Running a business can be particularly tricky when you have employees off work on sick leave. Where your employee’s sick leave amounts to long-term sick leave, there are multiple considerations you will need to make. Ultimately, long-term sick leave is a sensitive area, so you must carefully manage your employees’ leave and understand the rules about what you should do. This article will explain what you need to know about when your staff are on long-term sick leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sick leave<\/a> is when your employee takes time away from work due to being unwell. Where your employee is off work on sick leave for four weeks or more, they are on long-term sick leave. However, some businesses have varying definitions of what long-term means where they deem it to be, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, you must clarify what you consider long-term sick leave in your business policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where your employee has been sick for more than seven days, you can require them to provide you with proof that they are unwell. That is to say, your employee should provide you with a \u2018fit note\u2019 otherwise known as a \u2018sick note\u2019. Notably, the seven days include any non-working days, such as weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fit note in these circumstances is free, and your employee can get it from a GP or hospital doctor. You can also accept other forms of similar documents from a physiotherapist, podiatrist, or occupational therapist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, a fit note will state whether or not your employee is fit to return to work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n Continue reading this article below the form\n <\/i>\n<\/a>\nWhat is a ‘Fit Note’?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n