Call me maybe? Managing long-term sickness absence

A recent report, ‘Keep Britain Working’ by the government's ‘back to work' expert, Sir Charlie Mayfield, highlights an issue regularly encountered by employers: communication breakdown during periods of (longer term) sickness absence.  

Sir Charlie Mayfield opines that meaningful conversations (this could be telephone, video or in person) can help prevent absent employees becoming disengaged and help facilitate a return to work. He stressed the need for early intervention and the significant impact that long-term sickness absence has on individuals, employers and the economy. The difficulty, as ever, is striking the right balance based on the particular sickness absence case. Employers can be understandably unsure how to proceed. Too much communication can easily turn into allegations of being harassed or pressure to return before fit, while too little runs the risk of employees alleging they have been ignored and not supported.  

Practically, having a sickness absence policy that sets out different contact options can serve as a helpful springboard into the initial conversation with an employee about an agreed communication plan during absence. While consideration needs to be given to the reason for absence, having conversations early sets a positive, engaged tone for the management of the absence. In our digital age, having physical conversations can provide a welcome personal touch that benefits the absent employee and may assist with a return. Think about who might be most suitable to have the conversations with the employee - the line manager might not actually be the best option - and ask the employee who they would prefer to speak to during their absence. It would be important to take a note of the content of any call as a contemporary record. Reviewing the agreed communication approach is also sensible as circumstances might change during the absence.  

If absence is due to a disability (under the Equality Act 2010) then a clear communication approach is even more essential. Crucially, it can help to demonstrate an employer is acting reasonably and allows potential adjustments to be identified and considered.   

For those employers reading this with employees on long-term sickness, it would be worth revisiting the case and checking what, if any, communication plan is in place. If you need help navigating a specific case or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to get in touch.