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Description

Return to Work After Long-Term Absence: Preparing, Supporting and Securing the Transition

Organise the return of an employee absent for several months instead of improvising at the last minute

  • 0.43 days — 3 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

An employee absent for several months comes back to a team that has reorganised without them. The role has changed, so have the tools, and no one has prepared the return. The manager improvises a quick conversation, the employee hides their difficulties, and the return sometimes ends in a further period of absence or a resignation.

These three hours online follow the real chronology of the process. Participants organise how contact is maintained during the absence, prepare the administrative and occupational health steps, conduct the return-to-work interview and adjust workload during the first weeks.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the effects of a long-term absence on the employee and on the wider team
  • Organise how contact is maintained during the absence while respecting privacy
  • Prepare the administrative and occupational health steps framing the return
  • Conduct the return-to-work interview with the employee
  • Adjust workload and role during the first weeks back at work

What makes this programme different

The programme follows the real chronology from the announcement of the absence to the effective return
Sensitive conversations with the employee and with the team are practised through role-play
Each participant completes a return-to-work interview template

Programme

1Understanding what a long-term absence produces

For the employee and for the team

  • Effects of a prolonged break on professional confidence
  • Reorganisation of work during the absence
  • Expectations and concerns expressed on both sides
  • Markers for distinguishing the manager's role from the HR role

2Maintaining contact and preparing the ground

Neither pressure nor neglect

  • Acceptable forms of contact during the period of absence
  • Informing the employee of the changes that have occurred
  • Administrative and occupational health steps for the return
  • Preparing the team for the colleague's arrival

3Managing the return

The first weeks determine what follows

  • Structure and delivery of the return-to-work interview
  • Adjustments to the role and to the workload
  • Phased return and follow-up checkpoints
  • Warning signals justifying a further adjustment

Who is it for

Managers, HR managers, personnel administration officers and employee relations professionals dealing with long-term absence.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.