Return to work letter for Australian employers
Confirms the arrangements for someone returning after an extended absence — injury, illness or parental leave. It records what was agreed so both sides start from the same understanding.
Return to work letter
PDF · 2 pages · no signup
General information only, not legal advice.
This template is general information for Australian employers, not legal advice. Obligations depend on the applicable modern award or agreement, the employment contract and the circumstances — confirm anything you are unsure of with Fair Work or a workplace relations adviser. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
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What's in the template
Everything the letter needs, plus the guidance that keeps it compliant.
Return date and position
What they are coming back to, and when.
Hours on return
Including any graduated arrangement, with a date to review it rather than leaving it open.
Restrictions
Any temporary duties or restrictions agreed, recorded without medical detail.
Support
What adjustments you will provide, and who to contact if it is not working.
Confidentiality note
A prompt to keep certificates and clearances on a separate confidential file.
Parental leave right
A note that an employee returning from parental leave is generally entitled to their pre-leave position.
Three situations, three different obligations
The letter is the same shape; what sits behind it is not.
Work-related injury
A return-to-work plan is a separate regulated document under the relevant state workers compensation scheme. This letter supplements it rather than replacing it.
Personal illness or injury
Ask for medical clearance where appropriate, record any restrictions you have been told about, and keep the underlying medical information confidential.
Parental leave
An employee returning from parental leave is generally entitled to return to their pre-leave position, or a suitable available position if that role no longer exists.
Confidentiality throughout
Record what the person can and cannot do. Do not record diagnoses or medical detail on the general employee file.
Graduated returns need a review date
Reduced hours or modified duties agreed “for now” tend to become permanent by default, which serves nobody — the employee is unsure where they stand and the roster is built around an arrangement nobody has revisited.\n\nAgree an explicit review date at the start. It is easier to extend an arrangement than to end one that was never bounded.
How to use it
Four steps.
1. Talk before the return date
Agree hours, duties and support in advance rather than on the first morning back.
2. Record restrictions, not diagnoses
What they can and cannot do, in operational terms.
3. Set a review date
Especially for any graduated hours arrangement.
4. File it correctly
Letter on the employee file; certificates and clearances on a separate confidential file.
Do you manage leave and return-to-work for clients?
Graduated returns change the roster, and the roster is where the arrangement either holds or quietly lapses. Advisors who bring shift-based clients onto RosterElf earn recurring monthly income per employee managed.
Recurring monthly income
$1.00–$2.00 per active employee
Signup bonus
$100 per new client business
Tiered rates
Bronze through Diamond
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Learn moreReturn to work questions
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The return date, the position being returned to, hours and pattern on return, any temporary duties or restrictions agreed, a review date for those arrangements, the support you will provide, and who to contact if something is not working.
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It is common and generally reasonable to ask for clearance to return, particularly where the absence was lengthy or the role is physically demanding.\n\nRecord any restrictions you are told about in operational terms. Keep the certificate itself on a confidential file, separate from the general employee record.
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Generally yes. An employee returning from parental leave is entitled to return to their pre-leave position, or to a suitable available position at a comparable level if that role no longer exists.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, awards and workplace requirements.