PHASED RETURN-TO-WORK PLAN
Important jurisdiction and health warning
This fictional plan is an illustrative workplace arrangement, not medical advice and not a universally valid occupational-health or employment document. It is written for employment in England and Wales. The employer and employee must check the employment contract, sickness and capability policy, statutory sick pay, contractual sick pay, holiday, equality and reasonable-adjustment duties, health and safety requirements, data protection rules and any medical advice. A fit note or occupational-health report does not automatically settle every legal question. The plan should be agreed with the employee, reviewed in practice and amended only after appropriate discussion. It does not guarantee fitness, preserve pay contrary to the contract, or replace urgent medical care.
1. Employee, role and background
This plan is agreed on 10 November 2026 between Harbourlight Community Housing Association, 77 Quayside Walk, Southampton SO14 3NF, and Sophie Elin Morgan, Housing Officer, of 23 Alder Rise, Southampton SO16 8JW. Sophie has been absent from work since 19 September 2026 because of a health condition. She has provided a fit note dated 28 October 2026 stating that she may be fit for work with a phased return, reduced hours, regular breaks and limited travel. The employer has also considered an occupational-health report dated 4 November 2026, with Sophie's consent.
The plan is intended to support a safe and sustainable return. It is not an admission about the cause of the absence, a finding about capability or a promise that all suggested adjustments will be permanent. Sophie should follow her clinician's advice and tell the employer promptly if work causes a material deterioration or if she cannot safely perform an assigned task.
2. Phased hours and dates
Unless reviewed sooner for safety or health reasons, the phases are:
From 16 to 20 November 2026, Sophie will work Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with a paid thirty-minute break included where required by the working-time arrangements. She will work from the Southampton office on Monday and remotely on Wednesday and Friday. Her duties will be induction, email triage, routine case notes and supervised calls. She will not attend urgent eviction visits or carry a full case load.
From 23 November to 4 December 2026, Sophie will work Monday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., including a thirty-minute break where required, with two office days and two remote days agreed each week. She may manage low-risk tenancy queries, attend one planned office appointment per day and join team meetings for up to forty-five minutes. A senior officer will review any safeguarding, homelessness or enforcement matter before Sophie gives advice.
From 7 to 18 December 2026, Sophie will work Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., including a thirty-minute break where required. She may resume a substantially normal caseload at reduced volume, undertake planned local visits with risk assessment and attend meetings with an agreed agenda. She will not be expected to work beyond the scheduled hours or accept an emergency on-call shift.
From 21 December 2026, the intended pattern is Sophie’s contractual hours of 35 hours per week, normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, unless the review on 17 December agrees a different temporary or permanent adjustment. Public holidays, office closure and holiday bookings will be handled under the normal policy.
3. Adjustments and support
For the duration of the plan, Sophie may take a ten-minute pause approximately every ninety minutes, use a quiet desk, keep meetings to a reasonable duration, and receive agendas and action points in writing. She will have a weekly check-in with Daniel Francis Cole, Team Leader, and may contact People Adviser Amira Louise Grant about adjustments or confidential support. Sophie will not be required to disclose a diagnosis to colleagues. Managers will be told only the practical restrictions and support arrangements they need to know.
Daniel will allocate work proportionately, check travel requirements before visits, and arrange cover if Sophie reports that a task is unsafe or beyond the agreed phase. Sophie will keep Daniel informed about capacity, follow risk controls, take agreed breaks and raise concerns without waiting for a scheduled meeting. The employer will consider further reasonable adjustments where a disability or another protected circumstance engages legal duties, but this plan does not decide that question by itself.
4. Reviews, pay and information
Daniel and Sophie will meet on 20 November, 4 December and 17 December 2026 to review attendance, fatigue, workload, quality, client impact and any medical or practical advice. They may bring forward a review if a phase is unsuitable. The parties may extend, shorten or revise a phase after discussion and appropriate advice. A failure to complete a phase is not automatically misconduct, and any capability or absence process must follow the applicable policy and law.
Pay, sickness absence, statutory sick pay, contractual sick pay, annual leave and pension treatment will remain subject to the contract, policy and applicable law. Payroll will explain the treatment for each phase separately. Sophie must not work outside the agreed hours unless the arrangement is changed in writing.
Information about health will be stored securely, shared only on a need-to-know basis and retained under the association's data protection and retention policies. This plan is governed by the law of England and Wales, but mandatory statutory rights prevail.
5. Agreement
For Harbourlight Community Housing Association: Daniel Francis Cole, Team Leader
Signature: ____________________ Date: 10 November 2026
Employee: Sophie Elin Morgan
Signature: ____________________ Date: 10 November 2026
Sophie may request a copy of this plan, the review notes and any agreed amendment. Both parties should obtain appropriate medical, occupational-health, HR or legal advice where the employee's condition, safety, pay or rights make that necessary.