Short Term Sick Leave for Supervisors

When an employee calls in sick or injured, it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. Maintain a positive outlook and create opportunities to discuss supporting them in their recovery. Avoid an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach by inviting each employee to comment on what they are capable of doing. Encourage them to return to work by finding work options that suit their recovery needs. 

When an employee requests short term sick leave:

• Determine how long they expect to need time off work.
• Make sure they’re eligible for Short Term Illness and Injury Plan benefits.
• Remind them to record their days off work in the STIIP module of Time On Line or submit a leave management transaction through E-Forms Plus. Your assistance may be required to enter time on their behalf. If this is the case, find out if the employee plans to top up their sick leave pay. Remember, vacation credits are not earned while on sick leave. To prevent miscalculations and unnecessary overpayments from occurring, take into account vacation credits will be prorated.
• Immediately submit a WorkSafeBC report for employees that report being injured in the workplace.

You are responsible for managing routine leave cases, which typically means you have:

• Available information to reasonably support a short absence (less than one month) with a likely return to work.
• No workplace issues/obstacles/modifications required.
• An employee who wants to return to work.
• Temporary modifications to duties or hours that you can accommodate without assistance.

Doctor’s Certificates

Request a doctor’s certificate if there is not enough information to approve a leave or when the leave is going to be longer than one month. Use your judgement to decide when and how often a doctor’s certificate is required thereafter. The STIIP Plan indicates when a doctor’s certificate can be requested under other circumstances.* At the very least, doctor’s certificates should be obtained monthly in complex cases or situations where updated medical information will assist with return-to-work planning.  » Short Term Illness and Injury Plan (STIIP)

Length of Leave

Sick leave is considered to be one continuous leave if the employee has been off for the same illness/injury without returning to work for 15 consecutive scheduled work days before taking another day for the same illness or injury. 

Sick leave recorded for a six week period will be flagged for an early intervention and return-to-work specialist to follow up. If leave is extensive or the situation is complicated, contact us for help managing the situation.

Early Intervention & Return to Work eLearning Series

These eLearning courses for supervisors will help you manage your employees who are ill or injured, whether they are still at work, off work, or returning to work after a period of absence. These are quick, just-in-time e-learning modules that only take a few minutes to work through, and give supervisors essential information on dealing with sick leave, the Managing Employee Health Issues at Work program, doctor's certificate forms, Short Term Illness and Injury Plan and the supervisor's role, Long Term Disability and the supervisor's role, and returning to work.
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