Health Promotion, Return to Work, Disability, Sick Leave

The goal of the Return to Work Program is to assist employees, managers, Chairs, Directors and Deans in preparing for sick leave and in returning to work.

Employment Standards Act of BC:  Bill 11 Update on MEDICAL NOTES:

On November 12, 2025 the BC government passed a regulation setting out the “specified circumstances” in which employers are prohibited from requesting a medical note under Bill 11 of the BC Employment Standards Amendment Act.  This new rule is expected to ensure that those who are sick can stay home to recover, while reducing the unnecessary administrative burden on physicians.

The Bill specifies that employers are not permitted to request (and employees cannot be required to provide) medical documentation to support a sick leave (or “health-related” leave) IF:

• The leave is less than 5 consecutive days AND
• The employee has not taken more than one other health-related (sick) leave for a period up to five consecutive days in the same calendar year (meaning  you cannot request a medical note for an employee’s first two health-related leaves up to five consecutive days in the same calendar year).

This is retro-actively effective to November 12, 2025 for the remainder of this calendar year and then will re-set January 1^st of each calendar year thereafter.  Supervisors should have awareness/knowledge of their own applicable employees’ circumstances (ie., previous sick or health-related leaves each year).

How do I learn about sick leave benefits?

Refer to the sick leave policies or collective agreements that pertains to your employment group:

• Faculty –  Article 44 of Collective Agreement. See Info Sheet.
• CUPE – CUPE Sick Leave Protocol
• PolyParty – Article 19
• APSA – Policy AD10-8.7
• APEX – Policy AD9-08.10
• TSSU – Article 27 C & D

Visit the Human Resources (People Strategies) web page

Talk to your supervisor

Contact the Organizational Health and Well Being Office at org_health@sfu.ca

My doctor has told me that I must take medical leave. What do I do next?

• Talk to your supervisor.
  
• Print the attending physician’s statement form from the HR web-page
• Take the form to your physician
• Submit the completed physician’s certificate to the OH Office via email at org_health@sfu.ca or fax: 778-782-6873
• The physician’s certificate should state whether your absence is medically necessary, explain the medical limitations and restrictions that prevent you from being at work, and advise whether, when and to what extent the physician expects you will be medically capable of returning to work
• PolyParty employees who will be absent for longer than 2 consecutive days due to non-occupational illness will submit an application for W.I. benefit and submit the form to Pacific Blue Cross – the eligibility for University-paid sick leave and W.I. benefit are described in Article 19 of the collective agreement.  Please see this Information Sheet.

My physician has told me to take a further period of medical leave. What do I do next?

How do I participate in the Return to Work Program?

What happens in the return to work process?