Sick Leave Days are Increasing.
The Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill (“Bill”) was introduced on 1 December 2020 and on 19 May 2021, the Bill passed its third reading. Changes will come into force two months after the Bill receives Royal Assent.
The new law will provide employees with an entitlement to 10 days sick leave per year, which is double the current entitlement of 5.
However, the maximum number of sick leave days an employee is entitled to in any year will still remain the same. What this means is that employees will now only be able to carry over 10 sick leave days (instead of 15) to a maximum of 20 days in any given year.
Please be aware that the “6 month stand-down period” still applies for new employees coming into the business, although the stand-down period is set to be removed by new legislation towards the end of the year.
If you feel you could use some specialist advice, don’t hesitate to us.
