What is a long term sickness meeting?

A watertight long-term sickness absence policy can give employees who are off work for an extended period the best chance of returning to work, and reduce the risk of employers facing disability discrimination or unfair dismissal claims.

Can you be sacked for long term sickness?

An employer can dismiss you on the grounds of your ability to do the job because of long term sickness. Before they do this they should follow a fair disciplinary and dismissal process – usually this means following the Acas code.

What is considered long term absence?

Long-term sickness absence is usually defined as a period of continuous absence of more than four weeks.

What is a Stage 1 sickness meeting?

Employers normally refer to sickness absence in stages, for example stages 1 – 4. Stage one is for short term sickness and stage 3 or 4 for longer term absence and possibly dismissal. Each stage will probably involve a meeting.

Which are the 3 most common causes of long term sickness absence?

Stress and mental health were the most common reasons for long-term sickness absence referrals to occupational health, followed by combined musculoskeletal and stress/mental health conditions. Musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain were the third most common reason for long-term sickness absence referrals to OH.

What is the longest time a doctor can give a sick note for?

In the first six months of a patient’s condition, a fit note can cover a maximum of three months. If a condition has lasted longer than six months, a fit note can be for any clinically appropriate period up to ‘an indefinite period’.

How long can you be on long term sickness?

Employees are usually considered to be ‘long-term sick’ when they’ve been off work for four weeks or more. The four weeks don’t have to be continuous — periods can be linked if they last at least four days and are eight weeks apart or less.

Can my boss contact me when I am off?

1) There is no law which says that an employer may not call you when you off the clock–e.g. before or after shift, on weekends or holidays, etc. So the employer may call you.

How long can a doctor give a sick note for?

How long do fit notes last? The rules here are clear. In the first six months of a condition, the fit note can cover a maximum of three months. After that, it can be any clinically appropriate period.

Can you get a warning for being off work sick?

Pretending to be ill when you are not would be misconduct and if discovered, is likely to have disciplinary consequences. Even if all your sickness absences are genuine and certificated, you can still be given a formal warning because of high levels of sickness absence.

Can I leave my job due to ill health?

Your employer is not allowed to suggest ill health retirement as a way to get you to leave the company. This could be disability discrimination because ill health retirement is your choice. Your employer should make reasonable adjustments to allow you to work if you feel able to.

When to have a long-term sickness absence meeting?

For example, the stage 1 trigger point will occur after an employee has been absent for 28 days. At that point, a stage 1 long-term sickness absence meeting could take place. Stage 2 long-term sickness absence meetings could then take place at three-month intervals.

When to hold a stage 1 absence meeting?

If your employee has been off for more than 4 weeks and there are no plans for an imminent return, you should invite them to a formal stage 1 absence meeting. Try to be flexible by offering to hold the meeting at their home and with a family member present or in a neutral location with a work colleague/friend if they wish.

Can a meeting be held in the absence of an employee?

Consideration can then be given to holding the meeting at a neutral venue or alternative arrangements made where appropriate, such as holding the meeting over the telephone. Failure to attend a meeting without good reason may be treated as misconduct, or may result in the meeting proceeding in the absence of the employee.

How is long term absence defined in law?

Long-term absence is not defined in law, but any absence of more than a few weeks is often classed as long-term absence. Employers should follow any internal long-term absence policies that they have in place. If they do not have such a policy, it’s good to get one in place, as this will make dealing with long-term absence a lot easier.