What is Sick Leave?

Sick leave or medical leave of absence refers to a benefit provided by employers that allows employees to take time off from work due to illness or health-related issues without loss of pay.

Types of leaves:

Paid Sick leave

Paid sick leave is basically time off from work that you get paid for when you're not feeling well or have some emergency. It's different from vacation time in that it's specifically meant for health-related reasons, like catching a cold or going to a doctor's appointment.

The eligibility of the paid sick leave depends upon the time period of the employee with the company, he must have been with the company for around six months or a year. The number of sick leaves an employee is entitled to also depends upon the employee's designation and the size of the company.

Company's Policies for Sick Leave

Though federal organizations of each country has different policies for sick leaves but companies also have some criteria in such situations. For instance, in some companies you need to provide your documents before applying for a sick leave or give a notice period.

Reasons for Which an Employee Can Take Paid Sick Leave

Employees can typically take paid sick leave for a variety of reasons related to their own health and wellbeing, or that of a close family member. Here are some common reasons:

Personal illness or injury: This includes common illnesses like the flu or a cold, as well as more serious conditions that require time off for recovery or treatment.
Medical appointments: Paid sick leave can be used to attend doctor or dentist appointments, including preventive care visits.
Hospitalization: If an employee needs to be hospitalized, they can use paid sick leave to cover their time away from work.
Mental health reasons: Some company policies allow using sick leave for mental health reasons, such as anxiety or depression.
Caring for a sick family member: Depending on the company policy, paid sick leave may be used to care for a spouse, child, or other close relative who is sick.

How to Write a Sick Leave Request

Whenever an employee has to take a sick leave they must consider the following while writing their sick leave:

Give a clear reason of the issue you are facing, make sure that you are professionally explaining the problem you are going through.
Mention the dates of you unavailability.
You must provide the employer the contact details such as phone number or email address in case of your unavailability.

Sick leave provides employees with the necessary time to recover and care for their health, promoting well-being and potentially reducing the spread of illnesses in the workplace, ultimately contributing to increased productivity.

Employees in both UAE and KSA are entitled to sick leave, but the benefits differ. In the UAE, workers get up to 90 days with full pay for the first 15 days, half pay for the next 30, and no pay for the remaining 45. Saudi Arabia is more generous, offering 120 days of leave per year, with full pay for the first 30 days, then dropping to 75% for the next 30, and unpaid for the final 60.

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Sick Leave