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Employee illness and accidents
In what situation does the employer pay salary during sick leave?
The employer pays sick leave for the first nine consecutive working days. The calculation of sick leave days paid by the employer starts over if the employee works even one day after sick leave and then returns to sick leave.
Example: The employee has been on sick leave for three days, came to work for one day after that, and then was sick again for nine days.
In this case, the employee has been on sick leave for 12 working days and the employer is only obliged to pay for the first 9, Kela compensates the employee for the remaining 3.
Is the employer obliged to pay for the diagnosis and treatment of the employee's illness?
The employer is not obligated to pay for the diagnosis and treatment of the employee's illness, unless they have voluntarily chosen a occupational health care package that includes these services.
What other costs related to the employee's illness does the employer cover?
According to the law, if an employee is on sick leave for more than 60 days, the employer is obliged by Kela to pay the medical center for the employee's work ability assessment.
The price for this work includes an initial assessment of the employee's work ability carried out by a nurse, followed by a mandatory assessment by an occupational health doctor and, in addition, any examinations and consultations made by other specialists. More assessments can be performed later if the sick leave continues.
Can a long-term ill employee be dismissed?
An employer cannot terminate an employee who is on sick leave.
What is the employer's responsibility in a case where an employee has to go on disability pension?
Partial financial responsibility is only for companies with over 50 employees, if the employee has become incapacitated due to illness.
What is the employer's responsibility for accidents that occur at the workplace?
Every employer is responsible for arranging workplace accident insurance. The insurance most often compensates the medical expenses and sick leave pay of the employee involved in an accident.
If the employer has not followed occupational safety regulations in the situation, the insurance company may refuse to pay the expenses.
How can the risk of accidents be reduced with the help of properly organized occupational health care?
Occupational health care reduces the number of accidents at the workplace, as the employer may not always be able to assess all the factors that may jeopardize the health of the workers themselves. Professionals may see the need to increase preventive and protective measures. Occupational health care helps to reduce the number and length of sick leaves by assessing the working conditions that can affect workers suffering from chronic diseases.
Which doctor can an employee turn to for issues related to diagnosing and treating an illness?
An employee can turn to their own occupational health services if their employer has voluntarily chosen these services as part of the occupational health care agreement.
In other cases, the employee can contact the health center or a private sector doctor.
Can an employer oblige an employee to turn to the occupational health care medical center?
The employer has the right to require the employee to turn to their own occupational health care center. However, this must be mentioned in writing in the employment contract.
How can this right be beneficial to the employer?
Most often, using the services of the same doctor helps to reduce the number and length of sick leaves, as the doctor is already familiar with the patient's health condition and the harmful factors at his workplace.
Who pays for the employee's care?
If the company's occupational health care agreement includes employee's treatment, it is paid by the employer. In other cases, the employee pays for the treatment themselves and chooses whether to go for treatment in public or private healthcare.
