In Spain, when you fall ill and are unable to work, Social Security steps in after a few days and covers part of your salary for several months. In Switzerland, it doesn’t work like that. There is no automatic public system to take over. What you are covered for – or not covered for – depends on what your employer has taken out.
Swiss law (Article 324a of the Swiss Code of Obligations) requires employers to continue paying wages for a very limited period: three weeks during the first year of employment, and slightly longer thereafter, depending on length of service. Once this period has elapsed, if your company has not taken out any daily sickness benefit insurance (IJM in French, Krankentaggeld in German), the situation can become much more complicated than you might imagine.
IJM insurance is voluntary for the employer; it is not compulsory. Where it is provided, it usually covers 80 per cent of the salary for up to 720 days, with a waiting period of between 3 and 14 days. Premiums are generally shared between the employer and the employee. Some collective labour agreements (CLAs) make this cover compulsory in sectors such as construction or the hospitality industry. In many private contracts, it simply does not exist.
What many people don’t realise is that you need to ask directly: ‘Does the company have IJM insurance?’ If it does, you’re covered beyond the statutory period. If it doesn’t, the cover provided by law is all you’ll get. And many people only find this out at the worst possible moment.