ticket Restaurant o Childcare Ticket, among others. 

Thanks to social benefits, employees' working conditions are improved without the need for companies to make large financial outlays. This is why sick leave is a solution that is perfectly suited to both large and small companies. 

Edenred Spain

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