Tip 4: Returning to Work

This is the fifth post in a six part series on How to Manage Frequent, Short Term Employee Absence at Work.
In the first post we covered my Top 5 Tips for Managing Frequent Short Term absences.
1. Absence Management Policy
2. Record Keeping:
3. Notification and Evidence of Incapacity
4. Returning to Work
5. Reviews
The second, third and fourth posts covered your Absence Management Policy, Record Keeping, Notification of Absence Procedure and Evidence of Incapacity and this post covers the process for Returning to Work following a period of absence.

Returning to Work:

When an employee returns from any period of absence (including absence covered by a medical certificate) they should complete and sign off on a return to work form.
Once completed they should sign it and review it to their manager; for 1 or 2 day absences, this ensures the employee can account for the nature of the absence and indicate if they went to the doctor.
This is a good process for trending reasons for absences and frequencies.
It can help uncover any hidden reasons for absence.
It can also often act as a deterrent to employees calling in sick for 1 day.
Regardless of duration, always speak to an employee when they return to work following an absence.
This lets the employee know they were missed and that when they are absent they can expect a follow up conversation with you.
Consistency is the key to yielding results from the Return to Work process so you will want to be vigilant about conducting return to work interviews.
We’ll follow on with more detail in our blog. If you are interested in receiving further information on these tips, please subscribe below and you will receive the other posts in your inbox.
If you need help with managing employee absences, contact us at 083-4519335 or here janharteassc.ie

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information and material contained in this checklist, Jan Harte & Associates does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. This checklist is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be viewed as such.