Letter Confirming the Outcome of a Stage 3 Frequent Sickness Absence Meeting

This letter is used to confirm the outcome of a formal meeting held under a company’s frequent or short-term sickness absence management procedure.

The meeting is triggered when the employee reaches the relevant level of short-term or frequent absence identified in the employer’s absence management procedure.

What This Stage 3 Frequent Sickness Absence Outcome Letter Covers

The letter is designed for use after a formal review meeting at the final stage of the short-term or frequent sickness absence process.

It sets out the employer’s decision and records the next step following that meeting.

Possible Outcomes After the Meeting

The letter includes three possible outcomes:

• no further action is taken for the time being, but the employer reserves the right to reinstate the absence management procedure at a later date;
• reasonable adjustments are made to the employee’s role to support a return to work, such as changes to duties or working hours, with optional wording depending on whether the changes are temporary or permanent; or
• a decision is taken to dismiss the employee.

Where dismissal is the outcome, the employee is given the right to appeal.

Reasonable Adjustments and Return to Work Support

The letter includes optional clauses covering agreed reasonable adjustments to the employee’s employment.

• changes to the employee’s role; and
• changes to working hours.

Pregnancy-Related Absence and Dismissal Risk

Employers should be aware that the employee should not be dismissed if the reasons for the absence are pregnancy-related.

Although the purpose of this short-term or frequent absence meeting is to encourage and facilitate the employee’s return to work, it also forms part of a process that may later be needed to justify a dismissal as fair.

Lack of capability, including incapability related to ill health, is a potentially fair reason for dismissal. An employee who is frequently absent because of sickness and may not be capable of performing their job, or whose attendance is unsatisfactory, may ultimately be dismissed for that reason.

Letter Confirming the Outcome of a Stage 3 Frequent Sickness Absence Meeting is part of Employment. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Employment for 1 year.