I read with interest the article on Back to Work Interviews, and what Managers should do if they do not believe the employees reason for absence. We have been advised by a Barrister who specialises in Employment Law that although an absent employee is required to inform HR of their reason for absence, because of Data Protection we cannot divulge that to Managers (unless there are good grounds to do so). This as you can imagine makes for a difficult “Back to Work Interview” if the Manager is not aware of the reason for absence, and also makes it difficult to tackle ongoing absence.
Janice Carter