Can Employees Take Holidays When Off Sick
We get asked HR related questions every day and each week we share our top question of the week that we have been asked here at The HR Booth.
In this week’s question of the week we answer can employees take holidays when off sick.
Question
I have an employee who is on long-term sick at the moment, are they entitled to use their annual leave?
Answer
If your employee is on long-term sick then they are entitled to use their annual leave during their period of absence.
They may wish to do this in order to receive full pay for that period if they have exhausted all entitlement to sick pay or are receiving statutory sick pay. There is no law to prevent employees from taking annual leave while on sickness, however, they should apply for this leave, in the same way, they would do if they were at work.
It is good practice to agree with the employee’s annual leave request to take annual leave during their period of long-term absence, as this avoids them accruing significant amounts of annual leave when they are absent. If they do accrue this leave, then this would mean they are entitled to use these holidays when they return to work.
Whilst the employee is off, you should be ensuring regular contact, which can include meetings, either in the workplace, their home address or mutually convenient venue such as a coffee shop, and you should be discussing what steps if any you can take to facilitate a return to work. You may need to obtain some independent medical guidance via an occupational health specialist, and we can support you with this if required.
Related Topics
Long Term Sickness: Managing Absences in Manufacturing
In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, productivity and efficiency are the cornerstones of success. However, long term absence due to illness, injury, or other personal reasons can disrupt operations and impact the bottom line. To keep your manufacturing business...
Employee not turning up for work? What can I do?
One of my employees failed to turn up for work on Boxing Day when they were due to work and failed to tell us. What can I do?Answer - Here's what to do if an employee has gone AWOL Employee not turning up for work - Unauthorised absence can be deemed fair grounds for...
How to Measure Employee Absence
Employee absence is a serious problem for many businesses in terms of time and money. There are also hidden costs associated with absenteeism problems within a business. It's possible that staff will need time off during their employment either for short-term of...
How to prevent unplanned Christmas absence?
It’s likely that you usually see a rise in unplanned absence over the Christmas period. Of course, it’s winter, so colds and other illnesses are more common and mental health can become worse. But what do you do if you suspect that people are pulling sickies to finish...
Employee Absence Management Tips In Time for Winter
We're not even a week in to November and it already feels like the temperature has dropped dramatically. This is a not-so-subtle reminder that winter is on its way. The Autumn and Winter months can bring a lot of unwanted disruptions to your business and it's...
What is Occupational Health?
Occupational Health looks at the relationship between the workplace and health. Furthermore, this also focuses on the individual concerned as a patient and an employee. As part of our occupational health Glasgow, Fife and Scotland service, we can support you to help...
Are you ready to elevate your HR strategies?
Connect with our expert team for tailored solutions and insights. Call The HR Booth at 01383 668178 or reach out via email at info@thehrbooth.co.uk or use the contact form.