Search Q&A
sick leave vs. holiday
Hello,
I work for a Flemish company. Recently, my kid was ill so I stayed at home to take care of him. My HR department has told me I won't be paid for the period, and it is better if I use my holiday entitlement instead. Could someone confirm that's the law? I could also claim I was on sick leave for one of the days (I have a doctor's certificate of course) - am I entitled to any pay in such a case? Perhaps these are naive questions, but I have never been sick before - neither has my son, and I have been working for 7 months now. Thank you!
You (actually each of the 2 parents) are entitled to 10 days of unpaid leave per calendar year for family urgencies (congés pour raisons impérieuses). Normally to use these days your HR can request you to deliver a note from your child's doctor confirming that child's illness required home care (your doctor will know which document to prepare). There is a separate scheme in case of a long term illness (career break).
If you want you can use your holiday days instead, personally I rather loose day or two of salary instead of shortening my holidays.
If your employee allows work from home, and you're able to work with the child home, you of course don't have to use either of the above options. Writing yourself sick without being it is abusing the system, but each if us follow our own moral on this.
You are entitled to 10 days UNPAID per year to look after a sick child.
If you use holiday days you get paid. but lose the holiday days.
depends which is most important to you. holidays or money.
if you can claim you were sick, depends on your contract. some contracts you are not paid for the first 3 sick days, others you are paid. have to look at yours
