Guidance for managers

You can support everyone in the workplace by making sure people feel okay talking about their health. To do this, you can:

• have regular and open one-to-one chats to check how people are doing at work and with their health
• watch for changes in work or attendance and offer help if needed
• be ready to give support like flexible hours or changes to people’s workspaces
• learn about long-term conditions and how they can affect people
• find out where extra information and help is available so you can share details with employees
• challenge and stop unkind comments or behaviours
• listen kindly and without judging, because everyone’s experience is different

If someone has physical symptoms, support that may help could include:

• checking how much energy they have and how much work they can do
• helping them choose which tasks to do first
• talking about flare-ups (when symptoms get worse) and giving short-term changes when needed
• setting up a workplace assessment
• encouraging regular movement or stretching
• talking about giving short-term changes in tasks if they are in pain

If someone has non-physical symptoms, support that may help could include:

• giving clear plans, expectations and deadlines
• writing down the main points after a chat and sharing them with the employee
• being clear about which tasks are most important
• avoiding last minute urgent jobs
• telling them early if something is going to change in the future
• having kind, regular check-ins

All reasonable adjustments need to be discussed in a one-to-one meeting before they are put into place. You can find more information about reasonable adjustments on the Reasonable adjustments page. Here is a checklist of things to consider in one-to one meetings.

Before the meeting

1. Look at any health details or work problems the person has shared before.
2. Learn about common long-term condition symptoms and how they might affect work. Remind yourself about the symptoms of long-term conditions by going to the Symptoms page.
3. Check your workplace policies for any guidance or rules on reasonable adjustments and support.
4. Choose a good time for the one-to-one meeting that works for both of you.
5. Make sure there is a quiet, private place for the meeting where you won’t be disturbed.
6. Make a simple plan for what to talk about. You’ll find an example of an agenda for a one-to-one meeting on this page below.
7. Allow enough time at the meeting to understand what the employee needs and to think about possible solutions.
8. Ask the employee if they are bringing someone to the meeting with them for support, such as a union representative or a colleague.

During the meeting

1. Start by letting the employee know you care.
2. Assure the employee you will keep things private, and that you want to help.
3. Ask questions that let them explain their feelings and needs.
4. Ask about how their symptoms might affect their work and wellbeing.
5. Work together to find changes and reasonable adjustments that will help them. Remind yourself about reasonable adjustments by going to the Reasonable adjustments page.
6. Write down what you agreed and times when things will be done by using a support action plan. There is an example of a support action plan on this page below.
7. Plan follow-up meetings to check what is working and learn about any new problems.

After the meeting

1. Share the support action plan with the employee.
2. Carry out actions to make reasonable adjustments happen.
3. Check in often to see if more help is needed.
4. Make sure your workplace is kind and fair.

Use this agenda to help guide your meeting about reasonable adjustments and the support you can give as a manager.

Meeting aim
The aim is to understand what the employee needs and what worries they have about their symptoms at work. You will work together to make a plan that helps them do their best in their job. At the meeting there will be:

• the employee
• a union representative or colleague (if the employee wants someone there for support)
• yourself, as the employee’s manager, or someone from Human Resources

Be flexible with the length of the meeting to give plenty of time to talk.

Six steps that can help at a one-to-one meeting

1. Start by reassuring
Say that you want to help the employee manage their health and work. Reassure them that what you talk about will stay private. For example, “This meeting is to understand your needs and make changes to support you. Everything we talk about is private.”

2. Learn about their experience of having a long-term condition
Ask simple questions so the employee can share how their long-term condition affects them. Below are some examples of questions you could ask.

How does your long-term condition affect you each day?
What problems have you had at work because of your condition?
Are some tasks or times of day harder for you?
What symptoms make work difficult?
What is the biggest challenge for you at work?
What help would be most useful for you?

3. Talk about possible changes or reasonable adjustments
Discuss what changes or reasonable adjustments at work could help, based on their symptoms and challenges. Remind yourself about the symptoms of long-term conditions by going to the Symptoms page. You can find more information about reasonable adjustments on the Reasonable adjustments page.

4. Make a support action plan
Work together to write down the changes and support agreed. Set clear times for when changes will start and when you will check how they are working. There is an example of a support action plan on this page below.

5. Keep talking and share resources
Encourage the employee to give feedback about the changes. Share helpful resources like:

• internal help (for example Human Resources, Occupational Health)
• external help (including NHS, charities and support groups) - some helpful resources can be found on the Guidance for employees page.
• self-help (such as stress tips and healthy lifestyle advice) – there’s information for employees about staying well in work on the Guidance for employees page.

6. End the meeting and plan a follow-up
Summarise what you agreed. Arrange another meeting to check if the support action plan is working and to make changes if needed.

A support action plan is a simple document that managers and employees can use to put new reasonable adjustments in place. It can also include a phased return-to-work plan, if the employee will be returning to work in stages.

You can use the following as a guide during a one-to-one meeting where you can complete the employee’s support action plan together. Adapt it for your employee’s individual support needs and use the reasonable adjustments page to help you. You should both keep a copy of the plan so you both know what changes will happen in the short and long term.

Suggestions for your support action plan

1. List any short-term adjustments (up to ….. weeks).
2. List any long-term adjustments (up to ….. weeks).
3. List any actions you (as the manager) will take following the meeting.
4. List any actions the employee will take following the meeting.
5. Agree a date to meet again and review these adjustments.

When an employee has been off work for a period of time, it can be hard to know how to help them come back in a healthy way. This guide can help you develop a return-to-work plan with the employee.

Phased return-to-work plan

One option when coming back to work is a phased return. This means the employee starts with fewer hours and fewer responsibilities. Some employers may not have policies that provide pay for a phased return. In such cases, it may still be possible for the employee to have a phased return but with reduced pay until the return period has been completed. If this is not suitable for the employee, there are other ways they can be supported when they return to work. See the next page for information about flexible working.

If a phased-return is an option, the employee should plan to slowly increase their working hours over time. Many workplaces have a return‑to‑work policy. These can often be strict and may not suit everyone. Occupational Health and Human Resources may be able to support an employee to extend a phased return if needed.

A typical phased return over four weeks may look like:

Week 1 – 25% of usual hours
Week 2 – 50% of usual hours
Week 3 – 75% of usual hours
Week 4 – 100% of usual hours

The four-week plan above may work for some people. However, people with long-term conditions often require a longer and more gradual return. This could look like:

Week 1 – 10% of normal hours
Week 2 – 25% of normal hours
Week 3 – 35% of normal hours
Week 4 – 50% of normal hours
Week 5 – 60% of normal hours
Week 6 – 75% of normal hours
Week 7 – 100% of normal hours

A phased return is not just about working fewer hours. It also means slowly taking on more responsibilities. When the employee first comes back, they might start by doing only one part of their job. Each week they can take on a bit more.

Tips for a successful phased return

Every phased return will be different. These tips can help the employee feel more supported.

Spread working days across the week so they have time to rest between work days.
Have regular check-ins to see how things are going.
It is not recommended to increase both the number of days and the hours each day in the same week.
Agree the return-to-work plan before the employee returns to work so they know what to expect.
Be flexible - coming back to work can be hard. The plan may need to pause or change depending on the employee’s symptoms.
Have a clear list of tasks for the employee each week. Show how these will slowly increase over time.

Flexible working

Flexible working arrangements can also help employees manage their symptoms while staying productive. This might include adjusting start and finish times, working from home for part of the week, shorter shifts or rearranging tasks to suit energy levels throughout the day. There’s more information about flexible working on the GOV.UK website.

In a good work environment people feel safe. They know where to go to get support. They find it easy to talk about any problems they have. This safety helps people stay healthy and do their jobs well. A good work environment helps everyone, not just people with long-term conditions.

A good, supportive workplace might:

• have a quiet space away from the workspace for breaks
• have a comfortable workspace - this could mean somewhere that is the right temperature, with access to windows or fans for example
• encourage employees to build supportive relationships in the workplace
• have regular chances for people to share problems with managers (anonymous options are even better)
• have a kitchen to store food and make drinks
• be somewhere that promotes healthy habits like taking screen or movement breaks
• have clear, friendly policies everyone can access

Managers must remember things outside of work can affect how someone feels at work. People could be affected by:

• stress
• poor food
• a lack of movement or activity
• poor sleep
• an illness
• the weather
• their journey to and from work
• changes in medication

A supportive workplace listens to employees. It checks in often and is willing to change plans to support their wellbeing.