A Civil Service sickness absence process usually begins with reporting and certification, then moves through contact, return-to-work discussion and review where absence continues or repeats. The exact triggers, formal stages and sick pay rules come from your department policy.
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The basic stages
A typical route involves notifying the correct person, giving updates, providing a fit note after more than seven calendar days, taking part in a return-to-work discussion and attending absence reviews where the policy threshold is reached. Long-term and frequent short-term absence may use different review routes.
Reporting
Follow the stated notification method and timescale. Record who you told, when and what was agreed.
Certification
Self-certification normally covers the first seven calendar days. A fit note is usually needed after that.
Contact
Agree reasonable contact while absent. The frequency should reflect the situation and policy.
Review
A review should examine the reason for absence, support, medical input, adjustments and the next stage rather than treating a trigger as an automatic sanction.
Why the policy matters
There is no single Civil Service attendance threshold used by every department. Check the period used for trigger calculations, which absences are included, how disability or pregnancy-related absence is handled, who can issue warnings and what appeal route applies.
Members can unlock: a full policy-audit method, absence chronology, review-meeting preparation, trigger-point checks, evidence list and wording for correcting records, requesting support and challenging premature escalation.
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