New campaign and guidance for employers will help move away from sick notes 

Doctors Manitoba is calling on employers across the province to eliminate sick notes with the launch of a new campaign, Sick of Sick Notes, to raise public awareness about the cost of sick notes in Manitoba’s health care system. The campaign includes new guidance for employers, a new website Sick​Of​Sic​kNotes​.ca and social media video, and coincides with Doctors Manitoba’s recommendations to the province to adopt a common approach to eliminate sick notes across all sectors. 

“Every sick note takes time away from patients who need medical care, and that’s particularly concerning with the physician shortage in our province,” said Dr. Nichelle Desilets, President of Doctors Manitoba. ​“Today, we’re calling for a transition away from sick notes to manage absenteeism, and we’re supporting employers and other institutions with new recommendations and resources to help them adopt more effective alternatives.” 

Ending the practice of requiring sick notes will reduce unnecessary visits to doctors and emergency rooms, freeing up over 300,000 visits per year for patients who require actual medical care. This is equivalent to immediately adding more than 50 doctors to Manitoba’s health system. 

The new employer guidance, available at Doc​torsNotes​.ca, provides advice for employers and other institutions on the steps they can take to eliminate sick notes. This advice was developed in consultation with public and private employers, unions, and Human Resources professionals. 

• Remove sick notes as an option or requirement from internal policies and procedures. 

• Update contracts, employee handbooks and other documents. 

• Communicate the change clearly and widely. 

• Implement effective alternatives to managing absenteeism such as self-attestations. 

Major Manitoba employers, including Canada Life, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, have already eliminated sick note requirements for short-term illnesses. 

Additional guidance and resources will be added, including a comprehensive toolkit developed with HR leaders focused on leading attendance management practices, with sample templates and policies. The project also aims to create standard forms for legitimate requests for other types of common doctors’ notes, such as workplace accommodations and safe return-to-work. 

In addition to employer guidance, Doctors Manitoba also launched a public campaign to raise awareness about the cumulative impact sick notes have on our health care system. 

“We know there’s strong public support among employers and workers to eliminate sick notes,” added Dr. Desilets. ​“Our campaign points out that we don’t send medical problems to the human resources department for treatment, and we shouldn’t send human resource issues like attendance management to the doctor.” 

Recommendations were recently submitted to the provincial government, calling for regulatory changes to eliminate sick notes. This responds to a common message from employers during extensive consultations by Doctors Manitoba, indicating they prefer a common playing field with the same rules for all employment settings. 

Growing Support for Limiting Sick Notes 

Doctors Manitoba has undertaken two years of research and consultation to build the case to eliminate sick notes. Our partners support this work. 

“Access to reliable, quality health care is important to our members and to all Manitobans, wherever they live in the province. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce strongly supports work to shift away from sick notes and improve access to health services. Ultimately, good quality healthcare is key to strong communities and a thriving environment for economic growth.”

Chuck Davidson
President and CEO of Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

“Eliminating the requirement for sick notes for short-term absences supports both employee well-being and operational efficiency. As HR professionals, our goal is to foster a culture of trust and health. Removing short term sick notes allows employees to prioritize their recovery without unnecessary stress, while easing the strain on our already burdened health care system — ensuring medical professionals can focus their time on patient care, not paperwork.” 

Tory McNally
Human Resources Advisor on Sick Note Project
Vice President of Professional Services at Legacy Bowes 

Visit Sick​Of​Sic​kNotes​.ca to learn more. 

Definition 

A sick note is a document to verify an illness or injury resulting in a short-term absence from work, school, or other institutions. Research shows that this widespread practice is not effective for verifying illness-related absences, as many patients no longer have symptoms to verify when they see a physician. 

Sick notes refer specifically to documentation to verify a short-term absence, and do not refer to other types of doctors’ notes or medical certificates where medical advice is important and necessary, such accommodations or safe return-to-work.