Sickness and absence

Return to work after long-term absence: phased return plan letter

Confirms the return date, the phased hours, the adjustments and the review dates agreed for someone coming back after a long absence.

The medical advice supports a return, you have met and agreed how it will work, and you want it written down: hours per week for each stage, duties that are on or off, equipment, check-in dates, and what happens to pay during the phase.

Before it goes

  • The return-to-work meeting has happened and the plan reflects the medical advice.
  • You have decided how the phased period is paid (full pay is common and kind; contractual entitlement varies).

The letter

[COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY ADDRESS] [DATE] [EMPLOYEE NAME] [EMPLOYEE ADDRESS] Dear [EMPLOYEE FIRST NAME], Your return to work on [RETURN DATE] It was good to see you on [MEETING DATE]. I am pleased to confirm the plan we agreed for your return to work, in line with the advice from [OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH / YOUR GP] dated [DATE]. Return date: [RETURN DATE]. Phased hours: Weeks 1 to 2 ([DATES]): [HOURS] per week, [DAYS AND TIMES]. Weeks 3 to 4 ([DATES]): [HOURS] per week, [DAYS AND TIMES]. Weeks 5 to 6 ([DATES]): [HOURS] per week, [DAYS AND TIMES]. From week 7 ([DATE]): your normal hours of [HOURS] per week. Duties: during the phased period you will [DUTIES ON], and you will not [DUTIES OFF, e.g. carry out manual handling of loads over …, work at height, drive company vehicles]. [NAME] will cover those duties. Adjustments: [ADJUSTMENTS, e.g. a sit-stand desk has been ordered and will be in place by [DATE]; you will be based at [SITE] rather than travelling between sites; you may take an additional 15-minute break in the afternoon]. Pay: during the phased return you will receive [full pay / pay for the hours worked plus [SICK PAY] for the balance]. Reviews: we will meet at the end of week 2 ([DATE]), week 4 ([DATE]) and week 6 ([DATE]) to check how it is going. If at any point it is proving too much, tell me straight away; the plan can slow down. If you are ready sooner, it can speed up. Please bring your current fit note, which should state that you may be fit for work with the adjustments above, on your first day. If anything changes before [RETURN DATE], let me know. We are glad to have you back. Yours sincerely, [MANAGER NAME] [JOB TITLE] [COMPANY NAME]

Filling it in

Hours by week
Specific days and times. A phased return that says "reduced hours" gets renegotiated every Monday.
Pay
Decide and state it. Full pay for a four-to-six-week phase is common practice and buys goodwill worth more than the cost.
The fit note
A "may be fit for work" note with the adjustments listed covers you both. Ask for it.

What the law says

  • Equality Act 2010 ss.6, 15 and 20: a long-term condition may be a disability; treating someone unfavourably because of something arising from it must be justified, and reasonable adjustments must be considered.
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 s.2 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reg.3: reassess risk on return where the person's capability has changed.
  • Statutory Sick Pay: for days not worked during a phased return, SSP may still be payable where the day is a qualifying day of incapacity; check the position with payroll.
Guidance, not legal advice. Employment law moves; check the current position before relying on any of it, and take advice on anything that could end someone's employment.

What turns this letter into a claim

  • Do not let the phase drift on indefinitely. If normal hours are not reached by the end, that is a new conversation with new medical advice, not a silent extension.
  • Do not skip the risk assessment for a physical role. The person has changed; the assessment must too.

Questions people ask

How long should a phased return be?

Four to six weeks is typical. Longer phases are sometimes advised for serious illness or surgery. Follow the medical advice and build in review points so it can flex.

Do I have to pay full pay for hours not worked during a phased return?

Not unless the contract or policy says so. Many employers do for a short phase because it works. Where you pay only for hours worked, SSP may apply for the non-working days; check with payroll and tell the employee in the letter.

The letter, with the names already in

Employ AI drafts letters like this one from the employee's record, so the dates, service and pay are already right, and the disciplinary module writes the invitation and outcome letters from the case itself. All 44 letter families, 49 UK policies, GPS clock-in, rotas, leave and timesheets: £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee. 14 days free, no card.

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