Bill 11: The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Sick Notes for Employee Absences)

This bill affects employers of all sizes across every industry in Manitoba — whether you run a restaurant, retail shop, construction crew, or office. If you currently ask staff for a doctor's note after a single sick day, you'll no longer be allowed to do that unless the absence stretches beyond a week or the employee has already missed more than 10 scheduled days that year. When you do require a sick note, you must accept notes from a broader range of health professionals (not just doctors) and you're on the hook to pay back whatever the employee was charged for getting it, within 30 days. Smaller employers with tight staffing who rely on sick note policies to manage short-term absences will likely feel this change most acutely.