Editorial: Sensible move on sickies

Workers who frequently pull sickies probably think they are getting one up on their bosses.

A Medical Council review into how medical certificates are issued has sparked debate about employees who frequently abuse sick leave.

Most workplaces have them and their bosses and workmates are well aware of who they are.

They are the staff who call in sick regularly, usually linked to weekends, with excuses that are nice and varied.

These are the staff members who wrongly think they are entitled to five or 10 days' sick leave a year (depending what their contract says). That is wrong. They are entitled to those days if they are sick.

The proposed changes include providing information on certificates detailing which duties a patient is fit to perform. This makes sense.

I remember when I suffered from tennis elbow, I wasn't allowed near a computer for awhile. But there was nothing wrong with my brain. I still came to work and mentored staff, took part in planning meetings and did things like filing with my other arm. Without trying to sound like a hero, I wanted to do this because I was desperate to help, conscious of leaving my workmates short staffed because of my absence.

A Treasury report estimated lost productivity due to ill health of workers cost up to $1.76 billion each year. Any change that makes lazy workers smarten up has to be good. Besides, if you're not one of these shirkers, what are you worried about?