Online Solicitor

Although the amount of company, occupational or contractual sick pay to which employees are entitled depends on their specific employment contract, it must be more than the minimum statutory sick pay. All details surround company sick pay should be outlined in the employee’s written contract of employment, which they should receive within the first two months of employment. Similarly, if no company sick pay scheme exists, the contract should state this.

There is great variation in company sick pay schemes, but most involve a minimum amount of time for which the employee must have been working for the employer. After this period, the employee may be entitled to full pay for a certain amount number of week taken off ill, then half pay for the next period and so on, until additional sick leave may become unpaid.

There is an element of discretion allowed within contractual sick pay and, in some cases, employers may choose to pay an employee sick pay when the employee doesn’t entirely qualify under the written agreement in the contract. Similarly, some employers may choose to refuse sick pay if they are unconvinced of the circumstances surrounding the illness. Naturally, this carries risks for the employer.

Almost all employers require employees to inform them if they fall ill and, should the illness continue for longer than around a week, most require the employee to provide a doctor’s note to confirm the illness.