Medical Absence Management For Employees

Medical absence management is an important tool for supporting employee health and well-being.

• Medical leave includes any injury, disease, including mental health, that prevents an employee from performing the full duties of their job
• Medical absences over consecutive 5 days may be referred to Human Resources (HR) if the medical certificate:
• indicates a long-term absence
• has no expected return date
• extends an existing medical leave

If you have questions about medical absence please reach out to Lori East (Professional staff) in HR.  Please include your employee ID.

• This applies to all employee groups, however, please reference the appropriate sick leave provision of the relevant collective agreement Labour Relations – Human Resources.

Definitions

Accommodation – Workplace accommodations are adjustments that allow a person with a disability to continue to work.  This may include the use of special equipment/devices,  adjustments to hours of work/ duties or both

Return to work (RTW) – A program that re-integrates a disabled/injured employee back into the workplace.  Formalizes the work expectations during the integration period.  The  transition to full duties may be weeks in duration

Satisfactory medical documentation is required to support return-to-work plans and any workplace accommodation

Functional Abilities Form (FAF) – Document completed by your treating medical practitioner, indicating prognosis, physical and/or cognitive limitations/abilities, supporting leave, return to work and accommodations

Occupational – An injury or illness that occurred at work or during a work-related event, that results in at least one of the following: work lost time; lost work pay; sought medical attention. These absences are reported to WSIB and administered by Human Resources

Non-occupational – An injury or illness that is not work-related that results in absence from work.  These absences are case-managed by Human Resources

Manager – for faculty members your manager is considered to be your Dean

Scenarios

Below are common situations you may face as a leader for your department with actions you should take to address the particular circumstance.

If you have a question, please contact our Benefit Specialist, Lori East (Professional staff).

What happens when you are unwell and unable to attend work?

What you need to do

• Seek and be under active medical attention – whether it is physical or mental health-related – the sooner you are under active treatment the better your recovery
• Let your manager know of your absence
• If a medical certificate is required/requested to support your leave, submit it confidentially and securely to the Human Resources online portal at Medical Absence
  • If you are not able to log into the Carleton network to access the Human Resources portal, you may submit the medical document to HR by email at MedicalLeave@cunet.Carleton.ca
  • Please provide a non-Carleton email to communicate with Human Resources
• Participate in the accommodation and return to work processes

What type of medical certificate is required?

Certificate requirements

All medical certificates should be forwarded to HR by the online portal Medical Absence or by email to MedicalLeave@cunet.Carleton.ca.  These documents are confidentially stored.

For privacy reasons, diagnosis information is not required

A medical certificate is considered satisfactory when it contains the following information:

All absences

• Prognosis – your expected to return to work date

Longer absences – in addition to prognosis, the following information is required:

• If the employee is under a treatment plan
• Functional abilities/limitations – useful in supporting longer absences and in assisting workplace accommodation
• If the illness is anticipated to be temporary, chronic or permanent

Functional Abilities and Limitations Forms

If we do not have satisfactory medical information, we will send the employee all the Functional Abilities and Limitations (FAF) forms via email, so that they can have their treating medical practitioner use the appropriate form.

Functional Abilities Form – Cognitive

Functional Abilities Form – Combined

Functional Abilities Form – Physical

If the medical document indicates that the leave is due to work-related issues, you can expect that a member of the Employee/Labour Relations team will reach out to you for details, as well they will contact your Manager.

*A WSIB claim may also be initiated if the leave is considered work-related

Remember: We do not need diagnosis information

Once you start a medical leave

HR will reach out to you for periodic updates on prognosis and the ability to commence a return-to-work plan with or without temporary accommodations.

• Academic and Professional staff members will be managed by Lori East

HR will manage the leave and provide supportive resources.

It is important that you communicate with HR using a non-Carleton email, in addition to communicating by phone.

Preparing for a return to work

Returning to work

If you are returning from a long medical absence, long-term disability or a WSIB (Workers’ Safety Insurance Board) absence, you may require a transitional period to return to full duties.

• Return work requests are supported by satisfactory medical documentation
• As part of the return-to-work process, a medical practitioner may recommend a specific accommodation based on identified functional abilities/limitations.
• Return-to-work plans may span weeks, slowly increasing the number of hours and/or duties, until you are fully back to work
• Human Resources will work with managers to support a reasonable return-to-work request as part of the accommodation process
• An accommodation agreement is created in collaboration with the manager, you, labour relations and Human Resources. The agreement will outline the type and duration of the accommodation.
• If you are a member of a union, then you have the right to have a union representative participate in accommodation requests
• HR will check in with you and the manager during and after the return-to-work process

Your roles & responsibilities

To-do list

• Seek medical attention
• Inform your manager/dean of your absence
• Provide satisfactory medical documentation
• Participate in the accommodation and return to work processes in good faith

Available Resources For You

• Workplace Mental Health
• Canada Life Resources for employees
• Employee and Family Assistance Program
• At Work Services – by Canada Life

Employee and Family Assistance Program

The Employee and Family Assistance Program offers free and confidential services to you, your spouse and children:

  24-hour helpline services

• emotional crisis /self-harm
• spousal or partner abuse
• problem with drugs or alcohol and are ready to seek help
• victims of crime or witness to an act of violence / a traumatic event at work

  Personal Counselling

• Crisis and short-term counselling services

Work/Life Consultation

• Family care, financial coaching, credit counselling, legal referral and advisory services, career counselling, life coaching, health coaching, nutrition counselling

At Work Services program managed by Canada Life

This is a voluntary support program.  This program does not adjudicate or validate sick leave.  Instead, the program can help address medical and non-medical issues and offers:

• Medical coordination services – works with you and your treating physician to address medical issues, start diagnostic testing and treatment and help lower delays and wait times.
• Rehabilitation services – help you stay productive and at work by figuring out and addressing the issues through adjustment counselling, negotiating workplace modifications and other services to support your ability (e.g., what you can or are able to do).

This voluntary program is available while you are at work or if you are on an extended leave.  HR may offer this to you, but you may also request this supportive program.