04.09.2024

DON'T IGNORE USING SICK LEAVE

In today's fast-paced business world, where we work hard, we sometimes forget about the important role of vacation for our health and well-being.

Ignoring sick leave granted by a doctor or other professional can have serious consequences for our physical and mental state. What are the features of this type of temporary disability leave?

Imagine a worker who, instead of following his doctor's orders, decides to continue working in harmful conditions. Time passes and his condition worsens. Continuous exposure to stress and tension at the workplace leads to accelerated deterioration of his health. Instead of taking a few days off, this worker chooses to neglect his health, which ends up costing him long periods of treatment and recovery. Is this worth it?

In Bulgaria, the duration of sick leave depends on the specialist who issues it. A doctor or dentist can provide sick leave for a maximum of 14 days, and the total period in a calendar year must not exceed 40 days with a break.

The emergency center provides sick leaves for a period of up to 3 calendar days, and Medical Advisory Committees (MACs) can authorize leave of up to 180 calendar days and no more than 30 days at a time. TEMC carries out an examination after 180 days of continuous leave or when using 12 months of leave in two previous calendar years and in the year of illness.

All of these measures are designed to ensure that workers have enough time to recover and deal with health issues before returning to work. Ignoring the granted leave due to temporary incapacity for work can lead not only to serious health problems, but also to a loss of professional efficiency and job satisfaction.

The sick leave is issued on the day on which the temporary incapacity for work is established. It is not allowed to issue a sick leave in which the date of commencement of sick leave is later than the date of its issue.

An exception is allowed only in cases where the temporary inability to work was established on the day the person was at work, regardless of the hours worked, or after the expiration of his working hours. In these cases, the leave given for temporary incapacity for work (sick leave) necessarily starts from the next calendar day, regardless of whether it may be non-working for the person.

An exception is also allowed in cases where the sick leave is a continuation. In these cases, the leave given for temporary incapacity for work begins compulsorily from the day on which the person should have reported to work according to the preceding sick leave, regardless of whether it may be non-working for the person.

Maintaining a balance between professional and personal obligations, including the use of sick leave, is essential to the long-term success and well-being of the worker. The appeal is to all of us to take care of our health and take advantage of the leave opportunities that have been created to maintain our health.