Gemma O’Connor outlines practical tips for maintaining employee connections during illness-related absences

Keeping in contact with an employee who is off work due to illness can be a delicate balancing act.

On the one hand, you need to know when the employee will be fit to resume work. Conversely, you don’t want the employee to feel pressure to return to work before they’re better.

If an employee is absent for an extended spell, they may feel out of touch and undervalued if you don’t reach out to see how they are recovering.

As this can be a sensitive issue, here are some ground rules around contacting staff who are absent through illness.

Making contact

It is usually the responsibility of line managers to keep in regular contact with any of their staff who are absent. They typically know the individual best and are equipped to discuss sensitive issues.

If it’s a minor illness likely to end within five days, contact is not usually necessary. No matter the duration of the absence, however, a return-to-work interview should be carried out to update people about the status of their work.

This meeting also gives your employee a private opportunity to discuss concerns about their health or other matters affecting their performance or attendance.

In the case of an employee’s sudden or traumatic illness, communicate your sympathies and use your discretion until a firm diagnosis is made.

Call vs text

Once you have a diagnosis and time has passed, you will want to contact the employee for further information about their health and return to work.

All contact about an illness-related absence is typically by phone.

Some employees might prefer to text. To give them time to prepare for a call, managers should send a message to set up a suitable time for a conversation that works for the employee.

The discussion

The call must focus only on the employee’s health and return to work. Before you pick up the phone, consider what organisational matters need to be in place before the employee returns to work (for example, if a temporary employee has been put in place, will a handover be required, etc.) or what support the employee might need to encourage a speedier return.

It’s important not to make assumptions about the employee’s situation. Remember to listen and be flexible and consistent. Recovery times for the same condition can vary significantly from person to person. Do not mention the workload being taken on by other people or strained resources because of their absence.

Once you get an absent employee on the phone, ask them how they are getting on and explain it’s a routine call to see how they are and when they will likely be well enough to return to work. If the employee makes it clear they don’t want to talk, remain polite and end the call.

Keep records of conversations

Keep a note of your conversation with the absent employee. If any subsequent claims arise from the employee’s absence, you must have a paper trail supporting your management of the situation.

Ongoing assistance

If the employee’s absence is stress-related, try to find out if it’s connected in any way to the employee’s job, conflict with a colleague or some other workplace concern and address any issues when the employee returns to work.

Direct the employee to the Employee Assistance Programme if you think a confidential third-party discussion with a counsellor will help.

Gemma O’Connor is Head of Service at Peninsula Ireland