IT UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

SICKNESS ABSENCE

SICKNESS ABSENCE AT THE IT UNIVERSITYThe IT University (ITU) focuses on employee well-being and therefore maintains a sickness absence policy1, where the objective supports the organisation in reducing employee sickness absence through open dialogue and cooperation with each employee absent due to sickness.

This pamphlet briefly describes how sickness absence is handled at ITU. If you have any questions or comments to this folder or the management of sickness absence in general, please contact HR.

OVERVIEW OF THE SICKNESS ABSENCE PROCESS

Before a possible notification of sickness

Activity Preventive Well-being talk

Care talk Care talk + Sickness interview Sickness follow-up talk

Employee responsibility

Participate in talk Participate in the talk Participate in the interview/submit medical reports/follow-up in relation to the municipality

Participate in talks

Manager/HR Notice of talk Notice of talk Regular contact to employee + notice of interview

Book follow-up talk

See the sickness absence policy in the administrative ABC under Policy

Frequent short-term sickness

Long-term sick employee

Reporting fit for work/partially fit for work

NOTIFICATION OF SICKNESSIf you get sick, you must report in sick before the start of your ordinary working hours.

The procedures for notification of sickness has been agreed locally at your section/department level.

Your immediate manager will contact you as soon as possible after your notification of sickness to get more detail information about the duration of the sickness absence period as well as whether any tasks and meetings during your absence need to be attended to.

Teaching assistants (TA)/ Assistant lecturers must report sickness to the course manager.

Part Time Lecturers (PTL) must report sickness to the course manager (if you are not yourself the course manager) and the Head of programme.

PAID SICKNESS ABSENCEIn most cases, you as an employee at ITU are entitled to salary during sickness. This will be specified in your contract. If you are entitled to salary during sickness, after the end of the so-called employer period (30 calendar days), ITU is entitled to sickness benefit reimbursement from your municipality of residence.

The ITU’s right to sickness benefit reimbursement can be discontinued, if you do not contribute to the municipality’s processing of the sickness case. If the lack of participation on your part means that ITU loses its right to sickness benefit reimbursement, this could mean that the ITU, depending on circumstances, will deduct a potential loss from your salary. Therefore, make sure to respond to all inquiries from the municipality, including requirements relating to documentation, filling out documents, etc. Please note that contact with the municipality usually takes place via e-Boks.

REGISTRATION OF SICKNESS ABSENCE You must register your sickness absence in mTIME, immediately after returning to work.

Like the rest of your registrations in mTIME, the sickness absence is approved on the first working day of the subsequent month.

In case of long-term sickness absence, HR will register your absence in mTIME.

PREVENTIVE WELL-BEING TALKThe preventive well-being talk is an individual conversation between you and your manager. The talk could be initiated by you or your manager, if you are showing signs of not thriving in the job. The purpose of the well-being talk is to discuss what both you and your manager could do to improve your job satisfaction and prevent a potential sick leave.

CARE TALK If you have had more than 4 sickness periods and/or 8 sick days within a period of 6 months, your manager will be notified via mTIME. Your manager will then invite you to a care talk, as soon as possible after receiving the notification and with reasonable notice, unless your manager believes that due to exceptional circumstances, this is not appropriate, as the cause of sickness absence is obvious.

Your manager takes down a written summary as to what you talked about including a joint agreement on potential follow-ups. The approved summary is sent to HR to notification.

Should it become evident during the meeting that there are conditions at the ITU, which contribute to the sickness absence, it is relevant to discuss these conditions and maybe involve HR.

CONTACT TALKS ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-TERM SICKNESS ABSENCEThe contact talk is the conversation(s) you and your manager regularly hold(s) (mostly by phone) when you are sick for an extended period. Based on the nature of your sickness absence, your manager will assess to what extent it is expedient to hold contact talks. The aim of the talks is to shorten the sickness period as much as possible and thus get you back to work quicker.

At ITU, we recognise your importance to the university’s handling of its tasks. Contact talks must therefore help support your presence. Regular contact talks will also help maintain your contact to the ITU.

It is important that your manager receive your continuous assessment of the sickness absence’s expected duration to be able to plan the performance of your work tasks in collaboration with other colleagues.

SICKNESS INTERVIEWIf you have more than 10 consecutive days of sickness absence, HR will (if your health permits it and with reasonable notice) invite you for a sickness interview, where your manager and possibly an observer, i.e. your union representative, participates. Should your health prevent you from appearing in person, the interview may alternatively be held over the phone.

The purpose of the sickness interview is to uncover the possibilities of you resuming work (fully or partially) and to clarify how this can best be done.

During the sickness interview, a declaration of opportunity must be filled out. The first part of the declaration of opportunity is filled out during the sickness interview and the second part is filled out in consultation with your own doctor. The purpose of the declaration of opportunity is to analyse the possibilities of you resuming work with the support of your own doctor. The deadline for submitting the declaration of opportunity to the ITU is 10 days from when the first part has been filled out. The ITU will pay the fees in relation to the declaration of opportunity.

In case of long-term sickness absence, further sickness interviews are scheduled on an ongoing basis, which entails continuous renewal/revision of the declaration of opportunity. Partly to follow up on opportunities for a full or partial return to work, partly to shorten the sickness period as much as possible.

At every conversation, HR will prepare a written summary of what have been discussed and what agreements and possible follow-ups are made.

DOCTOR’S NOTESA doctor’s note can be used to provide clarity in relation to your sickness absence. The following types of doctor’s notes are used at ITU:

· Declaration of opportunity

· The Employers’ and Salaried Employees’ Act declaration of duration under the act’s section 5, subsection

· Medical statement of incapacity for work (sick note)

The declaration of opportunity aims to illustrate your ability to return to work, supported by a doctor. The first part of the declaration of opportunity is filled out during a sickness interview.

The second part of the declaration of opportunity is filled out in consultation with a doctor.

The declaration of opportunity is forwarded to the ITU as soon as possible and within 10 days after filling out the first part of the declaration of opportunity. The ITU will pay the fees in relation to the declaration of opportunity.

Declaration of duration If, as a salaried employee, you are on sickness leave for more than 14 consecutive days, the ITU may require a declaration of duration, cf. the Employers’ and Salaried Employees’ Act section 5, subsection 4. In declaration of duration your doctor, or possibly a specialist, must indicate how long the period of sickness is expected to last. If you are hospitalised, a statement from the hospital may replace the declaration of duration.

The declaration of duration are used in cases where i.e. you are not able to participate in a sickness interview and thus, in consultation with your manager/HR, fill out a declaration of opportunity.

A declaration of duration is submitted to the ITU as soon as is possible and within 10 days after the requisition. The ITU will pay the fees in relation to the declaration of duration.

Medical statement of incapacity for work (sick note) The ITU may also request, a medical statement of incapacity to work - a so-called sick note - in case of absence lasting more than 3 days. The sick note documents that you are unable to work due to sickness. In certain circumstances, i.e. in case of many previous periods/absences of sickness, you may be asked to forward a sick note already from the first day of sickness absence. You will be notified that such an arrangement is desired in advance, as well as the reason for the arrangement.

The sick note is forwarded to the ITU as soon as possible and within 10 days. The ITU will pay the fees in relation to the sick note.

SICKNESS FOLLOW-UP TALK The sickness follow-up talk is held immediately after returning from a longer period of sickness absence.

The purpose of the talk is that you and your manager match expectations on how plans for tasks etc. are best prioritised in the near future.

To get you back well after a longer period of sickness absence, there are a number of possible retention tools which you and your manager can make use of. The usage of retention tools is assessed individually.

Examples include:

· Management support

· Relief through co-workers

· Adjustment of tasks

· Flexibility, including work hours and office hours

· Supervision by a colleague and/or the manager

· Job satisfaction interviews

· Contact and sickness follow-up interviews

HR may provide more information about these options and assist in relation to other possible measures, including a section 56 agreement (in case of chronic illness), special work tools or flexible job (for people with a reduced ability to work).

CHILD’S FIRST AND SECOND DAY OF ILLNESS If your child becomes sick, the ITU may grant you partial or full time off to care for your sick child on his or her first and second day of illness, provided that this is necessary out of consideration for the child and that the situation at the ITU permits this. Your child must be under 18 years of age, and he or she must be living at home. A child’s first and second day of illness must be reported to your head of department/head of section in accordance with the same rules which apply to your own sickness.

DOCTOR AND DENTIST APPOINTMENTS Employees’ own medical appointments such as routine dental check-ups or other consultations which the employee is able to influence the planning of should usually be scheduled outside working hours. If this is not possible, such appointments should not interfere with the employee’s work. Employees covered by the policy on flexible working hours (for further information, see flexible working hours policy in the ABC) must “flex out” in the period they are not at work.

Absence for medical examinations and/or treatments that are necessary for the employees to maintain/regain their health and which can only be conducted in whole or in part during working hours will not be regarded as absence due to illness and must therefore be registered as “day of with pay” unless the medical examinations and/or treatments is part of a sick leave or part-time sick leave - then it is considered to be illness and must therefore be registered as “illness” or “part-time illness”.

COUNSELING/ FALCK HEALTHCARE At some point, you may need help with personal problems (problems at work, stress, bereavement, divorce, serious sickness, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.). To help you in such situations, the ITU has an agreement with Falck Healthcare. Within 24 hours of contacting Falck Healthcare, you will be able to have your first preliminary conversation with a counsellor. While there are limited resources available for counselling, they are sufficient for you and Falck Healthcare to be able to get a precise picture of how the situation should be managed and how the problem can be taken care of.

If your problem is entirely work related, your contact with Falck Healthcare is anonymous and free of charge. You may call Falck Healthcare directly on 70 101 102.

If your problem is related to your personal life, you may still receive counselling, although not anonymous or free of charge, as you will be taxed for the value of the counselling. If you need counselling in relation to your private life, please send an e-mail to: personnel@itu.dk

Your enquiry will be handled with confidentially and will not be noted in your personal file.

LEAVE FOR CARING FOR SICK RELATIVES As an employee, you may, upon request, be granted full leave or reduced working hours with or without pay for an agreed period for the purpose of caring for a seriously ill child or a terminally ill relative. Please contact HR for further information.

EXTENSION OF PHD IN CASE OF LONG-TERM SICKNESS As a PhD student you may, in accordance with protocol section 2, subsection (2) of the circular letter on collective agreements for government-employed Academics, have your employment period extended due to longer period of sickness, should the period of sickness have demonstrably delayed your studies.

CRITICAL ILLNESS Should you contract a critical illness, you might be entitled to an insurance payout.

By critical illnesses are currently meant: Cancer, blood clot of the heart, bypass surgery/angioplasty in the coronary arteries, cardiac valve surgery, stroke/cerebral thrombosis, brain aneurysm, certain benign tumours of the brain and spinal cord, multiple sclerosis, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), muscular dystrophy, HIV infection due to blood transfusion or work-related infection, AIDS, renal failure, and major organ transplants, Parkinson’s disease, blindness, deafness, aortic disease, implications of brain or cerebrospinal meningitis, Lyme disease as well as major burns.

Most employees at ITU have taken out a group life insurance through their pension fund/employment. Whether you are entitled to an insurance payout and which amount you are entitled to depends on your contract.

Please contact your pension fund, should you contract a critical illness. If you are in doubt as to which pension fund to contact or if you receive no pension contribution through your employment, you are welcome to contact HR for assistance. Further information can be obtained from the following website: www.fg.dk

TRAVEL INSURANCE IN CASE OF ILLNESSif you are travelling on business (on behalf of ITU) and have a chronic or existing disorder (including complicated pregnancies) that have not been stable 2 month up to departure, you must be aware that it is necessary to apply for a medical pre-authorization at European ERV in order to be covered by insurance.

You apply for medical pre-authorization by filling out and submitting a health certificate: www.europaeiske.dk/globalassets/gemensamt/danmark/pdf/diverse/helbredserklaering.pdf

You should also be aware that a medical pre-authorization applies only to the current trip. Next time you need to travel, consider again whether you should apply for a new medical pre-authorization.

Rued Langgaards Vej 7 DK-2300 Copenhagen S

www.itu.dk

Finance and PersonnelPersonnel Sectionpersonale@itu.dk

May 2018

IT UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN