An employee slipped on duty and hurt his back. Doctors treated him regularly and after 3 months suggested light duty, with no sitting or standing for long periods ( max half an hour) , no stretching, lifting, bending etc... Pretty much doing nothing as the position is one of an Assistant Manager in a busy Retail Store and mobility is key.
All sick leave was paid, leave due was paid and 3 months of salary was paid at 75%. On his own admission he was unable to perform his duties and as all monies due to him from the company had been paid, he wanted to claim UIF on the grounds of Medical Boarding and the necessary documents were dealt with and he has received 4 payments so far. The final medical report for the compensation claim was handed in and it states that "pain is reduced" and he can now return to work. This has all been going on over a period of 8 months and my understanding was that once he claimed UIF for medical boarding reasons he is no longer employed by the company. Is this the correct assumption? Or does he have grounds to believe he can walk back in after 8 months, still without a total clean bill of health, " pain reduced" does not say he is 100% able to carry out his duties.
Any ideas, comments on this situation would be most welcome......