Holiday and sickness can be costly for your business
Holiday and sickness can be costly for your business
With summer just around the corner, it’s worth revisiting the rules that apply if an employee falls ill in connection with their holiday.
If an employee falls ill before the start of their vacation, they are prevented from taking the planned holiday. This means the vacation cannot proceed as scheduled unless otherwise agreed with the employer. Due to the illness, the employee gains the right to reschedule the holiday for another time. This is referred to as replacement holiday.
If an employee falls ill while on holiday, they may be entitled to replacement holiday. However, this right is subject to three conditions:
As long asthe employee is ill, they are entitled to regular sick pay in accordance with the Danish Sickness Benefits Act (Sygedagpengeloven) and, where applicable, the Danish Salaried Employees Act (Funktionærloven), collective agreements, or individual employment contracts.
If the sick employee calls in recovered in order totake their holiday, it may affect the company’s right to reimbursement. If your company has employees on sick leave who you know plan to go on vacation—whether at a summer house or abroad—it’s important to act accordingly to avoid losing the right to reimbursement. We can help you understand the rules so both the right to reimbursement is maintained, and the employee can still enjoy their holiday.
At BDO, we’re ready to help you navigate the rules concerning holiday and illness, and how they interact with the Sickness Benefits Act. You can contact us using the information on the right.
If the employee becomes ill before the holiday
If an employee falls ill before the start of their vacation, they are prevented from taking the planned holiday. This means the vacation cannot proceed as scheduled unless otherwise agreed with the employer. Due to the illness, the employee gains the right to reschedule the holiday for another time. This is referred to as replacement holiday.
If the employee becomes ill during the holiday
If an employee falls ill while on holiday, they may be entitled to replacement holiday. However, this right is subject to three conditions:
- The employee reports the illness correctly
- The employee provides relevant documentation, and
- The illness extends beyond the qualifying period.
Employer’s salary obligation during illness on holiday
As long asthe employee is ill, they are entitled to regular sick pay in accordance with the Danish Sickness Benefits Act (Sygedagpengeloven) and, where applicable, the Danish Salaried Employees Act (Funktionærloven), collective agreements, or individual employment contracts.If the sick employee calls in recovered in order totake their holiday, it may affect the company’s right to reimbursement. If your company has employees on sick leave who you know plan to go on vacation—whether at a summer house or abroad—it’s important to act accordingly to avoid losing the right to reimbursement. We can help you understand the rules so both the right to reimbursement is maintained, and the employee can still enjoy their holiday.
At BDO, we’re ready to help you navigate the rules concerning holiday and illness, and how they interact with the Sickness Benefits Act. You can contact us using the information on the right.