According to the results of a new survey from human resources company SD Worx seven out of ten Belgian SMEs, small or medium-sized businesses, are not in favour of any further relaxation of employees’ obligation to provide a sick note, when they are ill.
At the end of 2022, parliament approved a law allowing employees to be sick and off work for one day three times a year without needing to provide a medical certificate. However, employers with fewer than 50 employees are not obliged to follow the rule.
In the spring of 2023, fresh legislation that would extend the abolition of the sick note to three times three days per employee per calendar year and to all companies regardless of their size, was tabled.
Seven out of 10 Belgian SMEs don’t support the new bill. A majority even request a medical certificate, even for one day off work due to illness.
Only one in 10 SMEs no longer requests a sick note. The SMEs say not requiring sick notes makes staff planning more complex, especially in production environments.
A recent survey by HR company SD Worx involving 481 SME company managers shows that the majority of Belgian SMEs (53 per cent) always request a medical certificate.
However, there are regional differences. SMEs in Wallonia request a sick note more often than Flanders, even for one day. But almost four out of ten SMEs request a medical certificate only after several days of absence. For SMEs and companies with 50 or more employees, the abolition of the 1-day note (and this up to 3 times a year) is a fact. Smaller SMEs can still deviate from this and still continue to ask for medical certificates for any period of illness, regardless of its duration.