Have you ever come down with a cold or bad migraine and wondered whether your boss will want proof if you called in sick? An estimated 12.5 million sick note requests were made by Canadians in 2024, according to a survey by Abacus Data conducted on behalf of the CMA – that’s a lot of doctor’s notes!
What is a sick note?
It’s a medical document or certificate issued by a qualified health care provider, such as a physician, or at a walk-in clinic or emergency department, which confirms your short-term absence from work or school was for health reasons.
Nearly 45% of working Canadians say their employers have a doctor’s note policy for taking sick days, the Abacus Data study found. Exact rules vary between provinces and territories, however, on when they can be requested and who can issue them.
When can an employer ask for a sick note?
Among Canadians whose employers have a workplace policy, nearly 45% said a note must be submitted for any time-off request regardless of length, Abacus Data found, while 50% said their employers required one after an average absence of about three days.
Seven Canadian jurisdictions have some form of legislation that puts varying degrees of restrictions on employers asking for a doctor’s note, such as only allowing a request after an employee has used their statutory leave.
- Federally regulated employees can only be asked to submit a note if they’ve been absent for at least five consecutive days, and the request must be made in writing within 15 days of coming back to work.
Are sick notes free?
It’s up to your health care provider. You might be charged a fee because sick notes typically fall under “non-medical services”. This means it’s not covered by provincial or territorial health care plans, so physicians aren’t being compensated by government insurance for their time, especially if medical attention was not required.
- For example, some doctors may charge $20, while fees published by private clinics are as high as $180 for an online consultation and note.
This isn’t the case in Quebec, where sick notes are considered part of the consultation and physicians are not allowed to charge for them.
What kind of information can employers ask for in a sick note?
If you’re worried about your medical privacy, there are laws that protect your rights. Employers can usually ask:
- How long someone might be expected to be absent
- When they were seen by the doctor or other health care professional
- Whether the professional providing the note saw them in person
- For information that would help them make accommodations for you when you return to work
Your employer typically can’t ask for information about your medical diagnosis or treatment.
What are some challenges around sick notes?
Doctors across Canada say notes for illnesses that don’t usually require medical intervention is an inefficient use of limited resources that puts unnecessary strain on patients, doctors and the health care system:
- The administrative time and attention required to issue a sick note cuts into valuable time available to care for patients. The CMA estimates doctors in Canada spend 1.5 million hours every year writing sick notes, the equivalent of six million patient visits.
- Patients who would otherwise stay at home and recuperate might make an unnecessary trip to the doctor’s office, clinic or emergency department, where they could spread an infection to more vulnerable individuals.
- In other instances, sick notes might be requested after a patient has recovered, putting doctors in the difficult position of trying to assess how sick a patient was prior to getting better.
- With nearly a quarter of Canadians without regular primary care, sick notes can also discriminate against those who don’t have ready access to a family doctor or who can’t get an appointment quickly.
- In addition to a potential sick note fee, patients who are financially strained might also have to deal with additional costs like transportation, parking or even lost wages if they have to take additional time off to see a doctor for a note.
- Sick employees who can’t provide a note may end up going to work anyway, where they may infect colleagues, are less productive and are more likely to make mistakes.
Original article can be read here