sick note

British

noun

informal a document given to an employer certifying that an employee's absence from work of more than four days was due to illness. If the absence is for more than seven days the note must be signed by a doctor See also self-certification

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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sick note

Others called signing people off work "a dirty task" and argued it was not their job to "police the sick note system".

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

Several pointed out that it was easier and quicker to sign off a sick note than to deal with a complaint for refusing.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

She went off work with stress in December 2021 and had regular contact with Dr Swinghurst, who prescribed anti-depressants, signposted her to mental health support and provided a sick note until April 2022.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

What do GPs think of Sunak's sick note plans?

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2024

“I need a sick note for today,” I say.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023