Absence and Sickness

All employees, whether temporary or permanent are entitled to time off from work.

Time off from work is a complex legal area. For example, temporary employees are entitled to be treated equitably in comparison to permanent employees; part time workers have an equivalent entitlement to holidays as full time workers (including their public holiday entitlement).

Our documents are aimed at helping you as an employer manage time off from work in relation to the following types of absence reasons.

Annual, Compassionate & Other Leave

Annual Leave and Public Holidays Policy
Annual Leave Forms

Employers are legally required to provide employees with certain types of absence from work, some of which is dependent upon an individual's employment and parental status (e.g. annual holiday leave, parental leave, family emergency leave).

Other sorts of absence from work provided by an employer can be on a contractual or discretionary basis, and may be paid or unpaid (e.g. compassionate leave, domestic emergency leave, treatment leave and other sorts of ad-hoc leave).

Our documents are aimed at helping an employer define, communicate and manage different types of absence from work, included letting employee's know about their contractual entitlement to leave and payment during such absences from work.

Sickness & Injury Leave

Sickness absence management has been shown to reduce sickness occurrences, support individuals who are genuinely ill and reinforce a company's message that excessive levels of sickness will not be tolerated.

Our documents are aimed at helping an employer manage ad-hoc and short-term periods of sickness absence, and can ultimately be used as part of the disciplinary and capability process.

The use of our self-certification form and return-to-work documents also helps to:

• identify employees taking regular sick days
• highlight potential risks within the workplace (e.g. stress)
• discourage employees from falsely claiming they are sick
• obtain consent from an employee to request a medical report
• advise an employee of the right under the Access to Medical Report Act

Long-Term Sickness Leave

How an employer manages long-term sickness and injury absence is important to ensure employees are treated fairly, are not discriminated against and capability issues are dealt with in a consistent manner.

Our documents are aimed at helping an employer manage periods of persistent and long-term sickness absence, and can ultimately form the background evidence in ill-health or incapacity termination situations.

Our medical investigation, report and home visit documents also provide a framework for:

• discussing with an employee their long-term absence from work and capability to do their job
• gaining an employee's consent to apply for a medical report
  
• applying for a medical report from an employee's GP, doctor or health practitioner
• discussing with an employee the effects on their continued employment should they be unable to return to work
  
• consideration of the results and recommendations of a medical report
  
• discussing the finding of a medical report with an employee and taking into account their views
  
• consideration of alternatives and assistance required in order to facilitate an early return to work
• consideration and communication of capability dismissal
  
• terminating employment should an employee be unable to return to work

Most Popular Letters and Forms

How to Reduce Sickness and Injury Absence
Attendance management toolkit to help managers reduce and control short-term or persistent sickness.

Annual Leave Forms
Two forms included in one pack (Form 1, for staff to request leave; Form 2, to record leave taken).

Sickness Self Certification Form
This form records sickness and injury absences of up to and including 7 calendar days.

Absence and Attendance Problem Letter
Two form pack to help manage periods of short-term or persistent sickness and injury absence.