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Glite Dictionary
sick pay

sick pay

1 2.3
Money a worker receives while they are off work because they are sick
  • noun
  • /sɪk peɪ/
translation icon : pago por enfermedad
  • No more sick pay, no more safety net provided by employers.
  • sick pay and vacation
  • sick pay benefits

I quite like holiday pay, sick pay, pension.

Examples

  • She was relieved to receive sick pay during her time off for recovery from surgery.

  • This company doesn't pay you sick pay; of course, it doesn't pay you extra for working more hours.

    Blog text (15)

  • And no benefits, no vacation, no sick pay, no insurance.

    Blog text (5)

  • No sick pay, no long-term anything.

    Blog text (15)

  • The financial burden on the small business when paying out statutory sick pay and overtime to other workers.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Robust policies are in place around time away from work and company sick pay provisions to support menopausal employees where needed.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The Chancellor could support these women by finally introducing a real living wage and a liveable sick pay for all.

  • Do you make less than minimum wage, work 60 hours a week and Saturdays, with no paid vacations, no sick pay, no benefits?

    Blog text (27)

  • Legislating the sick-pay benefit across the board will, as the author writes, reduce the ability of smaller businesses to create new positions or even retain existing positions.

    Blog text (13)

  • Many employees rely on sick pay to cover their expenses while they recover from an illness.

Synonyms

sickness benefit
vssick pay
  • UK
1 3.5

Money the government gives to people who cannot work because they are ill

is paid by employers as salary rather than by the government
SSP
vssick pay
  • UK
4.3

A payment employers give employees who cannot work because they are ill

is wages paid by an employer during an absence caused by illness
sick benefit
vssick pay
  • UK
3.2

Money the government pays to someone who cannot work because they are ill

is paid by employers as salary rather than by the government

How Much

sick pay
1 2.3
sick benefit
  • UK
3.2

Surface Forms

sick pay singular
sick pays plural

Morphology

sick + pay

The meaning 'wages paid while ill' is directly derivable from combining 'sick' (ill) with 'pay' (remuneration); the compound simply labels the type of pay. The productive noun-compound pattern 'X pay' (pay for X) is common across languages and in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer this meaning.

Etymology

Sick pay comes from the simple idea of giving money to someone who is ill: employers would give pay to workers who were sick so they could stay home and still get money. That's why sick pay means the money or wages you receive when you are off work with 'illness'.