Illness and occupational health care
If you fall ill, you are entitled to take time off from work. As an employee, you have the right to preventive occupational health care.
On this page, you’ll find answers to questions such as:
Immediately report your illness to your employer and state the reason for your absence. If your employer requires a medical certificate, contact your healthcare provider and submit the certificate to your employer. Read more.
Usually, yes. Your employer pays wages for the day you became ill and the following nine days. Collective agreements may also provide for full pay for longer periods. Read more.
If you’re sick for more than 10 business days, Kela will pay sickness allowance for approximately one year. If your employer pays you wages, Kela will pay the daily allowance to your employer. Read more.
You can stay at home to take care of your sick child under the age of 10 for up to four working days. Your pay is decided by the collective agreement – under the law, you’re not entitled to be paid for temporary childcare leave. Read more.
Occupational health care prevents illness, promotes your ability to work and supports well-being at work. It performs health checks, workplace surveys and assists with returning to work after sick leave. Occupational health care may also include medical services. Read more.
All employees have the right to occupational health care, regardless of the duration or form of employment. Fixed-term and part-time employees are also covered. If the work involves specific health risks, health checks may be mandatory. Read more.
No. Occupational health care may not disclose health information to employers. Your employer receives only the necessary information, such as work ability assessments, sick leave certificates or statements on work fitness. Read more.
Sick leave
Notify your employer immediately if you fall ill, and also explain why you’re absent. If your employer requires a medical certificate, you must (see a doctor) contact your healthcare provider and send the certificate written by the doctor to your employer.
Your employer must pay you for the day when you fell ill and were unable to work. If you are sick longer, you must be paid for nine (9) days after the day your sick leave started. If your employment has lasted for at least one month, you are entitled to full pay. If your employment has lasted less than one month, you are entitled to half pay. Usually, better terms for sick leave have been agreed in the collective agreement. In this case, you will receive full pay for more days.
If you are sick for more than 10 working days, Kela will pay you sickness allowance. The amount of sickness allowance depends on your earnings. Kela can pays sickness allowance for around one year, if necessary. If your employer pays you your full pay when you are sick, Kela will pay your sickness allowance to your employer. If your salary is low, your sickness allowance is a little more than half of your pay. Tax is deducted from the sickness allowance according to your tax card.
If you are sick for more than a year, you should find out about your options for rehabilitation or whether you’re entitled to receive a disability pension.
Illness of a child
If your child under 10 falls ill, you can stay at home. You will then be on temporary child care leave. It can last up to 4 working days.
According to the law, your employer does not need to pay you for the duration of a temporary child care leave. However, check your collective agreement; some agreements may have more favourable terms. That means you may be paid for temporary childcare leave, or the age limit for the child may be over 10 years.
Occupational health care
As an employee, you are always entitled to occupational healthcare services. The type of your employment (e.g. full-time, part-time or zero-hour contract) or duration of your employment do not affect this right.
Occupational health care is not the same as medical care – instead, it is a service (treatment) focused more on prevention and keeping people fit for work, and its minimum level is laid down by law. In addition, many employers offer their employees at least some medical services. Ask your employer what services are included in the occupational healthcare services provided in your workplace.
Employers must arrange occupational health care to help you look after your health and ability to work. Occupational healthcare also covers mental wellbeing. Your employer must tell you who to contact if you fall ill or need healthcare for any other reason.
According to the law, employers, employees and healthcare providers must collaborate to make the workplace healthy for everyone. It prevents work-related injuries and accidents.
All employees have the right to seek advice on matters related to health and safety at work. You must also be informed of your right to receive advice from occupational healthcare services on how to stay healthy at work.
Employees must be treated equally in matters related to occupational safety and healthcare. The employer must ensure that short-term employees – such as fixed-term employees – are also entitled to occupational healthcare services.
What does occupational healthcare services do?
- They inform the employee of the risks related to their health and how to prevent them.
- They find out which aspects of the work are straining for the employees, how work has been organised, and which aspects pose a risk of illness, accidents at work or violence. This workplace survey must be kept available to the employees. Employers are obligated to arrange work in a manner that minimises health risks at work.
- They draw up a plan with proposals for improving wellbeing at work and assess whether health examinations are necessary.
- They carry out health examinations based on health risks associated with the work or to support the employees’ ability to work.
- They participate in planning good working methods, good workspaces and other methods to improve the working ability of employees.
- If necessary, they examine whether the work may cause an occupational disease, such as asthma, allergies or hearing loss.
- They support maintaining working ability.
- They support employees who return to work from extended sick leave.
What can you ask for from occupational healthcare services?
- Guidance on how to prevent health risks caused by work and how to cope at work.
- Health examinations to maintain working ability.
- Health examinations if you work in tasks that include a special health risk.
- Help in crisis situations, such as crisis support, if you are a victim of violence or a party to an occupational accident.
- An account of whether some aspect of your work is straining, i.e., making your work harder than normal.
- Advice on whether your work poses risks to pregnancy and how to avoid these risks.
- An assessment of your situation if you suspect that you have fallen ill due to your work (i.e. an occupational illness).
Employee health information must be handled with care
Occupational healthcare services must always respect your privacy, and they must not provide your health information to your employer.
Occupational health care may note on the health examination certificate submitted to your employer whether your health makes you fit for your job or whether there are any restrictions on your fitness. The medical certificate from a health examination can only be submitted to your employer, if your work is associated with special health risks.
Your employer can obtain information about your health from a medical certificate you provide in connection with sick leave, for example. Otherwise, health information is personal data, and your employer is not allowed to disclose it to anyone.
Your employer must store all information related to your health separate from other information in their possession. Your health information may only be processed at your workplace by individuals designated in advance, who are responsible for tasks such as paying your salary during sick leave.