National Guide to Managing Ill & Injured Employees

Managing an employee with a long-term illness or injury can be one of the most challenging issues for an employer.

The process needs to balance the requirements of the business and legitimate workplace health and safety concerns, with the needs of the ill or injured employee.

Not achieving the right balance can lead to a range of risks including unfair dismissal, unlawful termination and discrimination claims, as well as breaches of workers' compensation and health and safety laws.

Clear procedures, good communication and a pro-active approach can significantly improve an employer’s ability to effectively manage long-term illness and injury, and minimise the risks.

Contents 

This popular National Guide to Managing Ill & Injured Employees Handbook provides employers with:

• A step-by-step process covering both work and non-work related illness and injury;
• Proforma letters to use in communications with the employee and treating doctor (see below for more information)
• Summary tables outlining state and territory legislation, including requirements under workers’ compensation schemes, regarding:
  • suitable duties or employment,
  • return to work plans and procedures,
  • restrictions on termination of employment, and
  • an overview of disability discrimination legislation;
• The legislative requirements which may come into play in a decision to terminate employment of an ill or injured employee; and
• Lessons from decided cases.

View Table of Contents

Included lettters

The Guide also comes with the following proforma letters to use in communications with the employee and treating doctor and to assist with procedural fairness. The letters are cover scenarios for work related or non-work related illness or injuries:

1. Withdrawing a rehabilitation program
2. Investigating employee’s future capacity
3. Investigating employee’s future capacity (Doctor)
4. Investigating employee’s future capacity (Doctor fails to respond to first letter)
5. Letter informing employee that review on hold
6. Letter to employee inviting further input
7. Letter to employee finalising the review – sustainable alternate duties
8. Letter to employee – not possible to finalise the review
9. Letter to employee finalising the review – termination

To help purchasers of our Guide we include in depth information on when and how to use the included letters.

And once a purchase is made you will receive the proforma letters as soon as your order is processed!

Updating service

To keep our Workplace Relations Handbooks current and with the latest information, we provide an annual updating service. 

Complimentary updating till 30 June 2026!

All purchases of the National Guide to Managing Ill & Injured Employees Handbook include a free subscription to the corresponding updating service until 30 June 2026 (this is valued at $140 for Ai Group Members and $220 for non-Members).

Continuing your updating service

In May 2026 we will send you an invoice inviting you to continue your updating service into the 2026/2027 financial year.

The annual prices for a subscription to our updating service for 2025/2026 are shown below.