Fitness for hearing or meeting

Fitness for hearing or meeting

Fitness for hearing or meeting

In some instances the employer might want to meet with an employee to investigate a situation to enable them to move forward. This may be due to an allegation made against the employee, a grievance put in by the employee or due to prolonged absence from work. It is not uncommon for an employee when asked to attend a meeting related to work, states to be signed off sick and therefore will not attend. It is important to know the medical fit note issued by the employee's general practitioner only comments on fitness to carry out work duties. This means it does not include an assessment about fitness to attend meetings related to work.

Besides the physical ability to attend a meeting which can be hindered by the fact that the employee is required to stay in hospital, there may be mental aspects of fitness to be considered.

In some circumstances an employee might experience "work related stress". In these circumstances it is important that the trigger factors are addressed and a solution is found. This is usually a vital part for aiding the employee's recovery.

It is acknowledged that meetings related to work can cause distress and symptoms can temporarily be aggravated. This has to be balanced against the benefit of overcoming the trigger factors supporting the possibility for recovery for the individual as well as the need of the employer to manage their business and impact on other individuals.

To assess fitness to attend meetings related to work the Faculty of Occupational Medicine as well as the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Medical Association have published guidance.

It is generally accepted standard of practice in occupational medicine to assess fitness to attend a meeting related to work using the following criteria:

Is the individual able to understand the allegations / reason for the meeting

Is the individual able to understand the difference between right and wrong

Is the individual able to follow the proceedings / respond to questions

In some situations it might be possible to change some arrangements regarding the meeting to enable fitness. This can for instance be the location of the meeting. If an individual has problems increasing in severity at the place of work the meeting might be able to take place at a hotel or restaurant meeting room.

Sometimes it might be difficult to objectively assess an employee's fitness to attend a meeting and medical guidance is required. This can usually be provided by Occupational Health Services via and assessment by a qualified occupational health physician.

In some circumstances the individual is able to appoint a person to represent them in a meeting instead of the individual attending in person. This will naturally set limitations as the representative is unlikely to be able to answer arising questions. However, the representative can observe and report to the individual while at the same time the employer can move forward.

An alternative option would be to send the individual questions to be answered in writing. The individual has more time to put together the answers. These can then be read out in a meeting by the individual or submitted to be read out by a different person. This procedure is usually recommended if the individual has memory or concentration problems as it will accommodate for breaks if and when required.

If it is vital the employer may decide to hold the meeting without the employee being present or represented.

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