Handle staff sickness fairly, from the first call to coming back

Help me handle staff sickness fairly.

The situation: [who, how long, how they reported it, any pattern]
How sickness is reported now: [details]
How I pay sick days now: [details]

First ask me up to 4 short questions. Wait for my answers.

Then:
1. A simple reporting process: who to call, by when, what to say.
2. A kind check-in message.
3. A return-to-work conversation plan, kept short and supportive.
4. How to raise a pattern of absence fairly, with the Acas link.
5. Look up GOV.UK's statutory sick pay page, name it and summarise what to check.

Not medical or legal advice. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts or figures. UK English.

For GOV.UK statutory sick pay and Acas absence guidance, use web search and name the page you used. If it doesn't search on its own, open View all tools and choose Search.

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