Maintaining contact

When an employee is absent from work due to sickness it is important that they maintain regular contact from the start of any absence.

The employee must make contact with you on the 1st, 4th and 7th day of their absence.  Thereafter, you should agree the frequency and method of contact with the employee as this will vary depending on the individual circumstances of each case.

Any arrangements will normally be agreed locally within the team / service but will usually be by telephone with you or a nominated person by a specific time, e.g. within an hour of normal start time.

You should reassure the employee that the contact is intended to be supportive. It may be the case that there are issues that the employee does not wish to discuss with you.