A woman has expressed frustration after allegedly being allowed to take only one day of sick leave per month despite receiving a five-day medical certificate after being diagnosed with Influenza B.
In a post on Threads, user @lylyqyla claimed she was required to return to work the following day once she had used the one-day sick leave allowance set by her company.
“When you work for a company that only allows one day of medical leave a month, you have to return to work the next day even if you were given a five-day MC.
“If you do not work, your salary will be deducted for the remaining days. Five days is not a short period,” she wrote.
She said the situation reflected the growing challenges faced by workers who become ill but still have to worry about losing income.
The post drew sympathy from social media users, with several sharing their own experiences of feeling pressured to return to work while still unwell. Others said employees should be given sufficient time to rest and recover before resuming their duties.
One user, @Ikram Mohd Noor, urged the woman to seek assistance from the Labour Department, saying workers should not be treated unfairly.
Another user, @Far_atiqah, advised people who are unwell to wear a face mask at work and avoid exposing colleagues to infection.
Meanwhile, @Izzahamandaydenada argued that sick leave should not be restricted to one day a month, pointing out that medical leave is separate from annual leave.
The user cited Section 60F of the Employment Act 1955, stating that employees with less than two years of service are generally entitled to 14 days of paid sick leave per calendar year, subject to the conditions set out under the law.
She added that there was no concept of allowing employees to take only one day of medical leave each month and suggested lodging a complaint with the Labour Department if such a policy was being enforced.
