About this engagement
What was the goal of this member engagement?
As part of its commitment to eliminate routine sick notes, the BC government invited health care professionals, including physician groups, to help shape the development of regulations that will prohibit sick notes for short-term work absences related to illness or injury.
Doctors of BC sought member input to inform our submission to government, ensuring physician influence in the development of regulations that will outline the sick note restrictions. These changes will help enable physicians to dedicate more time to patient care and alleviate administrative burdens.
View our submission to the government.
How did we seek member input?
All-member engagement
Through an online survey, we collected physicians’ feedback on proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act that will restrict an employer’s ability to require a sick note for short-term work absences.
Number of participants
278 members
Type of practice
Family physician: 76%; Specialist: 24%
Practice setting
Community-based: 54%; Facility-based: 20%; Both: 26%
Geographic setting
Urban: 66%; Semi-urban: 14%; Rural: 20%
What questions did we ask?
We asked members for input on:
- The scope of the sick note restriction, including the duration and/or frequency of an absence, and to whom and when it should apply (e.g., other health care professions, employee absences due to the illness or injury of another person).
- Evidence to inform the proposed threshold for a short-term absence.
What did we learn?
Physicians believe that restricting sick notes represents a positive first step in reducing administrative burdens for BC’s health care professionals. Many respondents believe sick notes are punitive to patients and can tarnish the patient-physician relationship.
64%
of respondents believe the proposed sick note restriction should apply to other health care professionals.
70%
of respondents believe that the sick note restriction should not be limited to when an employee is absent for reasons relating to their own health.
77%
of respondents agreed that employers should also be restricted from requiring a sick note when an employee is absent due to caring for another person.
Key takeaways
Respondents indicated they:
- Support applying the sick note restriction to all regulated health professionals in BC, as limiting it to select professionals will shift the administrative burden onto these groups, rather than reduce it.
- Think the threshold for a short-term work absence should be limited to five consecutive working days and consider this appropriate, as most minor illnesses and injuries resolve within three to seven days.
- Think BC’s approach should be based on the number of consecutive days rather than frequency. They view sick notes as a health human resource issue, and adopting a policy based on frequency could be perceived as policing workplace absenteeism, which falls outside their scope as health care professionals.
Most agreed that:
- While injury and illness vary based on a range of factors like age, genetics, and the nature of an employee’s role, the average duration of minor health conditions could help determine the appropriate threshold for BC. They also recommended reviewing public health guidance and other literature on disease and injury.
- Sick notes are not necessary to verify short-term absences. However, there are limited circumstances where they may be acceptable, particularly following frequent and recurring absences.
- The sick note restriction should not be limited to reasons relating to an employee’s own health and should include the health of others under their care, such as immediate family members.
- The BC government should continue efforts to reduce administrative tasks for physicians. This includes no longer allowing businesses to request sick notes to verify absences from recreational activities and working to streamline other forms to reduce physician burdens.
What's next?
Along with prior physician feedback that informed our 2024 policy resolution on sick notes, Doctors of BC will continue to use these findings to guide our longstanding advocacy on this matter.