Sick notes place an unnecessary burden on doctors and patients, physicians’ organizations say

Family doctors frustrated with writing sick notes have created a template letter for patients to give to their employers, explaining that the notes place an unnecessary burden on physicians during an ongoing primary-care crisis.

They are also calling on the province to restrict when and how employers can ask for sick notes.

Many family doctors spend between 20 and 30 per cent of their day doing paperwork, Ali says, and filling out sick notes only adds to that.

Also, having to leave the house to get a note does not allow the sick person to rest, Ali said, and the task is made even more difficult for those who don’t have a family doctor and have to wait in walk-in clinics. “A person who feels under the weather — the last thing they want to do is possibly get on a bus, or into their vehicle, or ask someone for a ride to go to their doctors office,” said Ali.

As of 2023, employers in Nova Scotia are only allowed to request a sick note if the absence is more than five consecutive work days.

New legislation in Ontario, meanwhile, will force employers to scrap sick notes for the three days of provincially mandated annual sick leave. The Ontario government is moving to ban sick notes for short-term illness, in an effort to cut down on paperwork for family doctors.

In a statement sent to CBC News, B.C.'s Ministry of Labour said employers are able to request “reasonably sufficient proof” of illness, but are encouraged to be thoughtful about when they request sick notes.

It did not respond to questions about whether it is considering legislation to ban or restrict asking for sick notes.

  • applepie@kbin.social
    232·
    6 months ago

    Clown employers burdening the nation and we all take it like good little bitches that we are

    🤡🤡🤡

    At some point people need to start owning their lives…

    • Nik282000@lemmy.ca
      113·
      6 months ago

      Give it a try! Yell ‘fuck the system’ then click your stopwatch and see how fast you can speedrun homelessness (any %). The only clowns are the people who think they can live outside of society and make their own rules.

      Changes need to be made at the system level with policy.

      • applepie@kbin.social
        56·
        6 months ago

        Yes you are too powerless to do any basic direct action in self interest

        God forbid you have to do anything to help yourself. Let’s keep waiting for the ruling regime to fix it for you, any day now life will start getting better lol

        • Nik282000@lemmy.ca
          41·
          6 months ago

          You literally have no choice but to participate, you can not quit society. Any change you want to make has to be done using the existing rules, even peaceful (and violent) protest are subject to those rules whether you agree with them or not.

          • applepie@kbin.social
            48·
            6 months ago

            I don’t think you understand the concept of direct action and how to use it.

            Entire system relies on the peasants being stupid consumer with no agency and people just do it.

            Amazing.

            Sure housing and healthcare, we are fucked. But you ain’t got to buy a lot of other shit, use their shiti services etc but god forbid anyone votes with their money or is told to consume less.

            Keep eating that goy slop and jerking it on faceberg and insta filled with ads selling you shit you don’t need. Don’t forget to shop on temu while at it. You deff need that plastic trash.

            Don’t forget to do free OT for your job creator too! He needs that labour more than you need money.

            • Nik282000@lemmy.ca
              31·
              6 months ago

              We are literally talking about healthcare. The way to stop employers from wasting healthcare resources with sick notes is legislation. You will NEVER win that argument with an employer if the law is not on your side.

              Keep eating that goy slop and jerking it on faceberg and insta filled with ads selling you shit you don’t need. Don’t forget to shop on temu while at it. You deff need that plastic trash.

              Don’t forget to do free OT for your job creator too! He needs that labour more than you need money.

              You are aware that Lemmy is the place you are least likely to find that kind of person, right? Know your audience.

            • Rob Bos@lemmy.ca
              1·
              6 months ago

              goy slop faceberg

              I am about 99% sure this is racist trash? Kindly fuck off, if so.

  • DonkMagnum@lemy.lol
    2·
    6 months ago

    The really stupid part of all this is that employers know that doctors will write any note you ask them to. The medical note isn’t to prove illness, but to put a burden upon the employee: - call in sick, spend half day at the walk-in clinic - and they are wasting doctors’ time to do it.

    Legislated paid sick leave for all employees is what we need.

  • Avidis@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    6 months ago

    I’m happy that my employer actually treats me like an adult and only requires that I let them in know before the start of a work day that I’m sick. Never been asked for a sick note, even when it with COVID for a week.

    Seems it all comes down to management thinking we’re all infantile children.