Return to Work meetings that actually happen

Ask any HR manager whether Return to Work conversations matter and they will say yes. Ask how many actually take place and the answer is quieter. In a busy restaurant or shop, a ten-minute meeting with someone returning from two days off is the first thing to slip.

The scheduling problem

The conversation itself is short. The difficulty is everything around it: knowing who is due back, finding a quiet moment on their first shift, having the form to hand, writing it up afterwards. Multiply that by every absence in every store.

Let the crew member pick the moment

Our first version rang people at a time the manager chose. It worked, sometimes. People were on the bus, asleep or at work.

The version that works is simpler. The day before someone is due back they get a text:

"Hope you're feeling better. Reply RETURN when ready for your Return to Work call, or call back if still absent."

When they reply, the AI rings within seconds. The call takes about five minutes: the reason for the absence, whether they are fit for full duties, whether work played a part, whether they need any support.

What managers get

A report by email, with each answer scored for how much it needs attention. Most are routine and need nothing more than a glance. A few are not: someone who says the injury happened at work, or who is clearly not well enough to be back. Those stand out.

That is the real benefit. Managers stop spending time on the routine cases and spend it on the ones that need a person.

Things we added along the way

• A Call now button, for when the person is standing next to you.
• An email reminder for people who do not reply to the text, and for those with no mobile.
• A way to mark a conversation as done face to face, so the reminders stop.
• The option for calls to be taken on shift, so nobody is working unpaid.

The lesson for us was that the technology was never the hard part. The diary was.