FAQs

1. How should I tackle short-term or persistent absences?

   If an employee is repeatedly off for short bursts, you should initiate a formal process to investigate their health issues. It may be that there have an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed or it may turn out to be a conduct issue.

2. Can I dismiss an employee on long-term sickness absence?

   The short answer is yes. There is, however, a particular procedure that must be followed to reduce any risk to your business and also ensure that the employee has been treated fairly.

3. How do I know if an employee is disabled?

   The law protects individuals in the work place from being discriminated against because of a disability. In those circumstances, an individual is considered to be disabled in a legal sense if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

4. What are reasonable adjustments?

   Reasonable adjustments are measures that are taken by your business, taking into account its size and resources, to reduce the adverse effect of an employee’s disability when performing their job.

5. Can I force an employee to provide me with medical information?

   Essentially, any medical information given by an employee, such as their GP records, must be accessed with their consent, although your employment contracts may oblige your employees to co-operate with your medical investigations.