Sickness absence is on of the major causes of concern for all employers and you need to take care when tackling this issue.  It all starts with a Sickness Policy and so it’s worth reviewing your policy at least annually and making sure that it actually works in and for your practice. Part of your policy should contain a “Return to Work” interview/discussion – a less formal discussion that you have with employees to welcome them back to work

What’s the purpose?

The main purposes of having an interview/discussion with an employee who is returning after a sickness include:

• Opening up and encouraging a less formal two-way discussion about the absence
• Checking that the employee is fit to return to work (remember the new ‘fit for work’ resource at http://www.fitforwork.org)
• Giving the employee an opportunity to explain the absence (Remember that this may be difficult for the employee)
• Helping you identify the cause of the absence and establishing if there are any underlying personal or work-related concerns including any other external factors involved
• The chance for you to work together to see if there are any adjustments which can be made to prevent the absence happening again. For example, where a disability issue arises “reasonable adjustments” (according to the Equality Act 2010) may need to be discussed and subsequently made
• taking the opportunity to schedule a review. This could be to review any adjustment but could, for example in the case of regular short-term absences, confirm your expectations regarding attendance.

A Checklist?

Although every discussion will be different it can be helpful to have a checklist or questionnaire as a loose guide so that you can cover certain issues. You will of course need to be flexible and ensure that you do not use it as anything other than a tool, but it should help to create a transparent process with the aim of maintaining the employee’s trust when tackling more difficult issues.

Your role

The Health and Safety Executive recommends that, when managing sickness absence and these types of discussion, you:

• Should be prepared in advance – read through the employee’s absence record and, where applicable, discuss it with any immediate manager
• Should follow your own practice’s sickness policy together with any other relevant policies
• Hold the interview in private
• Should be sympathetic
• Retain a flexible approach
• Take into account that medication side effects can make a difference to employee (such as mood, stamina)

How Not to do It

Practices managers should avoid:

• Putting off the Return to Work” interview/discussion
• Making assumptions about the employee and their absence
• Putting pressure on employees, particularly if they are suffering from a mental health issue.  You may, for example, in cases of persistent short-term absence, wish to gently explain the mutual obligations between employer and employee (i.e. the employee’s responsibility and contractual obligation to attend work, and your/the employer’s corresponding responsibility and concern for that employee’s wellbeing). However, you should avoid labouring the fact that colleagues have had problems coping with workloads whilst an employee has been away.

After the discussion

You should:

• Clearly record what was discussed
• Ensure that you follow up and complete any agreed action
• Review as agreed

If properly implemented a “Return to Work” interview/discussion is a two-way opportunity for both employer and employee to discuss sickness absence and a useful tool for any practice manager as part of your HR duties.