Supermarket chain in Espírito Santo records 15,700 medical leave days

A supermarket chain operating ten units in the Greater Vitória region of Espírito Santo recorded over 15,700 days of medical leave between January and July of this year. The company, which employs 5,500 people, has not specified the reasons for these absences.

To illustrate the scale of the leave, the data suggests that if these days were distributed equally, each employee would have averaged 2.8 days of absence over the six-month period. Alternatively, it equates to an average of 87 workers absent per day. If all absences occurred simultaneously, the total would be enough to close a 500-employee facility for an entire month.

Labor law specialist Carlos Eduardo Amaral noted that while employees have a legal right to be absent when ill, fraudulent medical documentation can lead to dismissal for cause. He emphasized that companies may take legal action if they have grounds to doubt the validity of a medical certificate.