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Q: We have an employee who is regularly absent on Mondays and Fridays. He always self-certifies with a plausible reason. What can we do?
A: The first thing you should do is talk to the employee and point out the reality of the problem, which is that you need him at work every day. If he claims that he is suffering from ill health, insist that he talk to his GP in an endeavour to find a cure. It is possible that an underlying cause such as diabetes is producing a variety of symptoms. However you are justified in your suspicions about his ill health surfacing on Mondays and Fridays and are entitled to point this out to him. Explain that this pattern of absenteeism is unacceptable and that, if it continues, he will be dealt with under your disciplinary procedure.
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