Sick Leave

A sick leave is a period during which a worker is absent from their job due to an illness, injury, or accident that prevents them from performing their usual work duties. During this period, the worker may receive financial compensation from the Social Security system or the company, which is usually a percentage of their regular salary. The duration of the sick leave and the type of financial compensation depend on various factors, such as the length of the leave, the cause of it, and the labor regulations in place.

 

· Sick leave due to common illness: When the worker is sick and unable to perform their usual work due to an illness unrelated to work.

 

· Sick leave due to work accident: When the worker suffers an accident while working or on the way to or from work.

 

· Sick leave due to occupational disease: When the worker contracts a disease related to their work activity.

 

· Sick leave due to risk during pregnancy or breastfeeding: When a pregnant or breastfeeding worker must be absent from work due to risks to her health or that of the fetus or baby.

 

· Sick leave due to temporary disability (TD): When the worker is temporarily unable to work due to illness or injury, whether of common or work-related origin.

 

· Visit the doctor: First, the worker must go to their general practitioner or an emergency doctor if necessary. The doctor will assess their health status and determine if a sick leave is necessary.

 

· Medical sick leave certificate: If the doctor considers that the worker needs to be on sick leave, they will provide them with a medical sick leave certificate (also known as a temporary disability certificate). This document will specify the period of time during which the worker will be unable to perform their usual work.

 

· Submission of the sick leave certificate to the company: The worker must submit the medical sick leave certificate to their company as soon as possible, usually within three days from the date of issue of the certificate.

 

· Notification to Social Security: In many cases, the doctor is responsible for electronically sending the sick leave certificate to Social Security. In other cases, the worker or the company themselves must notify Social Security of the sick leave.

 

It is important to follow these steps correctly to ensure that the sick leave is recognized both by the company and by Social Security, and thus be able to receive the corresponding financial compensation during the sick leave period.

 

With sick leave due to illness or accident, the maximum allowed time is 365 days, extendable for another 180 days.

 

If the sick leave is due to common illness or non-work-related accident, the subsidy is paid from the fourth day without working, receiving 60% of the regulatory base between days 4 and 20 of sick leave.

 

If the sick leave is due to a work-related accident or disease, it is paid from the day following the start of the leave, receiving 75% of the regulatory base from the day following the issuance of the sick leave certificate.