We have added a new ‘Good practice guide’ to the site.
Good practice guides are meant as general guidance for practitioners to help them comply with the law and good practice, rather than explaining the law itself which is covered elsewhere on this site. The new guide is on dismissal of an employee after long-term sickness absence.
Employers are not expected to put up with unsatisfactory attendance indefinitely. Even though the employee is genuinely ill and not inventing their condition, and may even be disabled, so that they cannot be blamed for their absence from work, there comes a point when dismissal can be lawful. It is a common misunderstanding that: “They can’t sack you if you have a sick note from the doctor”.