Employers should heed workers’ ailments with dismissal a last resort
Even in a post-coronavirus workplace, every avenue to accommodate injured or sick employees should be investigated
Even if employers do not have staff who go down with Covid-19, they still need to deal with ordinary colds, flu and absenteeism for a multitude of other reasons. The challenge for employers is to distinguish genuine cases of sick workers from those where employees are just sick of working.
The Labour Relations Act (LRA) requires that the employer considers dismissing employees genuinely incapacitated by illness or injury only as a last resort. While every employer is expected to go the extra mile, the larger and stronger the employer is the more it will be expected to do to accommodate the sick employee so as to preserve their job...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.