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Sickness Absence Procedures

Procedure

Firstly, you are required to report sick before the start of your normal working day to your line manager and copy in the Business Operations Team, providing the following:  

  • Name, contact telephone number if necessary
  • Nature of sickness i.e. headache - as CORE requires a category to log the absence
  • Estimated return to work date
  • If applicable, details of any work/training commitments during the period of absence - this will enable your line manager to reschedule/arrange cover  


For Customer Services roles: additional local arrangements for reporting absence (particularly out of hours) are in place, to ensure that shifts can be covered and service maintained. Please refer to the Customer Services Sickness Absence document below to ensure you understand the requirements for your role, and speak to your line manager for any further clarification.


Sickness Certification requirements

  • Days 1 - 3: No certificate required
  • Days 4 - 7: Self certificate required for the whole period of absence
  • Days 8+: Medical certificates are required from the 8th day for all absence thereafter - you will be required to provide the medical certificate, as soon as reasonably possible

Please note the above constitutes calendar days and not working days; it is the staff members' responsibility to ensure their sickness absence is covered by the appropriate medical note where necessary.

Failure to follow the departmental sickness absence procedure can result in your absence being classed as unauthorised, to which payment of occupational sick pay can be withheld.  Your line manager will also attempt to contact you to establish the circumstances.


Returning to work 

Staff members must let their manager know when they anticipate to return to work, and declare their fitness to work to the Business Operations Team as soon as possible upon their return. 

Your line manager will conduct a Return to Work (RTW) discussion with you as early as possible. The form will include the number of days and occasions of sickness in the past twelve months. 

More information

Procedure

  • Discuss the nature of the absence and the estimated date of return - taking note of details an employee should provide on reporting (see above)
  • Ascertain whether the individual requires any additional support, discussing the opportunities available through Occupational Health and the Employee Assistance Programme
  • Remind the individual of the need to submit a fit note/medical certificate if their absence is expected to last 8 days or more  
  • If the Business Support Team are unaware of the absence, please email reporting the employee, starting date of absence and reason
  • All absences will be recorded in the CORE HR System

Action points

  • If after 7 days: the individual has not yet returned to work, discuss the continuing nature of the absence, the availability of support services and the estimated return date.  Also their obligation to submit medical certificates/fit notes and the need to keep you updated in any progress or developments concerning their sickness
  • Between 8 days and 4 weeks: Maintain regular contact with the individual.  Remind them the importance of keeping in contact with you and the necessity of notifying you if they are to be away from their home address for any reason.  Following discussions with the individual, consider a referral, via HR, to Occupational Health to assess probable length of absence/further assistance, if the absence is expected to continue. 
  • Discuss with the individual about any return to work plan, as appropriate.

Managing Regular Short-Term Absence

Recognising the need to be supportive and sensitive in cases of sickness absence, the University remains conscious that absence impacts on everyone, can disrupt the quality of service, and can be disruptive for colleagues who have to provide cover.

In order to provide a fair, consistent, and transparent approach, the following guidelines are recommended when consideration of sickness absence by line manager may be appropriate:

  • Absences amounting to separate episodes totalling ten days or more, any time within a rolling twelve-month period (the cause of which may, or may not be related); or
  • Absences which appear to form a pattern, within any timescale (e.g. same days of the week, term time, sporting fixtures etc).
  • Absences which amount to a single episode of absence lasting more than four weeks

Return to Work Discussion

  • On the first day of return, check in with the individual ensuring they are well enough
  • Confirm with the Business Support Team that the employee has returned, if they have not
  • Arrange for Return To work discussion with the individual asap
  • The Business Support Team will send any outstanding Return to Work discussion forms to line managers each Monday
  • Urgent RTWs (mental health issue; an injury occuring in the workplace or affecting a staff member's ability to work) will be sent to line managers immediately upon an individuals' return, and can also be requested from the Business Support Team

Additional Resources and Support