Your employee must speak to you or their nominated contact as soon as possible and no later than 30 minutes of their expected start time and explain the reason for their absence. As part of this conversation you should ask:

• How long do they expect to be off work?
• What is the nature of their illness or injury?
• What is the best way to contact them while they are off?
• Is there anything urgent that needs to be picked up in their absence?

As soon as you are aware of an absence you should create an open period of sickness absence and select an appropriate reason within the FlexiLeave app further guidance is available through the IT Services Wiki. Where colleagues use a time and attendance system (such as Kronos) to record their time any sickness absence should be recorded on that system rather than through the flexileave app.

If the employee is going to be absent for 8 days or more, remind them that they will need to provide a certified Fit Note.

Once you receive a Fit Note you should update the sickness absence within the FlexiLeave app and send a copy to payroll via sickness-absence@york.ac.uk.

In the event that an employee is critically ill, and you are concerned about their capacity to return to work, you must contact HR Operations urgently. This is particularly important for employees diagnosed with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of less than 12 months, as they can assist you with your pension and service options.