Sick leave increases & managing mental health in the workplace
6 July 2021
Increase to Sick leave entitlements
From 24 July the sick leave entitlement increases to 10 days per year. The extra 5 days is applied after the completion of 6 months continuous employment, or on the next sick leave entitlement anniversary (12 months after the previous entitlement). This means that anyone employed after 24 January 2021 will be entitled to 10 days sick leave.
The amount of sick leave that can be accumulated remains at 20 days unless more generous entitlement is allowed in the employment agreement.
Our employment agreement templates have been updated to reflect the changes.
Mental Health in the workplace
In the last year we have noticed a marked increase in queries about how to manage employees who present with or disclose mental health issues.
While we can’t assist with the clinical side we do have information on HealthyPractice about dealing with the employment side at this link(once logged on) https://www.healthypractice.co.nz/members/human-resources/leave/sick-leave/managing-mental-health-issues-workplace/
In summary, your staff are your greatest asset, and their wellbeing has a major impact on the overall success of your practice.
One of the most significant influences on the wellbeing of your staff is their mental health. Fortunately, mental health issues don’t have the stigma they once did, and recent initiatives have done a lot to get people thinking about how they can improve their own mental health and help others who may be struggling.
So, what can you do in your own workplace to help a staff member who needs support?
- Discuss the situation with the staff member, but before doing so be clear in your mind what you are concerned about.
- Work out what the practice can do to help? Remember your obligations under Health and Safety, if there is something going on the workplace that is exacerbating the problem, have you investigated any concerns? What support can the practice offer or what is it prepared to do?
- Ongoing support is often required and make sure that the employee has medical certification that they are fit to return to work, and you have a supportive return to work plan.
Our content has links to resources to help you and organisations that provide mental health support.
Managing underperformance when there is a mental health diagnosis, brings its own challenges and the bar to provide support and adjust processes to take into account the employees condition is high.
An Employment Court case where the employer was found not to have met its Health and Safety obligations is summarised at this link (once again log on first) https://www.healthypractice.co.nz/members/human-resources/discipline/case-study/
Other recent articles
10 June 2026
Privacy updates and training
Due to recent changes, this month we wish to remind you of the update to the Privacy Act 2020 with a new principle called the Information Privacy Principle 3A (IPP3A). For practices’, the new principle means there are additional notification obligations when receiving personal information about a patient from a third party. Under IPP3A, if your practice receives patient information from another provider (such as a lab, hospital, specialist, pharmacy or ACC), you must take reasonable steps to let the patient know their information has been collected. This change applies to any information collected on or after 1st May 2026.
15 May 2026
Welcome Winter!
Winter is on the way, and with it usually comes the usual run of coughs, colds, and other bugs. Most practices will already have their usual measures in place but now is a good time to reinforce the basics and lead by example, particularly when it comes to staying home if you’re unwell. It is also a good time to check that expectations around leave, sick leave and wellbeing are clear heading into winter.
16 April 2026
Easing fuel and living-cost pressures, in practice
While we cannot control the wider economic environment, making clear, practical decisions in response to the current economic pressures can ease the load on our practice and our staff. Rising fuel prices and the broader cost-of-living pressure are not only having financial implications, they are also impacting how we feel about normal day-to-day ‘necessities’, which may be affecting stress levels and causing rising anxiety for some. It is important to focus on what we can change – how we can make small adjustments to support staff, reduce avoidable stress and keep the practice functioning well. own.
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