To all managers and leaders: What are your tips for supporting team members who are returning to work from an illness?

Anonymous

January 5,2022 at 1:05PM UTC

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To all managers and leaders: What are your tips for supporting team members who are returning to work from an illness? A person I supervise had COVID and was out for the full 10 days, and returning seems to be a struggle for them. I want to support them the best I can, but I've never dealt with this before. How can I help make this transition smooth for them?

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Allison TriskoJanuary 5,2022 at 1:37PM UTC
Find out from a personal and performance level what they feel they can do - are they back to being healthy enough to hit benchmarks that are in place - adjust as you need to - put them on a 30 day ramp up to help get them back on pace
AnonymousJanuary 5,2022 at 2:36PM UTC
Consider a wfh hybrid situation for awhile allowing them to keep their schedule fluid to accommodate rest and comfortably healing.
AnonymousJanuary 5,2022 at 10:31PM UTC
I had a severe case of COVID in December 2020 and mt employer still expected me to work while I was sick. The second I was cleared to be around people again, they expected me to go back to normal. But I wasn’t. I had to use a cane to walk around (at 26 years old mind you). My Brain fog was awful, my fatigue was constant, i got a concussion fromCOVId (yes it’s possible, I even had to wear a heart monitor. I should not have been working, and I am upset at my (now former) employer for not checking in on my capabilities. I needed more support and I was not provided with any.
my advice: ask the employee what they are capable of and slowly amp up responsibilities when they can feel they can handle more. That might be every 30 days, 45…please be patient. I’m not sure if you’ve had it, but it’s hard to bounce back from. Slow and steady wins the COVID healing journey!
Madam anon663January 10,2022 at 5:27PM UTC
That sounds awful, and I am sorry you had to go through that.
April Donnell-SurgantJanuary 10,2022 at 6:48PM UTC
I am so sorry to hear of your experience. This sounds absolutely awful!
AnonymousJanuary 6,2022 at 1:41PM UTC
I think this is going to also depend on what your capacity is as far as getting the work done. I absolutely understand the need and the desire to accommodate employees during illness or family issues, etc. But I’m also responsible for making sure the work gets done each week. This most likely would prevent me from being able to give them 30-45 days to ramp up to full speed again. It would mean having to request and get approval for overtime so other employees could cover that employees work, and that’s if I even have team members who are able to cover for that long. And the chances of being able to bill for overtime for that long are usually slim to none. It’s not as simple as be a good boss and a caring person and give them all the time they need. It would be great if that were the case, but there’s so much more to consider.
AnonymousJanuary 10,2022 at 4:18PM UTC
Could the employee work part-time for a week or two as they are getting back up to speed?