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Rules concerning short-term illness

Do you know what you should do if you fall ill? Are you covered by health insurance? And what are your options if you fall ill before or during your holiday? Learn about your rights and options in relation to short-term illness.

If you fall ill, you are entitled to absence from work and you must inform your employer immediately that you are ill. Your employer may consider your absence a serious breach of contract on your part if you do not call in sick - which may ultimately cause you to be summarily dismissed.

Many companies have internal rules regarding when, how and to whom you must notify about illness and lack of attendance at work. You should therefore check your contract or the employee handbook to find out how this is done in your company. The most common rule is that you should inform your employer of your absence in writing before the start of working hours and no later than two hours after your normal start time.

You are not obliged to regularly report that you are still ill once you have informed your employer about your sickness absence. However, it is normal that you notify your employer if you can say something about when will be able to return to work.

Am I entitled to receive salary for medical visits and treatment?

You are entitled to paid absence for, e.g. normal visits to your doctor, specialist, ambulatory hospital treatment or doctor prescribed physiotherapy. However, the visit must be necessary to aid your recovery, and you must be able to document the visit if your employer requires.

The treatment should, as far as possible, take place outside working hours. If this is not possible, you will retain the right to paid absence but are obliged to try to arrange the visit so that it is of the least inconvenience to your employer, which generally means that the visit should be placed at the start or end of the working day.

Am I covered by health insurance through my employer?

All employees in the financial sector who are covered by a collective agreement are also covered by healthcare insurance. The purpose of this is to ensure that you receive prompt treatment and advice. The insurance cover depends on the scheme chosen by your company but in most cases you are ensured treatment within a maximum period of two weeks.

These treatments are, e.g. covered by the insurance but may vary in relation to what is covered by the insurance:

  • Examinations, operations and treatments of, e.g. meniscus injuries, injuries resulting from the use of a mouse, hip operations and gallstones.
  • Treatment of mental disorders, e.g. psychological and crisis support.

Treatment by a physiotherapist or chiropractor.

Illness and holidays

What do I do if I fall ill before the start of a holiday?

You are not obliged to start your holiday if you fall ill before the start of your holiday (i.e. before the start of working hours on the first day of holiday). However, you must inform your employer as soon as possible that the illness will prevent you from taking the planned holiday. You may take the holiday at a later date but please note that most companies have rules as to how you must report sick.

When your illness is over, you must remember to report fit for duty and inform your employer whether you want to take the remaining holiday or resume work.

You may, e.g. be ill in the first week of a three-week main holiday. You must then choose if you wish to take holiday leave in the remaining two weeks of holiday or if you would rather postpone all three weeks and go back to work instead. If you choose to take the two weeks' holiday, this will be your main holiday and you are entitled to a main holiday of one more week, which, however, you are not entitled to take in continuation of the other weeks. The general rules for how you can take holiday apply in this case.

What do I do if I fall ill during a holiday?

If you fall ill while you are on holiday, you may be entitled to partial substitute holiday. You must notify your employer about the illness on the first sick day, as the right to substitute holiday can only start from the time you report sick. Unless other rules apply at your workplace, you must provide documentation of the illness, which means that you must pay for a medical certificate. This applies to holiday in both Denmark and abroad.

You are only entitled to substitute holiday after a period of five sick days. The substitute holiday must generally be taken later in the same holiday year, i.e. before 1 May. If this is not possible, the substitute holiday may be taken in the following holiday year.

Are you registered correctly?

The best way we can help is if we have the correct information about you. This is of importance to your professional, legal and economic rights. So please ensure that you always change your information if changes occur in your work life.

You can correct your information at Mit forbund.

"You are entitled to paid absence if you need to visit the doctor, dentist or physiotherapist, for example."

Contact Legal Department

32 66 13 30

Call us Monday-Thursday 8.30 - 16.00 or Friday 8.30 - 15.00

You can also write an email to raadgivning@finansforbundet.dk