Sick leave
Sick leave is time away from work because of illness or injury, drawn from its own balance and taken with little or no notice. It is the one type that cannot be scheduled by definition. That is why almost every employer handles it differently from planned allocations.
Every other leave type arrives with some notice attached. Sick leave arrives at seven in the morning, on a day somebody was already counted on.
That single difference drives everything around it. How it gets reported. Who approves it, and the fact that approval happens afterwards. Why cover has to be arranged reactively rather than planned.
The balance is used differently too. Nobody tries to spend their sick allocation before it lapses. So this is the one type where a near-zero usage figure is good news rather than hoarding.
How much detail to ask for is the awkward part. A reason field invites people to write about their health in a system their manager reads. Ask for the dates and whether cover is needed. Anything more belongs in a channel with fewer readers.
Where this shows up in PeopleMuster
PeopleMuster's live configuration runs sick and emergency leave as one type with its own quota. Both arrive without notice and need the same handling.
Questions people ask
How many sick days do people get?
Allocations vary widely between employers and between countries. This page states no figure. Your own leave policy holds the number that applies to you.
Does sick leave need to be requested in advance?
It cannot be. Most teams ask for notification as early as possible on the day, with the formal record raised afterwards.
Is a medical note required?
That depends on your employer's policy and on local rules, which differ considerably. This page takes no position on when one is needed.