Employees are usually encouraged to obtain medical treatment or counselling during non working hours in order to minimise disruption, production costs and potential productivity loss in the workplace. However, those requiring intensive, on-going or intermittent medical treatment or counselling as a result of disability may not always be in a position to schedule specialist appointments important for the effective management of symptoms, outside of work time.
In these cases unnecessary hardship should not be imposed on an employee. Enabling employees to negotiate time off to satisfy bona fide medical needs will enable them to ultimately perform better at work and reduce absenteeism rate or number of sick days in the long term (The City and County of Honolulu 2005).
Workplace Solutions and adjustments
On the job strategies
- providing a flexible workplace for employees, for instance, enabling them to negotiate leave to best accommodate medical needs or to take extended lunch breaks (making up time at the end of the day, for example)—so that they are able to attend on-going appointments or counselling sessions. See the link below for more information:
- establishing clear or specific expectations or standards regarding employee responsibility towards time-off or leave (for example, if it is not possible to make arrangements for medical appointments or counselling sessions outside working hours, employees need to provide sufficient notice to supervisors or managers regarding requests for time off work to attend appointments)
- making leave entitlement policy information (both paid and unpaid) freely available to all employees
Other job requirements and solutions
References
The City and County of Honolulu 2005, Administrative time off for medical treatment due to industrial injury or illness, The City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu, viewed 23 July 2007, <http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/HR/personnel/xii_2_administrative_time_off_for_medical_treatment_
due_to_industrial_injury_or_illness.pdf.>