Barnardos operates a sick pay scheme where employees receive pay for absences due to

illness or injury within defined limits. This lesson gives you the necessary information to enable
you to ensure you conform to the sick pay scheme.

Navigation
Where to get more info

Uncertified Sick Leave is leave taken when an employee is ill and is unavailable for work and
this has not been certified by a medical doctor or dentist.
Barnardos permits a maximum of 7 days uncertified sick leave to be taken in any 24 month
period, however certain conditions apply.

Certified Sick Leave is leave taken when an employee is ill and is unavailable for work and this
has been certified by a medical doctor or dentist.
Medical certificates are required for absences from the fourth day (including rest days) or if the
entitlement to uncertified sick leave is exhausted.
Weekly medical certificates are required except where an employee is in hospital or recovering
from a long term illness. In these cases, a hospital or doctor’s report is required.
Employees must also request an illness benefit form from their doctor and submit a claim for
illness benefit to the Dept of Social Protection after they have been out sick for more than 6
days (this includes rest days).

Pay during sick leave

Barnardos will pay salary during sick leave as laid out below:
➢ Certified sick leave for those with non-critical illnesses or non-serious physical
injuries 3 months full pay followed by 3 months half pay in a rolling four year period.
➢ Certified sick leave for those with critical illnesses or serious physical injuries
6 months full pay followed by 6 months half pay in a rolling four-year period.
Decisions over whether the ‘critical illness’ provisions apply will be taken on a case-by-case
basis and will rest mainly on medical evidence from an employees’ doctor, which must be
confirmed by the employer’s occupational health provider.

Sick Pay limits are operated over a four year rolling period.
Notification
On the first day of absence, the employee must contact their manager, before or no later than
within one hour of their expected start time. Employees should notify their manager directly
where at all possible; voicemails and messages with colleagues should only be used in
exceptional circumstances. Text messages or messages from the employees’ family are not
acceptable except in exceptional situations.
Where an employee becomes ill while at work, they should notify their manager before leaving
work and the absence will be recorded dependent on the length of time spent at work that day
(such as a half day or a full day sick leave).

Medical Appointments
Where possible, medical appointments should be arranged outside of working hours (this does
not apply to ante-natal appointments). Where this is not possible, notice of at least one week of
the appointment should be given to the manager, and the absence is recorded as certified sick
leave on submission of a medical appointment card or letter to confirm attendance.

Notification of Return to Work Where an employee has had a prolonged absence due to
illness/injury, they may be requested to submit a back to work certificate from their doctor
stating that they are fit to return to work. They may also be required to attend the Barnardos
medical practitioner for a medical assessment. Their fitness to return to work is based on them
returning to perform all functions of their job description.

Back to Work Meeting

Employees will meet with their manager on their return to work following any absence due to
sick leave. How formal this meeting is will depend on the length or frequency of the absence.

Please refer to the Barnardos Sick Leave Policy (HR-010) available on Connect.