WHAT TO SAY · PERFORMANCE
How to talk to an employee about frequent sick days
Frequent absence can hide health, care or wellbeing problems. Lead with concern, stick to dates, and follow your company’s absence policy. Never ask for medical details they have not offered.
Before you start
- Check your absence policy and talk to HR first.
- Have the dates, not judgements.
The script
- OPEN WITH
[Name], I wanted to check in with you, because you have been off a few times recently and I want to make sure you are OK.
You have been absent on [dates]. I am not assuming anything, and you do not need to share medical details.
Is there anything going on that we could help with, like hours, workload or support?
I also need to be clear that the absence is affecting [effect], so let us agree how we manage it from here.
Replace the [brackets] with real details. Say it in your own words; the structure matters more than the exact wording.
If they say…
“I have a health condition.”
Thank you for telling me. Let us talk to HR about adjustments that could help.
What to avoid
- Asking for diagnoses.
- Hinting they are faking it.
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- All 24 scripts