Underwood Carpenter Employee Handbook - Latest 02 11 16

Self-Certification/Medical Certificates
The Company will pay for absence due to ill health in line with the Statutory Sickness Payment
scheme. In order to qualify, all employees are required to self-certificate for absences of 7 calendar
days or less.
For absences of 8 calendar days or more, a Statement of Fitness for Work certificate from your GP
or your hospital should be obtained and given or sent to the Company.
In all cases, payment of Statutory Sickness Pay and any Company Sickness Pay will be dependent
upon your full compliance with the sickness absence reporting procedures and requirements as set
down in this policy.
Any absence which is not covered by a medical certificate or self-certification may be treated as
unauthorised absence.
Fit note
Your GP will provide you with a Statement of Fitness for Work certificate which will advise you and
the Company whether it is possible for you to return to work or, if you are not fit for work at the
current time.
Where any certificate is for a period of more than 3 months the Company reserves the right to ask
for further information from your doctor and request that you obtain further medical advice to
ascertain if there have been any changes during that initial 3-month period.
Not Fit for Work
If your GP confirms in the Statement of Fitness for Work certificate that you are ‘not fit for work’ at a
particular point in time the Company may contact you to arrange a face to face meeting to
understand the reason/s for your absence in more detail, and how best to support you. You are
expected to maintain regular contact throughout any period of sickness absence and keep the
Company informed about any changes to your health and anticipated return to work date.
Fit for Work
If your GP advises that despite a medical condition, injury or illness you are well enough to carry out
certain aspects of your role then you are regarded as fit to return to work which will be indicated
on the Statement of Fitness for Work certificate. Where this is the case the Statement of Fitness for
Work certificate may also give general information about the impact of your illness or injury on your
role at work and detail any support that the Company could provide in order to help you return to
work.
Please note that the Statement of Fitness for Work certificate is not a legally binding document and
that the GP or other medical practitioner may not be aware of internal risk assessments or the finer
details of your particular role and the context in which you carry it out. As such, although support
will be given wherever possible, the Company does reserve the right to override the
recommendations made in the Statement of Fitness for Work certificate where this is necessary for
safe and effective operation of the business.
Where the Company is unable to make a decision on the information provided, such as where the
information included in the Statement of Fitness for Work certificate is incomplete or unclear, you
may be asked for your permission to allow the Company to approach your GP for further
clarification.
Returning to Work
On receipt of a Statement of Fitness for Work certificate indicating that you may be fit for work, the
Company will arrange a return to work interview with your Line Manager. This interview must take
Employee Handbook Issue Date: November 2016
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