Employees who are off work sick for more than 4 weeks may be considered long-term sick. A long-term sick employee is still entitled to annual leave.
Dismissing a long-term sick employee
As a last resort, employers can dismiss an employee who is long-term sick, but before they can do this employers must:
consider if an employee can return to work - such as by working flexibly or part-time, doing different or less stressful work (with training if necessary)
consult with employees about when they could return to work and if their health will improve
An employee can take their case to an employment tribunal if they think they’ve been unfairly dismissed.