As a manager, you have a crucial role to play in absence through sickness and its avoidance. You are often the first to know how an employee is feeling. You will often be the first to see the signals of reduced employability. Once the employee reports sick, as a manager you have an important role in meticulously going through this report. Has an employee reported sick or does he or she have health issues? You should then discuss together all the information necessary to judge in how far the employee’s ability to work is limited. Think of functional limitations, how long sick leave is expected to last and to what extent ability to work and mobility are compromised.
Below you will find a useful step-by-step plan for long sick leave and dialogue pointers for frequent absenteeism.