Compass Travel Company Sick Pay

Entitlement

For permanent employees, paid sick leave entitlement within any one continuous period of sickness absence, or in any one Company Sick Pay year, will be as follows, based on the start period of the sickness:

Payment of benefit

Pay for the above periods will be paid automatically by the Company for any single or linked periods of incapacity.

After expiry of the Company Sick Pay period, the Finance Department will reduce the rate of pay to the maximum statutory weekly rate. it is the responsibility of employees to have appropriate insurance in place.  it is the responsibility of employees to have appropriate insurance in place.

Company sick pay year

The Company Sick Pay Year is from 1st January to 31st December. Where one continuous period of sickness absence runs into a second Sick Pay year, the total amount of Company Sick Pay payable in that continuous period of absence will not exceed the balance of the entitlement of the sick pay year in which the absence started.

Days per year

All days of sickness absence in any one year for which Company sick pay is paid, whether continuous or discontinuous, will count towards the maximum entitlement of paid sick leave in that year.

Frequent absence

In the event of frequent absences, or absences for long periods, the Company may call for confirmatory medical evidence and reserves the right to treat such cases as outside the scope of this Policy. The employee may also be asked to agree to an examination by a general practitioner or specialist nominated by the Company.

Sickness preventing holiday being taken and sickness on holiday.

If an employee's sickness prevents him/her taking a pre-authorized holiday, it will be treated as a period of sickness and not count against holiday entitlement provided the sickness is properly certified. Sickness while on holiday will however count as holiday entitlement.  

Self-certification

Self-certification must be completed on the company intranet for every absence even if for half a day.

Qualification

Most employees who pay National Insurance contributions are entitled to SSP if the sickness has lasted for four or more consecutive days, which may include days on which the employee does not normally work. This is called the period of incapacity for work.

SSP will be paid only for qualifying days, which are days on which the employee is normally required to work. 

SSP will not be paid for the first three qualifying days of any period of incapacity for work, which are called waiting days.

Certification

SSP requires that, if a period of sickness absence has lasted for seven days or less, a self-certification form must be provided by the employee.

If the sickness absence is more than seven days, the employee's doctor must provide a standard NHS certificate.  Further certificates must be received for each additional week of absence.

Failure to notify absence

SSP may be withheld from an employee who has failed to observe the notification procedure without good reason.

SSP not payable

Statutory Sick Pay will not be payable if the employee:

Does not pay National Insurance Class 1 contributions

Is receiving Maternity Allowance

Is over State Pension Age

Is working outside the European Community when he/she becomes sick.

State Sickness Benefit deduction

Where there is entitlement to SSP , Company Sick Pay will be basic salary less any State Sickness Benefit [SSB] to which the employee is entitled.

Cessation of entitlement

Entitlement to SSP ceases after a period of 28 weeks of a single or linked absence. After 28 weeks, employees may be eligible for state incapacity benefit.