The Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) welcomes the initiative of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) to engage in reducing the very high sick leave rate in Croatia, it was announced today from HUP.
Data collected by HZZO indicates that one in four sick leaves is unjustifiably long, that 14 million days of sick leave are paid annually, and that HZZO and employers spend two billion kuna annually on sick leave compensation, which is significantly higher than in most other EU countries, HUP emphasizes in a statement.
Employers have previously pointed out the need for more systematic control to reduce the rate of unnecessary or unjustifiably long sick leaves, for example, during the agricultural work season or as a way to extend the notice period. However, we believe that the selection of instruments to work on reducing the high sick leave rate, as well as their practical application, must be approached carefully and in agreement with the profession, HUP states.
