Sick leave and rehabilitation tips - Legal aid centre

Questioner

Dear, I have a question about sickness benefits because of an operation that I will undergo in the very near future. This is an operation on my wrist, after which I am not allowed to do anything with it for 2 weeks and have to take it easy for up to 6 weeks and not lift/work too much/heavy. I work as a manager in a catering related company where I also often do heavy lifting/work. (I do have office work but that is no more than one day added together) Now I have also put the question to the company, what are we going to do/how does it work when I have been operated? They are very vague and mainly lax about it all being fine (they could not even give me the answer whether we have a waiting day in case of illness). Personally I would like to know how we are going to/can arrange it? Could you give me some tips so that I can go into the conversation (next Tuesday) prepared. - How/where should I report sick? - Do I have a waiting day? (collective labor agreement for recreation) - Am I qualified to rehabilitate at home for these 2 weeks or should I possibly focus on another position that I can currently perform (in the sales department, for example, answering the phone?) - How can we arrange it in weeks 3 to 6, when I can slowly build it up again. - I cycle to work for half an hour every day, and with one arm this is difficult/less safe (I also remember that I am not insured if I go into traffic with a 'broken' arm), can I expect replacement transport or do I have to arrange something myself? I have a 38-hour annual contract with my employer. I hope you are able to answer my question(s). Yours sincerely!

Lawyer

In response to your questions: 1) I advise you to report sick by email and possibly also call, then you can prove the sick report. Art. 26 CAO recreation only prescribes that you must report sick as soon as possible and indicate the expected duration of illness. 2) the collective labor agreement you mention does not have a waiting day arrangement (the aforementioned art. 26 concerns incapacity for work) 3) I cannot answer the question of what you should do during the first 2 weeks. The company doctor can judge this. I wonder if there is work where you can rest your wrist sufficiently. In any case, discuss this with your specialist and - if you are called to the company doctor - also mention the advice, name and other details of the specialist. If the company doctor comes up with a judgement that you do not agree with, you can request a second opinion from the UWV within 14 days. 4) You can consult with the employer and (if the employer calls in this) the company doctor. You can state your limitations and agree on a so-called build-up schedule in mutual consultation. This schedule can be adjusted if it is too taxing, or if you can handle more. Keep an eye on your own limits and preferably report any limitations, overload, etc. by email. 5) You can inform your employer that you cannot cycle. It depends on whether your employer reimburses travel expenses or wants to discuss an arrangement in your case. For example, you could also carpool with a colleague, use the bus or hire a taxi. Good luck with your surgery and get well soon!