Managing sick leave

14 July, 2023

There’s no limit to how much sick leave an employee can take at one time as long they have accrued it and they follow notice and evidence requirements.

Permanent employees accrue 10 days of paid sick leave a year (pro-rata for part-time employees). Any unused leave rolls over from one year to the next. If an employee has run out of paid sick leave, the Fair Work Act includes a protection against termination for employees who are temporarily absent from work due to an illness or injury. An employee is protected from dismissal during a temporary absence from work if:

• the total time away due to illness or injury is less than 3 consecutive months, or a total of less than 3 months over a 12 month period
• employees can be taking paid, unpaid or a combination of paid and unpaid sick leave during their absence
• employees need to provide evidence of their illness or injury (e.g. a medical certificate).

For further information, click here.