Q: An employee walked off the job in the morning and her husband called our office to inform us that she is unwell due to stress caused by work. She then contacted our payroll department to check her sick leave balance.

If she presents a medical certificate saying she is unfit for work due to stress, can we challenge the ‘stress’ reason or pass the case onto WorkCover for further investigation? Do we have to pay the employee before we see the medical certificate?