Managing your illness while working
Balancing your chronic illness with work can be challenging. Find information on sick leave and how to talk to your workplace about your chronic illness.
Talking to your work
You don't have to tell your workplace if you have a chronic illness. However, you may want to let them know if it will affect your ability to do your job.
Think about talking to your work if you're likely to need a lot of time off for:
- sick leave
- medical appointments.
Even if you do tell your work about your illness, you still have a right to privacy. They can't share this information without your consent.
Learn more about talking to work about your illness at Healthdirect.
Taking leave
You may need to take a lot of time off work if you have a chronic illness. There are paid and unpaid leave options, depending on your situation.
Most full and part time workers get paid sick leave when they're too sick to work.
If you don't get paid sick leave or have used it all, you may be able to take unpaid leave. Talk to your work about your options.
If you're too sick to work, let your workplace know as soon as possible. They can ask for a medical certificate from your doctor as proof of your illness.
Find out more about sick leave and your rights during extended periods of sick leave at the Fair Work Ombudsman.