Three-quarters of Canadians support legislation to curb sick notes: survey

A survey of 1,500 Canadians by Abacus Data reveals that about one-third of working Canadians were asked to provide a sick note for a brief absence at least once last year.Other findings from the study:Just under half of working Canadians (44%) say their employer has a sick note policy for short-term leave/time offFor those with a policy, half (44%) say they are required to produce a note for any length of time off. For the remaining half (50%) the average time off where a note is required is around three daysThree quarters of working Canadians (72%) support new legislation that restricts requests for sick notes for short-term leave/time-off, including nearly half who strongly support (48%). The survey was commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) which is advocating for an end to sick note requirements for minor, short-term illnesses, a change that could prevent up to 12.5 million unnecessary healthcare visits annually.Read: 'Not your HR police': Doctor tells employers to quit asking for sick notes“Sick notes are not a health systems issue; they’re a human resources issue,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the CMA, in a press release. “We understand that organizations have policies in place to manage their human resources, but when 6.5 million Canadians don’t have access to a family doctor and patients wait far too long for specialty care, physicians need to focus their time caring for patients who need medical care. We need to be there for patients who need us when they need us.”In a new position paper, the CMA advocates for legislative changes to limit the requirement for sick notes, proposing alternatives like self-certification and flexible leave policies. This shift aims to reduce the administrative load on healthcare providers, improve patient access to care, and streamline the healthcare system. Findings from the CMA's 2021 National Physician Health Survey show that 53% of physicians experience high levels of burnout, with administrative tasks such as sick notes being a major contributor. The Abacus Data survey was conducted with 1,500 working adults in Canada from Oct. 7 to 10, 2024. The margin of error for a comparable random sample of the same size is +/- 2.53%, 19 times out of 20.Recommendations from CMA position paperConsidering these challenges, we make the following recommendations to address the issues associated with sick notes:1. Legislation: The CMA recommends that governments enact or amend legislation to restrict employers and educational institutions from requiring sick notes for short-term minor illnesses.This would ensure that minor illnesses do not unnecessarily strain physicians and the healthcare system.2. Employer- and educational institution-based alternatives: The CMA recommends that employers and educational institutions cease asking for doctor’s notes and adopt alternatives.Alternatives to sick notes include signed declarations from employees (self-certification), employee check-ins or return-to-work interviews. Other options include accrued sick leave days, flexible wellness days or personal leave days that do not require a medical sick note. It is also desirable for employers and employees to come to agreement on flexible arrangements to address recurring absences due to chronic conditions. The CMA also supports self-attestation for students and parental notes for minor students for short-term illnesses.3. Redefining the role of the physician in non-medical validation: The CMA calls on governments, employers, educational institutions and society in general to stop resorting to physicians as a default when seeking validation for something that does not require medical intervention or medical expertise. In our society currently, physicians and other healthcare professionals are often tasked with validating a wide range of requests that do not necessarily require medical intervention or expertise. Almost invariably, these tasks are delegated without consultation with physicians and other health care professionals about the medical appropriateness of the task. This is the case when employers delegate to physicians the task of policing employee absenteeism. It was patently the case, before 2007, when the federal government delegated the task of validating identity forpassports to physicians, lawyers and engineers. It is still the case when governments resort to requiring physicians to validate who the main parent is for child support benefit purposes. And this is also true when airlines task a healthcare professional with taking a patient’s body measurements and completing a form to provide accommodation for extra seating for people with obesity.This task that can be completed by the airline’s own staff or better yet the traveller can be trusted to provide the necessary information. The examples are too many to list here.These practices not only place an unnecessary burden on health care professionals but also lead to inefficiencies and delays in health service delivery. By redefining the role of the physician and delegating non-medical validation tasks to appropriate individuals and professionals, we can create a more efficient and effective healthcare system. It is time to recognize and utilize the diverse expertise within our society to enhance overall well-being.

Three-quarters of Canadians support legislation to curb sick notes: survey

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