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Introduction to this document

Invitation to attend return-to-work interview

It's a proven fact that any employee who is required to attend a return-to-work interview following a period of sickness absence will think twice about taking any time off in the first place. Invite an employee to attend this type of meeting using our letter.

Slashing absence rates

Return-to-work interviews may seem like just another paper exercise, but they are really an employer's best friend. Firstly, if an employee knows that they'll have to attend one following any period of sickness absence - even if it's only for half a day - they're much less likely to take time off sick in the first place. This is because a majority of short-term sickness absence is fraudulent - so most employees don't want to be questioned about their health; it can be a bit uncomfortable when they don't have any truthful facts to disclose!

At the same time, you have a legal duty to ensure that: (1) your employee is fit to return to work; and (2) they don't pose a danger to themselves and/or any other employee. So this process, if conducted correctly, can help you identify any problems and/or whether you need to make any workplace adjustments before they start back at work.

First day back

But there's no point in delaying this exercise. The interview should take place as soon as reasonably practicable once the employee returns - ideally, it should be held before they start working. Where you know that an employee is due back on a particular day, e.g. they've notified you of this in advance, you can forward them our Invitation to Attend Return-to-Work Interview. Alternatively, if they just show up on a particular day, you can hand it to them or send it via e-mail. The interview should be undertaken by their manager (or another senior employee in their absence). It's also extremely important to be consistent in your approach - selecting some employees and not others will almost certainly be discriminatory. So if you adopt this process, apply it to every member of staff without exception.

Finally, don’t forget that this type of interview relates to the employee's health. As such, you must maintain confidentiality at all times. Not only should your conversation take place in a private area, your return-to-work interview notes must never be left lying around.