Return to work: Doctor’s release

The number of employees who take sick leaves steadily increases during this time of year. While missing employees can affect your business operations, it’s important to ensure your employees are staying home and recovering rather than coming to work and getting the rest of your staff sick. While employees may believe they are no longer sick, they are not doctors.

Avoid liability by requiring your employees to provide you with a doctor’s release to come back to work after an injury or illness. If you have an employee who has been out sick for three consecutive days, it is always an HR Best Practice to ask that employee for a doctor’s release, prior to allowing them to return to work. By following this best practice, you will avoid having the ill employee come back to work too early; before he or she has fully recovered; and by the same token, you will protect all of your staff in the office or workplace. The employee might still be ill, or even contagious. Employers should protect all of their employees and protect themselves against any potential liability caused by allowing ill employees to continue working.

Do not allow employees to come back to work without a doctor’s note. If you do not currently have such a policy in your Employee Handbook, contact your employees and let them know what protocol is required in order for them to return to work. Regulate this as employees may delay getting a doctor’s note in order to extend their sick leave. A good idea would be to have a “return to work” policy in your employee handbook.

Make sure your employees are aware of your policy. Make sure this policy is written and updated in your employee handbook. Inform your employees about this policy and make sure they’re aware of what is required. Requesting a doctor’s release so that the employee can return to work can protect you. Update your employee handbook to include this policy so every employee has the information they need if questions pertaining to this policy arise. Communication is key!

Call us at (818) 845-5584 or email us at info@executivehrconsulting.com to further discuss the process of requesting doctor’s notes from your employees.