Therapeutic part-time work in France: going back gradually

What it is for

Therapeutic part-time work lets you work less for health reasons while keeping part of your income. Your doctor can prescribe it if returning, or staying, at reduced hours helps your health improve, or if you need rehabilitation or retraining (Service-Public).

It is not necessarily 50%: the doctor sets the share of working time, for example 50% or 70%.

No full-time sick leave needed first

For an employee, full-time sick leave just before is not required. You can also go back full time, then ask for part-time work later (Service-Public).

The steps, in order

According to Service-Public:

1. Your doctor prescribes a part-time return.
2. You send the prescription to the CPAM (parts 1 and 2) and to your employer (part 3).
3. Your employer arranges a visit with the occupational doctor.
4. If the occupational doctor agrees, your employer gives its agreement, and you agree your hours together.
5. The health insurance’s medical adviser decides whether daily sick pay is paid.

Your employer can refuse for a reason linked to how the business runs, and must explain it in writing (Ligue contre le cancer). Talk to the occupational doctor about it.

What you receive

• Your salary for the hours you work.
• Daily sick pay to make up part of the loss: 50% of your basic daily wage, capped at €42.97 gross a day, and never more than the pay you lose by working fewer hours (Service-Public).
• Any extra top-up under your collective agreement or income protection scheme.

How long it lasts

There is no fixed length for the part-time arrangement itself: it depends on the prescription, renewed by your doctor, and on your sick pay rights. Service-Public states that sick pay during therapeutic part-time work can be paid for 4 years at most.

Preparing the appointment

Before raising it with your doctor, write down:

• what your job requires, task by task;
• what you can do today, and for how long before you are exhausted;
• the hardest times of the day or week;
• what would help: hours, working from home, breaks, an adapted workstation.

See also returning to work after sick leave.