Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 . Who Do I contact if I am ill or injured and unable to come to work?
A1. If you are unable to attend work due to illness or injury, you should notify your supervisor at the earliest opportunity. It is best to speak to your supervisor directly. If you are unable to speak to your supervisor, a voice mail or lastly, an e-mail is usually acceptable. If you leave a voicemail or e-mail for your supervisor you should leave a phone number or e-mail address at which your supervisor can reach you if he/she needs to speak with you. It is also helpful to inform your supervisor of when you expect to be able to return to work
Q2. When does Health and Well-being usually contact an employee who is absent from work due to illness or injury?
A2. Health and Well-being staff usually contact employees who have been absent from work for more than 10 working days. There are times when staff may contact an employee prior to 10 days absence. Health and Well-being staff attempt to contact employees by telephone to see how they are, how long they anticipate being absent from work and if, with accommodation, they are able to return to full or modified duties. Health and Well-being will ask employees to provide medical information from their treating physician to support their absence and assist in return to work planning.
Q3. I was off work for 15 weeks with a back injury and was only back to work for a day before I got into a car accident. My collective agreement says that I am entitled to sick leave for "periods of up to 15 weeks". Am I entitled to more paid sick leave now that the doctor says I need time off to recover from the car accident?
A3. Yes. If your employment policy or collective agreement provides sick leave for "periods of up to fifteen (15) weeks during unavoidable absence due to illness or injury" that is not compensable under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act , the University's practice is that if you return to work for one full day you become entitled to a new 15 week sick leave for any sickness or injury that is unrelated to the earlier sickness or injury.
Q4. I was off work for 15 weeks due to my illness. I came back to work for a few weeks and then found that I needed to go off again for the same reason. My employment policy says that I am entitled to sick leave for "periods of up to 15 weeks". Am I entitled to more paid sick leave?
A4. No, if your employment policy or collective agreement provides sick leave for "periods of up to fifteen (15) weeks during unavoidable absence due to illness or injury" that is not compensable under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act , the University's practice is that you need to be back at work for 3 months before you can take another sick leave for the same or a related illness. During the first 15 weeks, Health & Well-being would have sent you an application package for Long Term Disability benefits when you were approaching the end of the 15 week period. Health & Well-being encourages employees to apply for LTD benefits even if the employee plans to come back to work before or right at the end of 15-weeks. Doing so allows time for Sun Life Financial to determine eligibility for LTD benefits in the event that an employee needs to go off work again before 3 months, or in the event that the employee does not end up returning to full duties as planned.
Q5. I am currently on sick leave and expect to be back within 15 weeks. Should I complete the LTD forms?
A5. We recommend that you complete the forms if there is any possibility that you may not return to your full-time regular duties prior to the end of the 15 weeks of paid sick leave. We recommend you complete the Long Term Disability benefit (LTD) application as early as possible to allow Sun Life Financial time to assess your claim. This will prevent any lapse in eligible income should you remain off work for more than 15 weeks.