You thought you couldn’t dismiss her. But waiting longer would’ve been the real mistake.

Tina Rahman

HR Habitat

HR Consultant

You thought you couldn’t dismiss her.
But waiting longer would’ve been the real mistake.

There’s a fear in leadership when it comes to sickness absence.

A myth that it’s untouchable.

That if someone’s been off for 6, 9, 12 months, there’s nothing you can do.

So managers do nothing.

Or they panic and do everything at once.

Either way - it becomes risky.

But here’s the reality;

You can dismiss someone who’s off long-term.

If you do it right.

And ethically.

One client had an employee off for over a year.

Chronic fatigue. No timeline for return.

They’d made several adjustments.

Three Occupational Health referrals.

Dozens of check-ins.

But nothing helped.

The team was stretched. Morale was dipping.

And still - they were scared to act.

So we handled it together.

Sincere open communication. No pressure.

Real compassion.

Eventually, both sides agreed:

The role couldn’t be held open indefinitely.

No threats. No drama.

Just a lawful dismissal, handled with humanity

And yes, it was fair.

Because:

✔️ Every adjustment was documented
✔️ Medical advice guided the process
✔️ Timelines were clear
✔️ The employee was given every chance to return
✔️ The dismissal was the last resort- not the first response

That’s not just lawful leadership.

That’s ETHICAL leadership.

And here’s something worth reflecting on:

👉🏽 Would you hesitate more if the employee were a woman?

Because I’ve seen employers delay for fear of seeming insensitive

But that hesitation often causes more harm than transparency ever could.

If you're facing something similar, heres whats I want you to do;

➔ Stop relying on fit notes - use Occupational Health

➔ Keep communication regular and documented

➔ Understand when sickness becomes a capability issue

➔ Apply process early -not once it’s already at breaking point

➔ Involve professional HR advice before it's defensive clean-up

➔ Look for risks of discrimination, e.g. sex discrimination (fill in the link for our GED below)

https://lnkd.in/eQvNPNNv

Dismissal doesn’t have to be conflict.
It can be closure.

If you had to end a contract tomorrow -would it protect your business?
And your reputation?

📅 Book a consultation with me:
https://lnkd.in/eSXgRSX5

📥 Test your leadership style – are you a Labyrinth or a Leader?
https://lnkd.in/eguiG_pU

👋🏽 𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽—𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

HR & Legal advice
Leadership & Management
HR Compliance
Manager Development
Employee advice

Tina Rahman

HR Habitat

HR Consultant

Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.