Should people who feel ill be encouraged to simply work from home WFH instead of taking time off? 

In 2023, people in Ireland were granted the right to three paid sick days every year and last year, it was increased to five days. 

The Government has ordered a review into the policy and is considering whether to increase the entitlement to 10 days annually. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, columnist Brenda Power said she was “staggered” to hear the entitlement could increase to 10 days a year. 

“As a self-employed person who has probably not taken 10 sick days in my entire working life, I find that mind boggling,” she said. 

Ms Power said lockdown proved that most people are capable of working from home and people who feel ill should be encouraged to do just that. 

“Why on earth are we increasing the number of sick days and the attendant burden that that is going to put on small employers if the facility to work from home remains there?” she said.  

“Something like 97% of public servants now have hybrid working - that means they’re capable of working from home two to three days a week. 

“Yet we want to increase the level of sick pay. 

“Human nature, being what it is, if you tell people they can take 10 sick days a year, they are going to take it.” 

Ms Power added that she was “staggered” to hear friends who work in the public sector talk about sick days as if they were an entitlement similar to annual leave. 

A sick cold woman next to a pharmacy. Picture by: Anna Berkut / Alamy

Irish Congress of Trade Unions spokesperson Dr Laura Bambrick disagreed and said most western countries have much more generous entitlement than Ireland. 

“We know that, looking across the rest of Europe, up the road in Northern Ireland and across the UK, this is something that is standard practice,” she said. 

“Workers get sick; it’s a fact of life but I’m not here to defend the indefensible.” 

Dr Bambrick acknowledged that some people will try and take advantage of any increase in their entitlement to sick days but said there are safeguards in place. 

“With the statutory sick pay scheme, it has to be medically certified. So, you have to get that GP note,” she said. 

“When you do, you’re going to have to pay €60, €70 for that before you get your sick pay. 

“Also, you will only get 70% of your daily pay. There aren’t many people that can afford a 30% cut in their wages.

“So, they are real incentives not to do it.” 

Rules around sick pay also apply to those who are on probation, undergoing training or are an agency worker. 

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Main image: Woman blowing her nose into paper handkerchief on the bus on a cold winter day. Picture by: Igor Stevanovic / Alamy