Return To Work Meetings
Supporting Employees As They Transition Back To Work After A Period Of Absence
Return To Work meetings facilitate a discussion between an employee and their line manager after a period of absence from work, for instance sickness, injury, bereavement, maternity or any other type of family friendly leave. The main purposed of the return to work meeting is to facilitate a smooth and supportive reintegration into the workplace. They give you a chance to welcome your employee back to work, confirm that their record of absence is correct and enables the employee to raise any health or other issues that need addressing with your support. The main thing to remember during a return to work meeting is to listen and be objective.
This page was first published on 16 January 2012. The last update was on 9 June 2025.
Return to Work Meetings are sometimes referred to as Return to Work Interviews. I switched the word interview for meeting many years ago as the word “interview” conjures up a serious situation with a structured formal line of questioning on the lines a police interrogation. Generally, when an employee returns to work you will want to create a more relaxed welcoming atmosphere so I began using “meeting” and encourage my clients to do the same.
A return to work meeting is an informal discussion that takes place when an employee returns to work following a period of absence. They should be conducted after every period of sickness absence, regardless of how long the employee was off for and/or the reason provided for absence. Meetings should also be planned for employees returning from other types of leave such as maternity leave, career breaks and sabbaticals and anyone who has temporarily transeferred to another department or location.
All too often people return to work with a sense that it didn’t matter that they had been off, ‘who cares anyway’, and sometimes that ‘no one cares’ feeling can lead to the employee staying off work for another day or week or even longer. So, it’s important to keep in touch with an absent employee and welcome them back and update them on what they have missed while they have been away. Then they can get on with their job effectively.
When To Conduct Return To Work Meetings
There are no set rules around when a return to work interview should be conducted. To be most effective they should be arranged for as soon as possible after the employee resumes work and preferably during their first shift. Some companies run return to work meetings when an employee has been absent from work for three or more consecutive days; this approach links into the Statutory Sick Pay waiting days. As the Government are intending to Strengthen Statutory Sick Pay by removing the Waiting Days that approach may lose its relevance to the businesses who use it. Whichever approach you adopt make your policy available in your employee handbook, that way both existing and new employees are kept informed of any change in policy.
In a sickness case you will want to establish relatively quickly that the employee is fit for work. In these circumstances, best practice would be the day they return to work. It’s also important for business to be as consistent as possible to show fair treatment. If a line manager follows up with some employees straight away, but leave it days to check in with others, this could be seen as unfair treatment.
The very fact that such a procedure is carried out will tend to deter casual absences, because employees will know that monitoring of absences is taken seriously and that they will have to account to their manager each time they are absent. During which, their absence is discussed with the aim of improving that person’s sickness record which ultimately, contributes towards lowering absenteeism across the business.
For other absences such as maternity leave you might arrange a Keep In Touch Day (KIT Day) towards the end of the leave period and have the return to work meeting during the KIT Day. And for extended holiday you might plan the meeting into your calendars before the holiday starts.
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If you are not in work on the day your employee returns you could ask another manager, or your deputy, to meet with the returning employee and you can follow up with them later in the day or after you return to work. The meeting does not necessarily have to take place on a face-to-face basis and, where you work at different locations, they can be conducted by telephone or via a teams or zoom call. After the phone/video call you can then arrange to visit them as soon as possible to have a face-to-face catch up and discuss the absence and any concerns you might have.
The longer someone is off work, the harder it becomes for them to return, particularly if they are left on their own to overcome barriers upon return.
How Long Will The Return To Work Take?
Every return-to-work meeting will be different depending on the individual, the circumstances giving rise to their absence, the frequency of their absence and any other factors. Generally, they will be short, no more than 15 minutes and although informal they should be recorded for future reference.
If the employee’s absence is beginning to cause concern then the employee should be invited to a second meeting which will be a formal meeting.
By talking to staff after each absence this will be seen as the usual procedure and all staff will be treated in the same way.
How To Conduct Return To Work Meetings
It is never enough to just say, ‘hello are you better’ even if its someone’s first sickness absence or they have not been off for some time. Everyone deserves the opportunity to talk to you in private to discuss issues relating to their health or any other issue which may be contributing to them taking time off and you will be able to discuss other support if it is necessary.
Always give an opportunity for the person to talk by asking if there is anything else they wish to discuss.
You may also be able to check out whether the person is actually fit enough to come back to work and to get an idea of any changes to their general health. It could be that there is an underlying disability that you are not aware of.
But you are not expected to question the diagnosis. You are not medically qualified to do so and while you may have your doubts about the reasons for absence you should concentrate on the management issues.
Dealing With Absence Levels That Are Causing Concern
Unsatisfactory levels of absence cause the biggest disruption to owners of small businesses due to the unpredictability and lack of notice.
Patterns of behaviour often occur when an individual’s levels of absence have reached unsatisfactory proportions e.g. school holidays cause childcare issues, regular Mondays following heavy drinking over the weekend, days when their football team are playing etc. I had one employee who developed a regular pattern of absence and was generally taking one or two weeks every third month, when we questioned her, it turned out her husband worked shifts and did a two-week stint on nights ever 12 weeks and she was taking time off to spend with him.
Discussions relating to concerns about absence should be separate from the Return-to-Work meeting and therefore the employee should be invited to a second meeting on a different day and time to the return to work meeting.
The purpose of this second meeting is to explore the reasons for poor attendance and decide whether any further action is necessary, including close monitoring under and an attendance improvement notice.
As a guide, frequent short term self-certified absence exceeding 8 days in a rolling 12-month period should be regarded as unsatisfactory.
Benefits of Return to Work Meetings
If you feel your employee has given a false reason for absence it may be because they actually want time off for personal reasons or they do not wish to discuss the true reason, e.g. a serious illness that they are not ready to disclose, a pregnancy that they are not ready to disclose or the fact that they are being bullied or victimised. The return to work meeting provides an opportunity to offer help if you feel they are behaving differently because of pressure of some kind – domestic or work related. If they become distressed, stay focused, give them time to recover and reassure them that you are listening and want to help.
Research suggests that the Return to Work Meeting is a good way of combating persistent absences as employees will be reluctant to take a day off without proper cause if they know that the absence will be noticed and will be inquired into by management on their return to work.
The Kea “return to work meeting toolkit” provides resources and guidance for employers and employees navigating the process of returning to work after a period of absence. This toolkit helps ensure a smooth, supportive, and productive reintegration for the employee while also addressing any necessary adjustments or support needed from the employer.
What’s Included?
- Managers Guidance Notes: written in an easy-to-understand manner, the managers guidance notes explain the current and forthcoming employment legislation you need to be aware of in order to be fully compliant and highlight best practice techniques so you will have the confidence and guidance to manage absence fairly and consistently.
- Absence Policy: fully compliant with the legal framework
- Resource Materials: the toolkit contains 6 ready to go documents that will help you manage return to work meetings fairly and consistently. They include a meeting agenda, a list of example questions, information about support services and confidentiality and a template form to record the meeting.
My Return to Work Meeting Toolkit provides practical guidance to managing return to work meetings and equips you with the tools and knowledge you need to manage meetings confidently.
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