Working with other people, and specifically managing those people, means that you will often have to deal with problems that employees are having. If an employee is sick, for example, what should you do in order to help them, but also ensure that the company is able to continue trading as it always has done? There are a number of elements to this; read on below to find out more. 

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Get Medical Advice 

Some employee illnesses are short-term ones that have no real impact on the way that they do their job or the way that the company can trade. Some, however, are much more long-term, and it is essential that a distinction is made as soon as possible so that you can put any plans that are required into place. 

Once it becomes clear that the sickness is a long-term one, you should get medical advice regarding the issue. Find out if there is anything you can do to help the employee return to work, for example. It may be that they can come back on a part-time basis, or they could work from home until they are well enough to come back to the office. 

Maintain Contact 

When an employee is off sick from work, it can be easy to lose contact. However, it is important not to let this happen if you want to help them through their sickness. By maintaining contact and asking questions about how they are doing and what they need from you, you can reassure them that you are keeping their best interests at heart. 

As their illness progresses or their injury heals, this contact can become more and more critical. It will help them understand that their work colleagues and managers haven’t forgotten them. It also means you can stay up to date with any changes in their health, and if there is a medical negligence case, a medical malpractice attorney may need your department’s records to determine the compensation required so ensuring you know how things are progressing is important.

Manage Their Return To Work

Ideally, at some point, the employee who has been sick or injured will return to work. It is essential that this is managed correctly; pushing too hard too soon can cause a relapse or cause the employee to decide that they want to look elsewhere for work. If you’re going to manage this return carefully, you could consider that they return part-time or have a phased return. They may need to be on lighter duties than they were when they left, at least for a short period of time. 

It may be necessary to find out what medication is required and discuss how they can take this at work. It is also a good idea to speak once again to the employee’s doctor to see how fit they are to work – an employee might be keen to come back, but if they are not well enough and medical advice suggests they wait, then this is what they should do for the good of their health.