Long-term sickness absence
Long-term sickness is an absence lasting a continuous period of 28 calendar days or more. Our underlying principles are to:
- balance our needs against your circumstances
- recognise that the matters relating to your absence will vary. You may need different responses and actions at different points in time
Your manager will maintain contact with you during a long-term absence. They will start absence review meetings after four weeks of absence, or before if appropriate. These will continue throughout the period of long-term absence.
Your manager must consider the circumstances regarding your absence. They should base absence management meetings on a particular set of facts.
If you know the expected duration of the absence, there may be no need to hold absence management meetings. For example, planned surgery. Your manager should, however, keep regular contact with you throughout the period of absence.
If you do not return on the expected date or extend your absence, your manager may:
- insist upon review meetings
- invoke the sickness absence procedure
Your manager must maintain contact with you to:
- monitor your progress and return to health
- support you and keep your informed about events in the workplace
- provide information so that you may make informed decisions. For example, concerning sick pay entitlement
- seek advice and guidance from occupational health
- encourage a return to work as early as possible
- facilitate a phased return to work if required, by making appropriate adjustments
If you return to work for short periods, your manager will continue to use the long-term absence approach. They do not have to switch between long and short-term sickness absence approaches.
You can move to a long-term absence after the sickness absence procedure. In this case, your manager will continue with the next stage of the sickness absence procedure. It will not restart from the beginning.