Return to work interviews and staff briefing following periods of Furlough.

Return to work interviews have proved successful in many companies as a means of controlling absenteeism. Should employers be conducting similar discussions with employees following their return to work after periods of Furlough as part of the settling back in process?

Davies Associates believe so for the following reasons:

• To establish whether there have been any changes in the health of employees that could affect the employee’s wellbeing at work or that of their colleagues.
• To explain the measures that have been put in place to protect the health and wellbeing of themselves their colleagues and other third parties. This should include safety measures, the wearing of PPE and social distancing in the workplace, new working practices introduced in light of the Covid Pandemic etc.
• There may have been changes at work since they last worked, it is therefore important that those returning are made aware of such changes including; changes in working practices, customers and supplier relationships together with policy, procedure & systems changes.
• Where the Company have had no alternative to make redundancies (where applicable) , to reassure those remaining that the measure was necessary in order to ensure the longer term viability of the business.
• Other important developments which are company specific that returning employees need to be made aware of.

We would also recommend holding group briefing sessions (where groups of employees are returning), that said, this may only be possible where social distancing requirements can be observed. This we feel would potentially involve less disruption to the business at a time when the company is trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic and re-establishing themselves.