As an employee, you are entitled to absence if you are unable to work due to illness. You are also entitled to absence in connection with visits to the doctor, doctor-referred treatment in the healthcare system or dental appointments (if they cannot be scheduled outside of work hours).
You must call in sick no later than the start of the work day on the first day of illness in accordance with the workplace’s local guidelines. SDU may require that you document your absence due to illness with a medical certificate, which SDU pays for.
In connection with long-term illness, you will be called in for a sick leave interview. The interview must establish the possibilities for how and when you as an employee on sick leave can return to the workplace in full or in part. The sick leave interview should therefore be considered a care interview.
In the event of expected sick leave of more than eight weeks from the first day of illness, you can – at any time during the course of the illness – request that a written retention plan is prepared for how you can return to work in full or in part as soon as possible. The retention plan must be prepared jointly and may, for example, include a changed workplace layout and different work tasks. SDU is not obliged to prepare the plan, but it may be a good idea for both parties.
A declaration of work capacity will be used if there is uncertainty about which work functions you can perform. The declaration makes it possible to get your doctor’s assessment of the extent to which you can carry out your work functions in the future (in full or in part) without worsening your health.
The declaration consists of two parts. Part 1 is completed by you and your manager. Your doctor then assesses whether the work functions described are compatible with your state of health and then completes Part 2. A request to prepare a declaration of work capacity may be made (and paid for by the employer) at any time during the period of illness. The declaration can also be used for periods of repeated sick leave.
If you suffer from a chronic or long-term illness that is estimated to cause at least 10 days of absence in one year, you and your immediate manager can make a request to the municipality for a §56 agreement.