There is a change coming your way that you need to know about. Starting on the 1st of January 2024, Irish employees will get more sick leave—5 days instead of the current 3.
The Irish government made this update to prioritise employee well-being, improve work-life balance, and give employees more flexibility and support during times of illness or emergencies.
But this also means that you will need to change the way you handle sick leaves in your business.
So let’s break down this update for you.
What is statutory sick pay?
In Ireland, since the 1st of January 2023, employees have the right to 3 days’ sick pay a year.
According to The Statutory Sick Leave, employers must compensate sick employees with 70% of their regular pay, up to €110 per day.
What’s Changing:
- Right now, your team gets 3 sick days a year.
- From 2024, it’s going up to 5 days.
Why it Matters for You:
The Irish government is ensuring every worker gets at least 5 days of paid sick leave. This is part of a plan to gradually increase sick leave to 10 days by 2026.
What You Need to Do:
Keep track!
Don’t worry if your business already gives more than 5 days; this is the minimum.
The government is also giving businesses time to adjust. They’re increasing sick leave bit by bit until they reach the goal of 10 paid sick days by 2026.
The increase in the minimum number of sick days may lead to increased costs for businesses. Which highlights the importance of keeping track of sick leave within your business.
If you own a small business and are concerned about expenses, check out the Increased Cost of Business Scheme.
How Bizimply’s Solution Helps You:
Note: This feature is only available for customers based in Ireland.
You can easily track these changes using Bizimply and set up sick leave without any stress.
We’ve got a simple guide to help you through it:
1. Go to your Bizimply account settings.
2. Click on ‘Employees’ and then ‘Sickness.’
3. Enable Statutory Sick Leave—it’s a piece of cake for Account Admins.
4. Choose the right percentage of pay (70%, as the Irish government stipulates) and the number of weeks to calculate the average pay (13 weeks).
To learn more about the legislation details, how to calculate employee sick leave in Bizimply and more: Check out our Statutory Sick Leave support article.
What You Should Know:
- If your employee is sick for more than 5 days, they can apply for the government’s Illness Benefit.
- Even part-time workers get 5 days – it’s the same for everyone.
- If someone has more than one job, they get 5 days from each job.
You can use Bizimply to make Sick Leave Management simpler. It lets you log sick days, calculate pay, and track sick leave.
If you are not a Bizimply Customer, schedule a demo with one of your team today!
As the sick leave rules change, we have got your back to make it easy for you. Bizimply ensures you and your team keep compliance without any fuss.
