BC limits when employers can request sick notes
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The British Columbia government says the new rules limit when an employer can ask for a sick note, saving doctors the burden of writing them and preventing patients from spreading their illness even further.
Under the new employment standards rules, an employer cannot ask for notes for the first two health-related absences of up to five consecutive days in the same year, a government statement said.
Health Minister Josie Osborne says the new rules starting on Wednesday will ensure people who are sick can stay home to recover, while also reducing unnecessary administrative burdens on doctors.
Family physician and Doctors of BC representative Dr. Lisa Gedde says sick notes place a “huge burden on physicians and other primary care providers,” and the change means they may be more available to patients who need their help.
The statement said the changes are based on advice from care providers, who say scientific evidence shows that for adults, the symptoms of most minor illnesses, such as the flu or cold, resolve within five days.
Labor Minister Jennifer Whiteside says when a person gets sick with the flu, the last thing they want to do is go to their doctor and get a note saying they’re sick.
“Unnecessary medical appointments waste the time of patients who need to see their doctors and nurses, do not help people get better faster, and risk further spread of the disease,” she says in the statement.
The Canadian Medical Association estimates BC doctors have written about 1.6 million Sick Last year’s notes.
The statement said health-related absences include when an employee or a member of their immediate family is sick or injured.
The government says health-care providers across the province have asked for relief from administrative burdens, including notes that take them away from patient care.
Eliminating sick note requirements was a key promise in the BC NDP’s provincial election campaign last fall. The province introduced Bill 11 in April amending the Employment Standards Act around sick notes, and promised the changes would be implemented ahead of respiratory illness season.
