How to Build a Return-to-Work Plan: A 4-Part Framework for HR Teams

Many HR teams don't have a formal return to work plan. They have good intentions and a general sense of what should happen — and then the employee comes back and it plays out differently every time depending on who's managing them that week. In this episode, Jessica Winder, CPO at Winder Law Firm, walks through a four-part framework for building a return to work plan that HR teams can start implementing regardless of where they are today. Winder opens with the distinction that anchors the whole framework: processing a return and actually supporting someone through it are two different things. Paperwork is the process. How an employee feels when they walk back in is everything else. The four components teams can begin building a return to work plan are preparing managers before the employee returns, a structured first-week touch point that prioritizes connection over productivity, a phased workload reintegration that treats the returning employee like a new hire rather than someone expected to be back at full capacity on day one, and a 30-day check-in that surfaces what the first week couldn't — and makes the process better for the next person who goes through it. The starting point for any HR team that doesn't have a formal process yet is simpler than it sounds: go look at your new hire onboarding plan and start from there. Ready to see how Tilt helps HR teams? Talk to our team 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04syB_x0 #LeaveManagement #ReturnToWork #HRTech #PeopleOperations #EmployeeExperience #LeaveOfAbsence #LeaveExperienceManagement