Sick leave
is absence for illness with income protection: models range from employer-paid weeks (Germany’s six weeks at 100%, Swiss scale-based or insured continuation) through state benefits after short employer periods (UK SSP, Nordic systems) to the Gulf’s tiered full/half/unpaid bands. Certification and notification rules apply everywhere.
The three models employers budget for
- Employer-heavy: Germany (6 weeks full pay per illness), Netherlands (up to 2 years at 70%+) — sickness is a major employer cost; insurance (NL) is standard.
- Insured continuation: Switzerland’s daily sickness allowance (KTG) insurance replaces scale-based employer duty — plan quality varies by provider.
- State-led: UK SSP at flat rates after waiting days; Gulf tiers (UAE: 15 days full, 30 half, then unpaid within 90).
Related terms: daily sickness allowance
FAQ
Can employers require sick notes?
Yes within national norms — commonly from day 3 or 4 (Germany allows day-one requests), with telemedicine certificates increasingly accepted. What employers cannot do is demand diagnoses: certificates confirm incapacity, not medical detail, under privacy rules.
Does sick leave affect notice and termination?
Frequently: several systems suspend notice during certified sickness (Switzerland’s protected periods by service year), the Netherlands bars most dismissal during the two-year sickness window, and dismissals ‘because of’ illness raise discrimination exposure broadly. Exit planning must check sickness status first.