Irish Employees across Government and non-Government agencies will be entitled to the all-new "statutory sick pay" from January 1, 2023, onwards. This will give them the rightful 3 days of sick pay each year. Given that employers are accountable and have to abide by the law, this places some duties on the employee as well. Learn all about it in this article.
Employees in Ireland were not legally entitled to paid sick leave. The Statutory Sick Leave Act 2022 (SSP) guarantees all Irish employees a minimum of 3 days of paid sick time each year.
In order to address the difficult economic environment and inflation in the post-pandemic times, the new regime, as announced by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar on September 14, 2022, will roll out the fairest and most appropriate entitlement over the course of four years, with employees having the right to 10 days of paid sick leave by the end of the fourth year.
How The Statutory Sick Pay Works in Ireland
The statutory sick pay programme operates according to the calendar year, not the fiscal year. Thus, it begins on January 1, 2023, and ends on December 31, 2023. Only those employees who have been with the employer for at least 13 weeks are eligible for the programme. Employers have the right to ask for a health certificate.
Digital Health Laws and Regulations Report 2022 Ireland does not set any restrictions on employees to use an online health certificate in Ireland to confirm their eligibility for the SSP.
Over the course of four years, the number of paid sick leave days will gradually increase, which goes as the following:
● 2023 - 3 paid sick days a year
● 2024 - 5 paid sick days a year
● 2025 - 7 paid sick days a year
● 2026 - 10 paid sick days a year
Under the rule, employees are entitled to sick pay equal to 70% of their regular weekly salary, up to a daily maximum of €110.
The statutory minimum tenure is three days of sick pay (SSP). Employers are free to offer a more generous sick pay policy, but they are not permitted to pay you less than the required minimum. The sick days might be used consecutively for 3 days, or used non-consequently throughout the year.
Responsibilities Placed On Employees While Claiming A Statutory Sick Pay
It's crucial to follow the correct procedures if you want to take sick days to make sure everything goes well. Every employer has a unique sick leave policy, which they should outline in their contract. Make sure you adhere to any specific guidelines provided by your company. The steps listed below can serve as a general guide for taking sick days:
● Paid sick leave entitlements: follow your work contract's instructions about the number of days allowed for sick pay, the rules for presenting a sick certificate for work delegating your tasks to other team members, and so on. You may also have a word with your employer, manager, or HR to stay legitimate.
● Inform your team: it may only take a text message to let your team or employer know you're taking the day off. While it is acceptable if you feel weak due to being ill, it is your responsibility to notify your team so that the critical work is not delayed and your employer does not take the fall for delayed customer delivery.
● Take care of your health and safety so that you can get back to work quickly. Although it is the employer's responsibility to make concerted efforts to prevent illness and injury, as well as to reduce workplace stress, the employee has to bear the responsibility to get well quickly so they can get back to work quickly. Instead of engaging in unhealthy stress-relieving behaviours like binge drinking or drug misuse, seek medical attention to resolve the problem.
While it is OK to take a day or two off of work to deal with excessive stress, maybe after finishing a particularly difficult assignment or returning from a work trip, it can be troublesome if you do it frequently.
Your job profile may be impacted, and your position may even be in jeopardy if you are frequently stressed out and fail to address the problems that are giving you stress. This is because you may not be taking enough responsibility for your physical and mental well-being. So be careful about your health and well-being and perform well at work.
Author
The author writes about sick certificates for work in Ireland, especially the technology and systems revolving around online health certificates. Get valuable insights about work-life balance.