Question: An employee is going out for surgery. Besides noting their time off on the schedule, what do we need to do?
Answer: There are several actions to take when an employee is going out for their own medical condition, which should be applied consistently in all similar situations.
First, you need to determine if they are eligible for protected leave under federal or state law. If so, you need to provide the employee with the applicable forms and information. You should ask for documentation from their healthcare provider to verify the time off as you process their leave.
Second, if the employee is entitled to or will be required to use available paid time off, such as sick time, you should notify them of that. If they will be eligible for paid leave through a state-run program, you should direct them to that agency.
Whether or not you have taken any of the above steps, you should ask for a doctor's note releasing them back to work before they can come back. This note should include if they are released back to full duty, or if there are any limitations or restrictions and for how long. This note is important to make sure employees can physically do the job or, if they are reinjured on the job, it could fall on your Workers' Comp.
Be proactive and develop a procedure for handling leave requests and train everyone who interacts with employees how requests need to be handled. Be sure to keep all medical information strictly confidential, only forwarding information such as days off or accommodations to those who need to know.