The Sickly Concept of Medical Certificates
It’s rare for me to voluntarily visit a doctor’s office unless one of my limbs is not quite intact. However, with my current job I am required to provide a medical certificate to take a day of sick leave. For the sake of avoiding doctors I am actually more inclined to go to work than rest to get better faster. However recently when I was too ill to stand for 60 seconds, I had no choice but to admit defeat and take a sick day. Even though it meant I would have to take on the impossible task of dragging myself out of bed to visit a doctor who would tell me that I had something viral and that the best solution would be to go back to bed and rest.
After a few hours I mustered the energy to walk to the doctor’s office. Driving was out of the question because I definitely was not coherent enough to parallel park into a matchbox-sized spot. I expected the receptionist at the clinic to be sympathetic to my voiceless self but that was not the case. Instead this professional from the medical industry kept asking that I speak louder. She would have rendered me speechless had I not already been.
So I sat in a waiting room full of sick people unsure who would infect whom first. When I finally did see the doctor he told me exactly what I expected to hear. Still I wasn’t there for his advice. I was there for the sick leave certificate. Clearly the clinic valued the certificate more too because they charged me more for that piece of paper than they did for a consultation with someone who had spent years in medical school.
This “law” is so ridiculous. But then again, most of the employees abused it when it was for free. Still, it’s not an excuse!
Yeah it’s a shame that a few dishonest are costing the rest of us.
One day? That’s pretty harsh! I can certainly understand 3 days off to have to bring in a sick note (in SA we used to have to bring in a sick note if it immediately followed leave, or if you were ill on a Monday even if it was only after 1 day off).
My company recently changed our policy to only needing a sick note for 5 days or more because of the fact that people rush to the doctor for every sniffle instead of using common sense as to what’s wrong, and in turn increase the medical insurance costs… but at the same time we monitor very carefully who is taking sick leave, and when, and how often.
Yeah it was 2 days at my old job which didn’t seem too bad… but my current company has chosen the absolute cheapest form of insurance which covers almost nothing so I suppose we don’t risk a rising insurance premium. When I filed a claim for a foot problem I was rejected on the grounds that feet are non-essential body parts!
hahahahah, oh dear!
Yeah it’s a sucky system. We have to get a medical cert over here in Singapore for 1 day too if we’re sick. It’s annoying, especially when you just need a day off to rest or sleep it off. But over here the MC is included in the consultation cost thankfully.
Yeah I reckon I’m subjected to this because our HQ is in Singapore. Dubai-based companies usually don’t ask for a certificate unless it’s been 2 or 3 days.
Haha, I should have known, only a Singapore based company would do that. Am I allowed to ask which company? If you don’t want to disclose it that’s fine.
In the interest of protecting my ass I will tell you and then delete the comment. You’ll get an email with the name 🙂
Lol, got it. Its okay I wouldn’t post my employer on my blog too.
Out of curiosity, have you heard of it?
Nope, not one of the big ones here. Not sure what they tell you guys over there. :p
🙂 I’d rather not repeat what is said
Haha that’s fine, I was just saying. Anyway, not that I know a lot about advertising, they could be an up and coming one.
Oh how it’s killing me not to speak! But yeah the work culture in East Asia is way more intense than both North America and the Middle East.
I think I need to move to the middle east or north America
Wow. Never heard of this! One day? Now that’s intense!
What are the rules where you live?
Gosh, I actually have no idea. I work at home and even when I was in the workforce outside the home, I was never required to submit medical documentation for an absence. My husband works outside the home but again, he too has never had to submit documentation for an absence from work. It seems we’re very lax here compared to your situation!
I’m not sure of the consequence for not submitting one. I suppose at worst the just dock my pay for a day.
That is really a tough policy!
That’s crazy that if you take one sick day because you are so sick that you can’t make it to work, you need to get up and go see a doctor to get a sick certificate. My company only requires a doctor’s certification if you’re applying for short-term disability due to an illness. And the fact that you try to drag yourself out of bed when you’re sick and go to work to avoid having to deal with sick certificates is just putting your co-workers in jeopardy and will potentially lead to their also having to take sick days. That is a ridiculous policy.
Couldn’t agree more. Plus I don’t think it’s fair to charge people for a note that certifies that they are sick. It’s just a piece of paper. Companies should just accept our payment stubs for the consultation instead.
Or maybe just trust you a little that if you’re not sick you’ll come to work and if you are really sick, you won’t.
😉 But that’s not the capitalist way to do things!
Yeah I truly think it makes more sense to self-certify but I suppose some people may have taken advantage of that system and subsequently made things tougher on the rest of us.
I think it’s 3 days here. 1 day is just madness. And you’re probably making yourself sicker by dragging yourself to the doctor for a pointless piece of paper!
Yeah I’d imagine countries with public healthcare probably don’t think it’s worth people going to the doctors for silly reasons. In countries where it’s privatised we are perhaps a vital part of the economy 🙂
I think people here go to the doc’s just to get their money’s worth out of their health insurance!
Thus making queues longer for the people who actually need to see a doctor… just can’t win!
I’m a unionized government employee (don’t hate me!) so I have pretty good benefits, including sick leave. I’ve never been asked for a doctor’s certificate so I don’t know if they’re ever required. I think making someone go to the doctor for one day’s absence is ridiculous. Here in Canada the doctor’s visit is free, but I think I saw a notice in the office once saying that there was a charge for letters–maybe because it’s not a medically-necessary service.
Yeah doctor’s notes aren’t free in Canada either but I don’t think I’ve ever been asked for a note. Back when I worked for an hourly wage in Ontario I once took 2 weeks of sick leave and came back without a note since I was not getting paid for time off.
I had the task to ask my doctor to fill out a form (Government) it took him less than 5 minutes, I insisted he elaborate on one of the questions, he said “Na, they know what I mean”! I was charged $40, a month later I got a call from the doctors office.. a page was missing from that form, could I please send it to them…..then whom the form was for, wanted my Doctor to elaborate on a subject.The same subject I insisted my Doctor elaborate on .. I was charged another $40 ! As if they don’t make enough money! That $80 is a weeks groceries ! It’s not fair.
I feel your frustration. It’s really not fair to be held financially responsible for someone else’s mistake. No wonder suing is so popular in America!