Although most absence is genuine, balancing your organisation’s interests while supporting the health and wellbeing of your workforce isn’t always easy - never mind navigating the complexities of employment law!
Successfully managing an employee’s return to work is a crucial part of effective absence management. It’s important to understand the reasons behind staff absence and to monitor frequency and duration.
Return to Work interviews are one of the ways businesses manage absence and promote attendance. Often part of the company policy, meetings are conducted after the absence and usually on the day the employee returns to work. Informal in tone and relatively brief, interviews are normally carried out by the line manager.
The aim of the meeting is to help ease the employee back into work, understand the absence in more detail, help them feel confident and supported and see if any adjustments are needed. A well-planned interview allows you to fully assess the absence and help reduce further days off.
Are Return to Work interviews a legal requirement?
No. However, they are considered ‘best practice’ and provide a good opportunity to understand the absence and support your employee’s health and wellbeing. You’ll be able to make sure the employee is ready to return to work, update them about any changes made while they were away, and discuss if they need additional support such as a phased return or flexible working.
Does the employee have to attend?
Technically an employee can refuse to attend, but this could be in breach of the contract. It’s important the employee understands that the meeting has been arranged to help them return to work in a smooth way and to assess whether anything can be put in place to support them better.
Can the employee be accompanied?
Yes, the employee can ask if they can take someone along with them for support. However, the employer does not have to agree to this.
Where should the interview take place?
The meeting should be held somewhere you both agree on, which is private and confidential. It could be face to face, online, over the phone, at a neutral venue, or even at the employee’s home if appropriate.
WorkSmarter can take the pressure off and provide the resources you need to help with your absence management procedures, including the Return to Work interview.
➡️ Our template document library is one of the most comprehensive collections available, with 24/7 access to users. Continuously updated, we provide over 100 fully compliant HR template documents.
➡️ Our online Return to Work interview form
gives you a comprehensive list of suggested questions and areas to discuss, with room for your own additional comments or concerns.
➡️ The form allows you to work through everything that needs to be covered with your employee and ensure that it’s all accurately recorded as you go, with the relevant documentation attached.
➡️ Once the interview is at an end, you can quickly download and edit the file as needed then send it for digital signing. The employee will be aware of the documentation and know that the details are correct.
Being able to access and analyse accurate absence data is crucial, so you may also be interested in WorkSmarter’s
enhanced reporting feature. This is the smart solution to absence management that enables you to use your data to support your employees more effectively.
Read all about it here:
https://worksmarter.co.uk/blog/at-worksmarter-we-understand-the-importance-of-data-and-how-it-can-impact-your-business
To discuss your absence management requirements with an experienced member of the team, get in touch today: [email protected]
