When absence review happens and how to follow the absence review process

What absence review points are, the stages of absence review meetings and the absence review process.

On this page:

The Managing Absence Policy refers to 'absence review points'. These were previously known as absence 'triggers'. Absence review points help us manage short term intermittent absence (any absence of 28 calendar days or less, pro-rated) and long term absence (any absence more than 28 calendar days pro-rated).

If you reach one or more of the absence review points, your line manager will:

speak to you about it during a return to work meeting
explain what will happen next.

You may be invited to an absence review meeting. If you have more than one job with us, absence review points will be considered for each of your job roles. We'll record all absence review meetings on Business World.

Absence review meetings and what they're for

There are 3 formal absence review meetings. Your manager may also ask you to attend other informal support meetings if helpful.

At the absence review meetings your manager will:

look into the reasons for your absence in more detail and the impact it has on service delivery
agree a wellbeing action plan with suitable supports and adjustments to help your attendance at work and where possible avoid further absences.

You may be referred to Occupational Health before or after these meetings for up-to-date medical advice and support about your absence reasons. Your manager may also need to take Occupational Health advice on your fitness to attend absence review meetings due to your health.

Follow up meetings

A follow up meeting may be needed, for example if you are absent and the medical advice suggests you may be fit to return to work before the next absence review point.

This allows you and your manager to review progress and agree what help needs to be in place before your return to work.

It may also be agreed that a follow up meeting would be helpful for other reasons, for example if an Occupation Health report is due soon or after a further short term sickness absence.

Meeting locations

These meetings will usually take place in a work location that offers suitable privacy. Meetings can take place by other ways such as an online secure video conference or phone if your health prevents you from attending the meeting in person.

It becomes more important to have in person meetings at second and third absence review and follow up meetings, where possible. We want to make sure you fully understand the support available, the impact your absence has on service delivery and how the managing absence process can affect your employment.

The meeting location can also be varied in discussion with your line manager, for example to take place at your home or an appropriate neutral venue.

The right to be accompanied

You can be accompanied by a 'companion' at absence review meetings and follow up meetings. This could be by a trade union representative or official, a colleague, or a friend or family member.

If you have a disability, you can bring along a professional support worker as a reasonable adjustment, such as a mental health advocate or a sign language interpreter.

We do not normally allow external solicitors to represent colleagues at formal meetings. If you need further guidance on this, please contact HR&OD.

We'll always remind you about your right to be accompanied at a formal meeting in any letter we send inviting you to the meeting. You'll also be given at least 5 working days' notice of the date of the meeting. It's your responsibility to arrange to be accompanied and you should do so as soon as possible to give enough notice.

Although you do not have a right to be accompanied at informal meetings, such as return to work interviews, if you feel that having a companion with you will be supportive, we'll try to accommodate this request.

The role of your companion

The 'companion' who accompanies you to a formal meeting can help you to prepare for it. At the meeting they can:

ask questions
put forward and sum up your views on your behalf
respond to the views expressed by others at the meeting
take written notes on your behalf
talk things over with you during the meeting or ask for short breaks (adjournments) to do this.

Your companion:

cannot answer questions on your behalf, unless this has been agreed by the manager holding the meeting
should not say anything that you do not want them to
act in a way that holds back or stops the manager, or anyone else at the meeting, from explaining their views.

Your manager can advise on your companion's role at the start of the meeting if needed and the importance of confidentiality.

If your companion cannot attend the meeting, you can suggest another suitable date to the manager. Your manager should make every effort to accommodate this. Any rescheduled meeting will normally be within 5 working days of the original date. If we cannot agree a suitable date within a reasonable time scale the meeting may have to go ahead. If this is the case you can ask a different person to accompany you.

Absence review and follow up meeting outcome letters

At the end of each absence review and follow up meeting you will receive an outcome letter.

This will:

advise you if we are still concerned about your level of absence
confirm what was discussed at the meeting
include agreed actions, supports and adjustments to help your attendance and return to work
outline what could happen next if there is no reasonable improvement in your attendance
when you will be invited to attend the next stage of absence review meeting.

Your line manager will record details of the meeting on Business World.

Potential impact on your employment

You'll be asked to attend a third and final absence review meeting if your manager can no longer continue with your absence levels, despite all the appropriate actions, support and adjustments to assist you to attend work.

At this meeting, we will consider whether you are able to meet your employment contract obligations to attend work on a regular basis. We may have to consider ending your employment on the grounds of ill-health retirement (if appropriate) or lack of capability due to ill-health, once all other relevant options to avoid this have been considered.

In some cases of serious ill health or terminal illness, it may become clear that you are unable to return to work at all or for the foreseeable future. If so, at your request and where it is in your best interests, we can consider ending your employment on the grounds of ill health retirement (if appropriate) or lack of capability due to ill health, at a first or second absence review or follow up meeting. This will only be after full discussion with you and your companion, and after careful consideration of the case information, medical evidence available, and all other relevant options.

HR&OD support at meetings

A colleague from HR&OD will attend third absence review and follow up meetings, to support you and the senior manager with the important employment decisions that are being considered.

This HR&OD support can be offered at first and second absence review and follow up meetings in some circumstances, where important employment decisions are being considered earlier, such as if an ill health retirement application needs to be progressed or you have a lack of capability due to ill health.

First absence review meeting and the absence review points

You'll be asked to a first absence review meeting with your manager as soon as possible, if your attendance record falls into any of the following:

5 days (pro-rated) or 2 occasions of absence in a rolling 12-month period (counted back from the last day of absence)
4 continuous weeks of absence
where there is a pattern of absence
any unauthorised absence.

The first absence review meeting allows your manager, where appropriate, to:

discuss your absence reasons in more detail (including any underlying problems such as a chronic or terminal illness, disability, pregnancy related issues, pregnancy loss and menopause)
discuss the medical advice contained in any recent Occupational Health report
find out if there is any early support that we can provide
signpost you to relevant support either inside or outside the Council
decide if there are any reasonable workplace adjustments that can be made to help you
agree any steps you can take to support your attendance at work
refer you to Occupational Health or the Counselling Service
decide if any informal support meetings would be helpful and how often
agree a wellbeing action plan to confirm who needs to do what and when to help your attendance at work, and for keeping in touch while you are absent
discuss the impact and possible consequences of your continued absence
advise if a follow up meeting is needed
confirm when you will be invited to a second absence review meeting.

Second absence review meeting and the absence review points

You'll be asked to a second absence review meeting with your manager as soon as possible, if your attendance record falls into any of the following:

a further 5 days (pro-rated) or 2 occasions of absence in a rolling 12-month period (from the date of the first absence review meeting)
6 to 12 weeks of a long-term absence 
where there is a pattern of absence
any unauthorised absence.

At the second absence review meeting, your line manager will review your progress since the first absence review meeting and update the wellbeing action plan.

The areas discussed will be similar to those covered at the first absence review meeting.

You'll be advised again of the impact and possible consequences of your continued absence, if a follow up meeting is needed, and when you will be invited to a third absence review meeting.

Third absence review meeting and the absence review points

You'll be asked to a third absence review meeting with a senior manager as soon as possible, if your attendance record falls into any of the following:

a further 5 days (pro-rated) or 2 occasions of absence in a rolling 12-month period (from the date of the second absence review meeting) 
12 to 26 weeks of a long-term absence
where there is a pattern of absence
any unauthorised absence.

At the third absence review meeting, a senior manager will review your progress since the second absence review meeting and reflect on all aspects of your absence. This will include:

the medical guidance provided in the up to date Occupational Health report
all the information from your first and second absence review and any follow up meetings
a review of your wellbeing action plan and progress made, including all the support and reasonable workplace adjustments that have been provided to help improve your attendance and assist you return to work
if it is possible that you may return to work and, if so, when, if appropriate
a review of your overall attendance record
the impact your sickness absence has on delivering our services
your views, and any new information or issues raised
if you may be eligible for early or ill health retirement through the relevant pension scheme, if appropriate
if your employment should be ended on the grounds of lack of capability due to ill health
if there are any further actions or options the senior manager can take to help you to continue working with us.

The senior manager will ensure you fully understand why the service can no longer support your sickness absence level, if you've been unable to achieve and sustain the agreed progress or a return to work with the support of your wellbeing action plan.

The manager will explain why ending your employment, or any other options to avoid this, are now being considered.

Other options may include:

redeployment to different duties or lighter work
additional training or re-training
part time employment including flexible working (if appropriate)
an alternative working pattern
unpaid leave of absence due to illness.

Adjusting absence review points

In some circumstances, your manager may apply discretion and decide not to progress you to the next absence review meeting. This decision should be taken after advice from HR&OD for consistency.

Pregnancy and pregnancy loss related sickness absence will not count towards absence review points.

There are other situations where your manager may consider adjusting the absence review points, such as when:

your attendance has not been of concern before
any absence reason which is linked to a disability, addiction, industrial injury, terminal illness or menopause
it's taking time to reach a medical diagnosis and agree suitable treatment
you need time to undergo, adjust to, or trial treatment for a confirmed chronic health issue or disability, and a suitable improvement or recovery is expected
your line manager has not yet provided the support or reasonable adjustments agreed in your wellbeing action plan, and this is impacting on your progress.

Ending the managing absence process

The managing absence process will end if you have returned to work and:

your attendance record remains below the absence review points for the next level of absence review meeting for 12 months (from the date of the first or second absence review meeting)
you achieve the appropriate attendance target agreed with your line manager at the first or second absence review or follow up meetings (for example, if the absence review points have been changed for you as a reasonable adjustment, if you have a disability)
you achieve an appropriate attendance target agreed with the senior manager at the third absence review or follow up meeting.

Future absence concerns

If your attendance record becomes a concern within 6 months of an absence review period ending, your manager will consider the following along with HR&OD advice:

the reason for your absence, and other factors that may explain the current concern
the medical and case information available, including support in place to help you
if reasonable adjustments were made to the absence review points for you and / or any agreed attendance target you have
any attendance improvement achieved since your last absence review meeting.

Your manager will then decide if you should be invited to an absence review meeting or not and, if so, at what level. This may include you being placed on the same absence review meeting level you recently left.

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