The systems governing sick leave around the worldwide vary between different countries.
Workers in some countries are entitled to allowances to aid their recovery. The process can be more tedious in other nations. Regulation may be non-existent and it boils down to local laws, employer policies or even political battles.
The United States and Australia offer an interesting comparison on how sick leave laws work. Read on as we compare the contrasting sick leave laws and how telehealth can improve outcomes.
US Adopts a Local Approach to Sick Leave
The US doesn’t have a federal law that governs sick leave, with cities and states allowed to create their own policies and regulations. That has led to an uneven playing field around the country.
Recent data from Law Atlas offers one of the most comprehensive looks at earned sick leave laws across some of the biggest cities in America. Between July 2022 and June 2024, researchers tracked changes in how 75 cities approached earned sick leave. The findings revealed a dichotomy.
At the start of June last year, 36 cities had already created laws to govern sick leave. Not only did they offer time off, but they also created a system that allowed workers to use sick leave to care for their family members, recover from domestic violence or sort out mental health issues.
Thirty-seven cities were explicitly preempted by state law from creating their own earned sick leave policies. That accounts for an increase from 33 cities at the start of July 2022.
Preemption has become a common tool that states use to limit the authority of local-level governments, effectively stopping them from creating worker-friendly protections. People who work in those jurisdictions often find it difficult to get sick leave.
Australia Treats Workers More Fairly
Rather than leaving it up to the employer’s discretion, Australia has made sick leave a national legal entitlement under the Fair Work Act of 2009.
Full-time employees are guaranteed 10 days of paid personal or carer’s leave per year, while part-time workers receive work entitlements on a pro-rata basis.
Workers across the country operate on a level playing field. They know their minimum rights and hardly face any challenges with the system that is already in place. However, that does not apply to those who are working under casual employment.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 2.6 million employees had no paid sick leave entitlements in August 2024. That accounts for 22 percent of the workforce, and they were casual workers.
Given that they work under flexible arrangements and are hired on an as-needed basis, they are not entitled to sick leave under the Fair Work Act. This leaves them vulnerable and many of them have to work even when they are unwell to avoid losing their wages.
Medical certificates are important to Australia’s sick leave system. Employers usually need to be convinced if a worker is requesting a sick leave. Doctor’s reports are a routine part of workplace management.
Telehealth Helps Sick People Return to Work Quicker
Telehealth providers such as Medmate have become useful tools in supporting employees during illness and helping them get back to work faster.
As evidenced by this extensiveMedmate review, patients who need a valid sick leave certificate can complete the entire process online.
Medmate ensures that sick employees can receive the help they need without leaving home. Telehealth reduces delays in accessing medical treatment which helps employees recover quickly.
Absenteeism affects productivity, makes workplace operations more stressful and adds billions of dollars to annual costs. However, presenteeism is also dangerous.
If workers are forced to clock in while unwell, they risk escalating the illness and potentially spreading it to their co-workers, which only makes things worse.
In Australia, the 2023 Absence Management & Wellbeing Report found that the average employee took 14 days of sick leave in 2022, up two and a half days from 2019.
The cost per employee reached over $4,000 in 2024, rising from $3,395 in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to those numbers as workers were cautious about working while unwell.