Sickness Absence Management

Long term sickness absence

To help minimise the effect on your business from Long Term Sickness Absence we recommend early intervention. Once the employee has been off for approximately two weeks, we recommend referral.

What we can do

  • Arrange for a telephone consultation or referral meeting with employee either at your site, our head office or the employee’s home
  • Follow up consultation with a full report outlining, where appropriate;
    • Estimated length of absence
    • Rehabilitation plan
    • Any required restriction
    • Estimated length of restriction

Short term sickness absence

To help minimise the effect on your business from short term sickness absence we recommend that any employees who have a record of frequent short term absences, 1 or 2 days every few weeks, should be referred.

What we can do

  • Arrange for a telephone consultation or referral meeting with employee either at your site, our head office or the employee’s home
  • Help to establish the reasons behind the short term absence/s
  • Provide you with a plan of action to help tackle the issue and prevent further absence
  • Help you meet your ‘duty of care’ to the employee
  • Establish if any restrictions or adjustments are required
  • Help you adhere to any legislative requirements i.e. the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

Fit Notes

What are fit notes?

In the past GPs have either said employees ‘ should refrain from work’ or they ‘ need not refrain from work’. The new fit notes will offers employers a new option – ‘may be fit for work taking account of the following advice’.
The GP will now be able to suggest ways of helping an employee get back to work. Such as
• A phased return to work
• Flexible working
• Amended duties
• Workplace adaptations.

What we can do

As a client of Safewell you have access to a cost effective Occupational Health Service, that can help you understand what these suggestions mean to your employees and your business. We can help you plan a safe return to work programme which will benefit you and your employees.

Accident/Injuries at work

All accidents at work need to be assessed quickly. We will provide you with telephone and email support from a professional OHA as and when you need it. Following the telephone referral, if required, we’ll arrange a meeting with the employee, either on your site, at our head office or at the employee’s home. We will follow up all consultation with a full report outlining, where appropriate, the estimated length of absence, rehabilitation plan, any restriction required on return to work and the length of the restriction. We will inform you if further reports from external agencies are required prior to obtaining consent to request this information.

Management / HR Referrals

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