Belgium's One-Day Sick Notes Are Gone — and Short Absences Have Jumped 54%

Belgian employers with more than 50 staff have seen single-day sick leave climb by 54% since the country dropped the requirement for a doctor's note on isolated days off, according to an analysis by HR services firm Securex. The exemption took effect at the end of 2022.

The finding has split employer groups and labour-market specialists. Voka Limburg, an employers' association, puts the cost at up to €160,000 a year on average for a company with 100 workers and wants the rule scrapped — arguing that businesses should decide for themselves whether to require a medical certificate.

Securex, by contrast, reports no rise in direct wage costs, since the number of days with guaranteed pay has stayed the same. What has grown is the indirect burden: administrative handling and organisational reshuffling.

Shift changes and the search for cover

The operational strain shows up in day-to-day scheduling. Managers face last-minute shift changes, time-consuming searches for replacements and heavier loads on the colleagues who remain on site.

Longer absences tell a different story. Spells of two to five days held steady and did not fall over the same period. Short-term absenteeism of up to one month showed no statistically significant change either, according to Securex.

The organisation attributes the rise in single days to a shift in behaviour rather than abuse. Employees, it says, are more inclined to take one day to rest when they feel unwell instead of turning up sick. It sees no evidence of misuse.

Heidi Verlinden of Securex said there is no compelling indication of abuse. A timely pause may instead allow a faster recovery, she added — and people who never take a sick day carry a higher risk of burnout.

How the rules work

The exemption from the medical certificate applies to Belgian companies with at least 50 employees. It originally covered a maximum of 3 days a year without a doctor's note; from 2026, staff may report sick without a certificate for a single day no more than twice a year. Employers retain some means of checking up on absences, though these are subject to legal limits.

Securex suggests the measure could pay off over the longer term. Because early recovery from acute exhaustion or stress can help head off more serious long-term illness, the easy one-day retreat may ultimately work as prevention.