A HR expert’s guide to return to work interviews

When employees return to work after after a bout of illness, or long term sickness, they need to be smoothly integrated back into the team. To help them ease back into work, you need a good return to work plan that helps the employee to feel comfortable when they do return. A return to work interview is an essential part of this plan.

What is a return to work interview?

A return to work interview you can sit down with the employee, chat with them about their absence, tell them what has happened since they have been away, and create a personalised plan for them going forward.

If you don’t sit down with the employee and ask them questions about their absence, how will you ever look to help them? You won’t be able to fully understand why they were off, what extra support they might need, and what if anything could help reduce future absences.

However, it isn’t just as simple as grabbing the employee as soon as they come back to work, there are a few key aspects that both HR and managers need to do when completing a return to work interview.

To help you create the perfect return to work interview, we have a few guidelines for you below.

Return to work interview employee rights

There is no legal requirement for the employer to have a return to work interview with the employee. It is completely at the discretion of the organisation, but it is considered best practice. If you do perform return to work interviews, this should be made apparent to all employees when they start their employment.

There are, however, benefits for an employee to have a return to work interview, which can be highlighted to them. It will give them the opportunity to share their issues and feelings as they get back to work, and allow them to ask questions about any reasonable adjustments they may need for their return.

When should you conduct a return to work interview?

You may think that every employee who has been off sick and returns to work requires an interview. However, this should not be the case. Most minor illnesses tend to force employees to stay at home for a day or two, so interviewing employees every time they are off for a single day is generally not necessary.

So when should you conduct a return to work interview? The simple answer is it depends on how long the absence has been, and the nature of the employee’s role and work. For senior employees that head up a team, return to work interviews might need to be conducted after shorter absences, such as 4-5 days, so that their workload and the workload of other employees can be swiftly managed. For more junior employees, a week-long absence might be more appropriate.

Details such as what your organisation deems to be a ‘long term’ absence, and when return to work interviews will be conducted, should be included in your absence management policy.

Return to work interview time limit

Employers often wonder whether there’s a return to interview time limit. Like we mentioned above, employees returning to work need to have a gradual introduction back into their work routine. So, conducting an interview the first day back is not the best idea.

We would advise that you wait 1-2 days. This will give them a bit more time to recover, whilst not waiting too long for the interview so that any extra support and reasonable adjustments can be determined in a timely manner.

How to prepare for a return to work interview

Before the return to work interview, you should ensure that the chat is private and confidential, so if it’s happening in an office it’s a good idea to find a meeting room. You should also gather any relevant records (for example, of previous absences).

It’s a good idea to consider how you might respond to any requests from the employee, such as flexible working, reasonable adjustments or a phased return.

How to conduct a return to work interview

When thinking about how to conduct a return to work interview, a good structure is a necessity. You need one that doesn’t take hours, but also allows the employee to explain why they were off. A good return to work interview should look something like this:

1. Welcome the employee back to work
2. Check they are well enough to work
3. Understand why they were off
4. Inform them of their Bradford Factor score if they hit any triggers
5. Update employees about any changes that have happened whilst they have been off
6. Develop a personal plan to help them to return to their normal day to day activities
7. Confirm they have completed their return to work form
8. Allow them to talk about anything else that they feel is necessary

If an employee has been off sick, you might also look at any recommendations from the employee’s doctor, and consider a referral to a medical service (such as occupational health).

Return to work interview questions

Throughout the interview, you need to ask questions, and it’s imperative you ask the right ones as well as the right amount. Too many and the employee will feel like they are being interrogated, too few and you won’t get a clear picture of the employees’ reason for absence.

Below, we have provided you with a few questions you can ask employees (we suggest you don’t ask more than about five questions). It is best to weave these into a conversation, rather than just reeling them off.

Examples of return to work interview questions include:

“How are you feeling at the moment, are you sure you are ready to return to work?”
“Do you know what the cause of your illness was?”
“Are you currently taking any medications for your illness that we need to be aware of?”
“Was your absence work-related and if so, is there anything we can do to prevent this from happening again?”
“Is there anything on your agenda that because you were off, you won’t be able to complete?”
“Is there anything we can do or adjustments we can make, to help you ease back into work?”
“When do you think you will be back to 100%?”
“Do you have a medical statement?”
“Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

Remember it is important to ask questions, but more important to listen. Listen to their response and use their feedback to steer the interview. Ensuring employees are eased back into work rather than being rushed, will do no end of good for employee wellbeing.

Absence management with edays

Want to see how edays helps hundreds of global organisations manage absence? Click here to download our brochure. We help countries around the world with our absence management software. 

Our award-winning sickness tracking enables you to manage resources and provide support better than ever. We can help employers with return to work forms, improving the efficiency and the return to work process, so that it’s as stress-free as possible. Explore all the features we have to offer, and get a free demo today.