Brits told to take more sick days and stop "soldiering on" - your pay rights explained

Speaking at a joint session of the Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee, Hancock said that the British mentality of soldiering on “needed to change”, and urged anyone with flu-like symptoms to stay off of work.

He said: “I want to have a change in the British way of doing things where ‘in in doubt, get a test’ doesn’t just refer to coronavirus but refers to any illness that you might have.

“Why in Britain do we think it’s acceptable to soldier on and go into work if you have flu symptoms or a runny nose, thus making your colleagues ill?

“I think that’s something that is going to have to change. If you have in future flu-like symptoms, you should get a test for it and find out what’s wrong with you, and if you need to stay at home to protect others, then you should stay at home.”

Hancock added that “the culture that ‘as long as you can get out of bed you should get into work’” should change.

Your rights explained

It’s important to know what your rights are in regards to sick leave and sick pay if you need to take time off of work due to illness.

Employment lawyer Philip Landau, of specialist employment law firm Landau Law, explains: “You are entitled to take time off work, usually known as “sick leave”, if you are unwell.”

This is what you need to know, as explained by a lawyer.

Do I need to provide a sick note?

Landau says: “If you have been off work due to sickness for more than seven days in a row, you must provide your employer with a doctors ‘fit note’, sometimes called a ‘sick note’.

“This includes non-working days such as weekends and bank holidays.”

You can get a sick note from your GP, or a hospital doctor. If your employer agrees, a similar note can alternatively be provided by a physiotherapist, podiatrist or occupational therapist instead. This is called an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report.

Fit notes are free for employees to obtain if they have been sick for more than seven days when they ask for one. A doctor may charge a fee if you ask for a note before seven days.

Landau says: “The fit note will say if you are “not fit for work” or “may be fit for work”. If it is the latter, your GP may suggest what changes need to take place by your employer that may help you return to work.

“If there is no agreement on these changes, then you must be treated as “not fit for work”.”

Employers can take a copy of the fit note, and the employee should hold onto the original.

If you’re self isolating and cannot work because of Covid-19, you can get an isolation note from NHS 111.

You don’t have to go to your doctor or a hospital to get this note - instead, fill out the form on the NHS website here.

Can I self-certify my sickness?

“If you are off work for seven consecutive days or less, you can self certify your sickness without having to provide a medical certificate,” Landau explains.

When you return to work, your employer can ask you to confirm that you’ve been off sick - this is called “self certification”.

The employer and employee will agree on how the employee should do this, for example, filling in a