B.C. doctors call on employers to stop asking for sick notes during pandemic
Posted January 21, 2022 7:45 am.
Last Updated January 21, 2022 7:46 am.
Doctors in B.C. are once again urging employers to stop asking workers for sick notes, saying they are placing an “unnecessary burden on the health-care system.”
The renewed plea comes at a time when health systems across the country are strained due to the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Doctors of BC President Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh says with critical staffing shortages already adding to challenges, physicians should be spending their time with “patients who need medical care and attention, not writing sick notes.”
The group highlights Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s plea earlier this month, when she urged employers to not require staff to provide a sick note to get back to work or school.
BC doctors urge employers to stop asking for sick notes. “Sick notes place an unnecessary burden on the health care system particularly during the Omicron surge,” said our President @dr_rdosanjh. Read more: https://t.co/iu5IAkyCUR pic.twitter.com/gAzB78Sldi
— Doctors of BC (@DoctorsOfBC) January 20, 2022
“There is no need – none – for sick notes at this time (during the pandemic),” Health Minister Adrian Dix is also quoted as saying last year.
However, this call could run into some challenges with B.C.’s new paid sick leave program, which guarantees workers five days off if they’re unwell. The program allows employers to ask for “reasonably sufficient proof of illness,” which could prompt businesses to require such notes from a physician.
Doctors of BC says it’s been advocating against the use of sick note policies since 2014.
“Although a long-term solution is needed, employers can do their part now by taking this step to immediately ease pressure on the health care system,” the group, which represents 14,000 physicians, medical residents, and students in the province, says.
Related article: Paid sick leave for B.C. kicks in Jan. 1
It points to a COVID-19 Sick Note letter created by BC Family Doctors, which explains why employers should not be asking for sick notes at this time.
“British Columbia remains in a public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter reads in part. “The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) advises any individual who is experiencing symptoms to stay in self-isolation for a minimum of 5 days from the onset of symptoms or a positive PCR or Rapid Antigen test (as of January 11, 2022). “
