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Work toolkit · Part 4
Return-from-leave plan
Who this is for: An employee returning after menopause-related sick leave, and the line manager / HR partner welcoming them back.
How to use it: Fill in together in a 30-minute conversation before week 1 back. Revisit at the 4-week and 8-week review.
Before the meeting
- Hold this conversation before the first day back, not on it.
- Allow 30 uninterrupted minutes, in private.
- Bring the reasonable-adjustments request (Part 1) if one was filed.
- Assume the employee may not yet know exactly what they need — the plan is allowed to evolve.
1. Where we are
Employee: ________________________
Manager: ________________________
HR partner (if involved): ________________________
Date of return: ________________________
Length of absence: ________________________
What helped most during the absence:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What's still hard:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. Phased return
Tick the pattern that fits. Adjust the weeks as needed.
- ☐ Week 1: [50%] hours · [3] days · [mornings only]
- ☐ Week 2: [60%] hours · [3] days · [includes one team meeting]
- ☐ Week 3: [80%] hours · [4] days
- ☐ Week 4: full hours, full responsibilities
- ☐ Other: ________________________________________________
3. Adjustments in place
Carried over from the reasonable-adjustments request, or newly agreed.
- ____________________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________________
- ____________________________________________________________
4. Workload the first 4 weeks
- On hold:____________________________________________________
- Picked up by [colleague]:____________________________________________________
- Returning to immediately:____________________________________________________
- Returning to in week [3 / 4]:____________________________________________________
5. Communication with the team
- Has the team been told? ☐ Yes ☐ No
- What has been said: ____________________________________________
- What the employee is happy to say if asked: ____________________________________________
- What is off-limits: ____________________________________________
6. Review points
- Week 1 check-in: [DATE] · 15 minutes · how was the first week?
- Week 4 review: [DATE] · 30 minutes · how is the phased plan working?
- Week 8 review: [DATE] · 30 minutes · what stays, what changes?
7. If it isn't working
- Bring it up at the next review, or earlier. Earlier is better.
- Options can include: extending the phased return, occupational health referral, additional adjustments, change of role or team, a further period of leave.
- None of these is a failure. All of them are normal management responses.
Employee signed: ________________________ Date: ________________________
Manager signed: ________________________ Date: ________________________