It can sometimes be difficult for employees to reintegrate themselves into the team after a lengthy leave of absence however, a return to work meeting can certainly help to ensure the process is as smooth as possible. While these meetings are often informal in nature, it is an important way of offering advice and support to individuals.

With the upcoming strengthening of worker’s rights via the Employment Rights Bill 2024, allowing for sick pay from day one of absence, there may be an increase in employees seeking time off for sickness due to increased access to sick pay. In this case, return to work meetings will only become more important as a means of managing persistent short-term absences.

We know that there are a multitude of reasons which can lead to an employee’s absence however, in this article we will explain when you may need to invite an employee to a return to work meeting and how to ensure you cover every concern your employee, and yourself, may have.

A return to work meeting is an important means of concluding any absence for an employee. While the length of the absence is not relevant (could be one day, one week or one month) to whether a meeting is required or not, employers may not arrange a meeting if the individual has only been away for a few days. If a particular individual has multiple short leaves of absence over a period of time, a meeting may be necessary as a means of identifying any reasons for the absence and what steps they are taking to manage any ill health they may be suffering from.

For employees returning from a long term absence, these meetings are a chance for employers to catch individuals up on any workplace developments which may have occurred during their absence e.g. project updates, changes to rota or changes in personnel. It is also an opportunity to identify any challenges the employee may face when they come back to work.

For short term absence employees, it adds a sense of inspection in that they are going to be questioned as to why they are off and not simply allowed to return to work.  This has the effect, for some, of questioning if they are too ill to work as they may not wish to have a return to work meeting. For those that were unwell enough not to work it’s a chance to discuss causes and if it is likely to be an ongoing issue you need to be aware of, as well as identify any medication they may be taking that may affect them at work.

It should be remembered that the primary purpose of this meetings should be to determine whether the employee is ready to return to work. It is vital that you use this meeting to get a good idea of the exact reasons why the individual was absent and if there may be any further implications in terms of their future work performance. In this case, a phased return may be necessary.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The first step any employer should take when an employee is returning to work is ensuring that any meeting is confidential as the employee may not want their colleagues knowing the full extent of their absence if it is a sensitive subject.

This is just part of the necessary support which an employer must have in place in advance of the meeting. It is important that both the employer and employee are honest with each other regarding what support may be required in order to ensure an effective return to work and whether the employer feels they can sufficiently fulfil these requests.

RECORD KEEPING

Secondly, an employer must make the employee aware of any records or documents which they may need to bring along with them. Likewise, the employer should gather any relevant employee records or notes they have on file in order to better understand their absence.

RETURNING TO WORK AFTER A MEDICAL ISSUE (LONG TERM)

If an employee has been off sick for a substantial period of time, in the return to work meeting the employer should…

• Address any recommendations from the individual’s doctor if possible e.g. any medical reports or concerns related to their profession.
• Discuss the state of their health and assess their readiness to return to work.
• Using this information, establish any potential health and safety risks which could occur after their return to work.
• Establish whether the employee is entitled to sick pay.
• If the employee is disabled, reasonable adjustments may need to be made.

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash

RETURN TO WORK AFTER A MEDICAL ISSUE (SHORT TERM)

If the employee has only been absent for an inconsequential number of days (e.g. a week or less), it is still important to dicuss their absence before they return to work as well as…

• Discuss previous absence record for ill health if the rate of absence is persistent or excessive when compared to others

• Discuss their state of health and assess their readiness to return to work

• Discuss any medication they are taking and identify side-affects you need to be aware off

• Discuss what actions the employee is taking themselves to help address any short-term health conditions they may have

• Identify if the employee is likely to have a disability as defined by the Equality Act of 2010 and consider if reasonable adjustments need to be made

• If the absence rate is becoming a concern, agree an informal review date where you will discuss how they are doing

If the absence was short term and a one off occurance, no further action may be necssary besides recording the fact that the meeting took place. If the reasons for an employee’s absence is more long term and likely to develop further, future support may be necessay including…

• Review the employees’ health in regular catchups
• Monitor the employee for any signs they are struggling at work
• If they are struggling suggest a medical report is obtained or a referral to an occupational health specialist is made
•  Monitor performance in the role
• Review if any reasonable adjustments or modifications to the employees’ work are working or still needed