<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> <% ' *** Edit Operations: declare variables Dim MM_editAction Dim MM_abortEdit Dim MM_editQuery Dim MM_editCmd Dim MM_editConnection Dim MM_editTable Dim MM_editRedirectUrl Dim MM_editColumn Dim MM_recordId Dim MM_fieldsStr Dim MM_columnsStr Dim MM_fields Dim MM_columns Dim MM_typeArray Dim MM_formVal Dim MM_delim Dim MM_altVal Dim MM_emptyVal Dim MM_i MM_editAction = CStr(Request.ServerVariables("SCRIPT_NAME")) If (Request.QueryString <> "") Then MM_editAction = MM_editAction & "?" & Server.HTMLEncode(Request.QueryString) End If ' boolean to abort record edit MM_abortEdit = false ' query string to execute MM_editQuery = "" %> <% ' *** Insert Record: set variables If (CStr(Request("MM_insert")) = "mailinglistform") Then MM_editConnection = MM_DBSSQL_STRING MM_editTable = "dbo.tbl_EmailAddresses" MM_editRedirectUrl = "mailconfirmation.asp" MM_fieldsStr = "emailaddress|value|hiddenField|value" MM_columnsStr = "nvar_EmailAddress|',none,''|nvar_Status|',none,''" ' create the MM_fields and MM_columns arrays MM_fields = Split(MM_fieldsStr, "|") MM_columns = Split(MM_columnsStr, "|") ' set the form values For MM_i = LBound(MM_fields) To UBound(MM_fields) Step 2 MM_fields(MM_i+1) = CStr(Request.Form(MM_fields(MM_i))) Next ' append the query string to the redirect URL If (MM_editRedirectUrl <> "" And Request.QueryString <> "") Then If (InStr(1, MM_editRedirectUrl, "?", vbTextCompare) = 0 And Request.QueryString <> "") Then MM_editRedirectUrl = MM_editRedirectUrl & "?" & Request.QueryString Else MM_editRedirectUrl = MM_editRedirectUrl & "&" & Request.QueryString End If End If End If %> <% ' *** Insert Record: construct a sql insert statement and execute it Dim MM_tableValues Dim MM_dbValues If (CStr(Request("MM_insert")) <> "") Then ' create the sql insert statement MM_tableValues = "" MM_dbValues = "" For MM_i = LBound(MM_fields) To UBound(MM_fields) Step 2 MM_formVal = MM_fields(MM_i+1) MM_typeArray = Split(MM_columns(MM_i+1),",") MM_delim = MM_typeArray(0) If (MM_delim = "none") Then MM_delim = "" MM_altVal = MM_typeArray(1) If (MM_altVal = "none") Then MM_altVal = "" MM_emptyVal = MM_typeArray(2) If (MM_emptyVal = "none") Then MM_emptyVal = "" If (MM_formVal = "") Then MM_formVal = MM_emptyVal Else If (MM_altVal <> "") Then MM_formVal = MM_altVal ElseIf (MM_delim = "'") Then ' escape quotes MM_formVal = "'" & Replace(MM_formVal,"'","''") & "'" Else MM_formVal = MM_delim + MM_formVal + MM_delim End If End If If (MM_i <> LBound(MM_fields)) Then MM_tableValues = MM_tableValues & "," MM_dbValues = MM_dbValues & "," End If MM_tableValues = MM_tableValues & MM_columns(MM_i) MM_dbValues = MM_dbValues & MM_formVal Next MM_editQuery = "insert into " & MM_editTable & " (" & MM_tableValues & ") values (" & MM_dbValues & ")" If (Not MM_abortEdit) Then ' execute the insert Set MM_editCmd = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Command") MM_editCmd.ActiveConnection = MM_editConnection MM_editCmd.CommandText = MM_editQuery MM_editCmd.Execute MM_editCmd.ActiveConnection.Close If (MM_editRedirectUrl <> "") Then Response.Redirect(MM_editRedirectUrl) End If End If End If %> :: dynamic business solutions ::
     
 
 
Contracts - The Cornerstone of your employee/ employer relationship

This The Employee Contract is the most important part of the relationship between the employer and employee, and forms the basis for the terms that employee is being employed by. The Important thing is to look at the Basic Conditions of Employment Act to see the important points that need to be added in writing for the employee to be More...
 
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Archived Newsletter - July 2006


Medical Certificates

Medical certificates (or 'sick notes' to use the common term) are a source of aggravation to employers.

What constitutes a 'valid' medical certificate? That is the question.

The following excerpt from the Ethical and Professional Rules of the Medical and Dental Professions Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa provides a starting point: (don't worry too much about this mouthful - put differently, it means that the medical profession have introduced the following rules with respect to medical certificates)

Rule 15. (1) A practitioner shall only grant a certificate of illness if such certificate contains the following information, namely:

  • The name, address and qualification of the practitioner;
  • The name of the patient;
  • The employment number of the patient (if applicable);
  • The date and time of the examination;
  • Whether the certificate is being issued as a result of personal observations by the practitioner during an examination, or as the result of information received from the patient and which is based on acceptable medical grounds;
  • A description of the illness, disorder or malady in layman's terminology, with the informed consent of the patient: provided that if the patient is not prepared to give such consent, the medical practitioner or dentist shall merely specify that, in his or her opinion based on an examination of the patient, the patient is unfit to work;
  • Whether the patient is totally indisposed for duty or whether the patient is able to perform less strenuous duties in the work situation;
  • The exact period of recommended a sick leave;
  • The date of issuing of the certificate of illness; and.
  • Clear indication of the identity of the practitioner who issued the certificate that shall be personally and originally signed by him or her next to his or her initials and surname in printed or block letters.

(2) If preprinted stationery is used, a practitioner shall delete words, which are irrelevant.

(3) A practitioner shall issue a brief factual report to a patient where such a patient requires information concerning him or herself.

The above is largely self-explanatory.  Rule (e) refers to those occasions where, for example, the employee has been off sick on Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday he goes along to the Doctor and informs the Doctor that he had flu since Monday and requires a sick note.  The Doctor will then normally write in the sick note that "I was informed that the patient etc."

You do not have to accept this as genuine illness.  The Doctor is only telling you that the patient says he was ill.  The Doctor is not certifying that he made an examination and is able to confirm the illness.

You would therefore be perfectly justified in informing the employee that the time taken off will be regarded as unpaid leave and that in future he should visit the Doctor when he falls ill and not after he has recovered from the alleged illness.

Rule (f) states that the Doctor should give a description of the illness.  This may not always be stated, particularly where the nature of the illness, if disclosed, may embarrass the patient.

If you have extremely good reason, for example if this employee is regularly off sick, then perhaps you could assist the employee in typing a letter for the Doctor authorising him to disclose to you the nature of the illness.  Alternatively you could request the employee to go to the Doctor and obtain the information in terms of rule (3).

Note that in terms of rule (j) the medical practitioner is required to print his name and initials on the medical certificate in addition to his usual signature.

Regarding medical certificates issued by a clinical hospital, it is normally found that a registered medical practitioner does not sign the certificates.  Every clinic and every hospital has qualified medical practitioners in attendance, and such a person must examine any person who is ill.

An examination by a nurse or other person who is not qualified to carry out examination and diagnosis is not acceptable.

A certificate signed by a person other than a qualified medical practitioner who is authorised to make such examination and diagnosis is equally unacceptable.

This means that any certificate bearing an illegible signature and a rubber stamp is unacceptable and in such cases you must insist that the rule (j) be complied with, otherwise you must treat the period of illness as unpaid leave.