Many Welcome New Sick Leave Provisions

One employee's sick leave may have doubled, but another employee's sick leave may still only be five days. How does this work?

On 24 July 2021, minimum employee sick leave entitlements increased from five days to 10 days per year[1]. Key points for employers are below.

When does the entitlement start?

Not all employees will get the increase in sick days at the same time. Employees will get an extra five days' sick leave when they reach their next entitlement date. This is either after they reach six months' employment or on their existing anniversary.

For example, if your employee's anniversary date was 10 June, they become entitled to 10 days' sick leave on 10 June 2022, but until then, their entitlement remains at five days.

What remains the same?

• Employees who already get 10 or more sick days a year will not be affected by this change

• The maximum amount of unused sick leave that an employee can be entitled to accrue remains at 20 days, and

• The change applies to all employees whether they are full-time or part-time.

Remember, it's your obligation as an employer to ensure you're aware of your employees' entitlements.

[1] Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Act.

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