There are many people out there who don’t believe that they should have to supply a medical certificate for work when they are feeling sick or have experienced an injury. The reason for this is because they believe that the company that they work for should simply trust them and it really isn’t any of their business what is going on with their personal life. Many believe that if they provide the required amount of notice that they cannot work (usually 24-hours) that they shouldn’t have to supply a reason for why they cannot attend their shift. What these people may not know is that companies don’t want evidence because they don’t trust their employees but in fact for other reasons. Knowing these reasons can often help employees feel more safe and wanted in their jobs and will also help encourage them to obtain a medical certificate for work when needed. As this is such an important topic, this article will explore this a little further.
Businesses need to legally hold onto a medical certificate for work for 7-years
In order for a company to be legally compliant, they need to hold onto all paperwork for 7-years, including a medical certificate for work. There are many reasons for this, but one reason is because more workplaces will pay for 10 sick days a year and so they will need to keep track of how many they have paid for. This is not only for tax purposes but also so they can be fair to all of the employees. Furthermore, when someone decides to leave a position, they will usually be paid out their sick leave entitlements so the company at hand will need to know exactly what they are entitled to. Once again, this isn’t so that the business is able to keep track of their workers but it more so that they are remaining legally compliant and so that all workers are treated fairly and equally. In addition to all of this, it is just a great way for a GP to correspond with a business as they are able to let them know what is going on with their patient with this legal document.
Employers need to make sure that their employees are safe
One of the reasons why people need to obtain a medical certificate for work is because their employer will need to ensure that their employees are safe to work. For example, if someone has many days off, this may indicate that there is something going on with them that may prevent them from completing their work safely e.g. driving a forklift. Furthermore, if someone has sustained an injury, the company will need to know about this so that they are able to not only give them days off if needed, but are able to have them return to light duties once their GP believes that it is safe to do so. There can be some workplaces where people should not come to work if they are feeling unwell such as a Nursing Home as the residents of the home will have lower immune systems and could pick up what the worker has. As this is the case, it is important that the company has record not only of when someone has a day off but also written evidence that someone is okay to return back to work safely. As it can be seen, there are many reasons for people to obtain a medical certificate for work and it isn’t about an employer not trusting their employee.