'Vobbing' is prohibited..

The Swedish social Insurance will not cover your pay if you work while at home with a sick child. In other words, it will if you don't... 

  • It’s against the law to respond to work-related e-mails and phone calls while you are at home from work to take care of your sick child.

  • “Vobbing” prohibited
    What? Well, to “vobba” is Swedish for staying at home with a sick child, while responding to emails and job calls. And it is not an OK thing to do.

  • Temporary parental benefit is available in Sweden for care of children under the age of 12. Photo: Testfakta

  • “It is against the law, even if you do not simultaneously receive any income from your employer,” says Niklas Löfgren, family spokesperson at Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency). According to a study done by Unionen, seven out of 10 parents are “vobbing” while at home to take care of a sick child. The increased accessibility due to computers and cell phones may be a contributing factor, but this sort of development risks undermining the insurance, according to Löfgren.

  • “It is very important that it is used as intended,” he says. “If you start tampering with the rules, others are going to be unwilling to pay. There’s a risk then that it won’t be around in the future.” Those who work from home with a sick child may be required to repay the Social Insurance Agency. Concludes Löfgren: “However, do not hesitate to claim reimbursement for a portion of the day and let the employer pay for the two hours when you check mail.”

  • In Sweden parents are allowed temporary parental benefit for care of children under the age of 12. The benefit is administered by Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency).
    Children are often ill. This is what temporary parental benefit is for according to the Försäkringskassan. It compensates you when you need to be off work to look after a sick child. You can also receive benefit when the person who usually looks after your child is ill. Parents can receive temporary parental benefit for at most 120 days per child and year. The temporary parental benefit can be transferred to someone other than a parent in certain cases and can be drawn for a full, three-quarter, half, a quarter or an eighth of a day..