Temporary redeployment following sickness absence letter

Where an employee is to temporarily work in a different role on their return to work following long-term sickness absence, you can use our letter to confirm the arrangements for that temporary role.

Temporary redeployment

Where you intend to implement any of the recommendations made in a statement of fitness for work (fit note) to get an employee back to work from sickness absence, such as a phased return to work, amended duties, altered working hours or workplace adaptations, you can use our Letter Confirming Temporary Work Alterations. However, that letter assumes the employee is to return to their existing permanent role but with appropriate temporary adjustments being made to it. An alternative option is for the employee to temporarily return to a different role, and this is the purpose of our Temporary Redeployment Following Sickness Absence Letter. Bear in mind that a temporary redeployment may be a reasonable adjustment for a disabled employee.

Agreed return

You need the employee’s express consent to a temporary redeployment. Therefore, our letter sets out the essential terms of the redeployment and then asks the employee to sign an attached consent form. Do ensure that you’ve reached agreement on the following:

• the date on which the employee will return to work in the temporary role
• whether the temporary redeployment itself needs to include reasonable adjustments, such as homeworking or special equipment to accommodate a disability
• that the redeployment is temporary and doesn’t constitute a permanent change to the employee’s contract of employment
• any temporary impact on the employee’s other terms and conditions of employment, for example, if the employee will receive a reduced salary because they’ll be working fewer hours in the temporary role
• an anticipated end date for the temporary redeployment – it can be extended with the employee’s consent.

All these matters are covered in our letter. You should send it to the employee once you’ve held a meeting with them and discussed and agreed a return-to-work plan.

Pay protection

Normally, it’s acceptable to say to the employee that if they’re only going to be working on a part-time basis or performing lesser duties in the temporary role, they’ll only be paid either for the hours they work or the salary that relates to the lesser role. However, if the employee is disabled under the Equality Act 2010, temporary pay protection might be a reasonable adjustment, in conjunction with other measures, to get the employee back to work. The question is whether it’s reasonable for the employer to take that step, which needs to be determined in the circumstances of the case.