Why you need this return to work interview template
A return to work interview is a discussion a manager or HR professional has with an employee after a period of absence. Its main purpose is to welcome the employee back, discuss the reasons for their absence and confirm that they are fit to attend work. And doing it properly is essential for following a professional and legally compliant process.
Professionalism
Having an interview template to follow ensures these conversations will be consistent across different managers, departments, and event workplace locations. Creating a consistent, professional experience for employees is great for employee moral because it establishes fairness and builds trust. The checklist will also make sure no questions are missed (or wilfully skipped over) so that all areas are covered and, importantly, are on file for future reference.
Sensitivity
It also gives you the opportunity (and the right words) to bring up delicate matters, such as why this absence occurs and if it’s likely to reappear in the future.
Managing absence issues
In the worst-case scenario, for any employee you think may be abusing your absence policy, the return to work checklist can remind your employee that absence isn’t taken lightly and is being monitored.
About this template
Our HR Policy team created this four-page Word document to assist your return to work interviews by providing a list of questions to cover during the meeting. This includes gathering essential information about the absence, questions to help define if the absence has triggered a warning, and if there are any requirements for returning to work. To answer these questions there are different fields to fill in, including yes/no questions, check boxes, and space for written answers.
The template is designed simply so you can put on your company letterhead and edit to suit your business.
The return to work interview template contains:
- Employee information fields
- Details of absence
- Reminders to follow the absence procedure
- Absence trigger points
- Healthcare questions, such as potential side effects and doctor recommendations
- Workplace factors that may contribute towards the absence
- Reasonable adjustments
Why you need to have a good return to work procedure
Returning to work from absence can be daunting for employees, particularly if they’re off for a long time and have a lot to catch up on. As well as having to get used to the working day, they may have new healthcare concerns that need addressing. But even for short periods of absence, the employee may come back to changes in the team or business, lots of work to catch up on, and missed events.
Holding a return to work interview (or more informal catch-up) can help fill the employee in, as well as help you to understand the nature of their absence. You will also want to find out if you’ll need to adjust any part of their working life to help with any health issues, medical side effects, or caring responsibilities.
A return to work interview template means you can:
- Catch up with the employee and show you care about them as a person
- Understand the reason for absence
- Find out if this reason for absence may reoccur, and if so, if anything can be done to support the employee with managing it
- Confirm the person is fit to go back to work as normal
- Catch the employee up on anything that’s happened whilst they’ve been on leave
We hope this template will help you in your return to work conversations.
Looking for more absence support?
Check out our ultimate guide to absence here.
