No fleet manager or employer wants their staff to be absent any longer than necessary. But it is essential that drivers return to driving after sick leave only when it is safe to do so.
According to the UK Government’s Keep Britain Working report, published in 2025, “ill-health has now become one of the biggest drivers of economic inactivity in the UK” and “Employers face an estimated £85 billion a year in lost output and costs linked to ill-health.” Managing absence is difficult, but a healthy, safe workforce must be a priority.
E-Training World has launched a new online driver training module to help employees understand their responsibilities when coming back to work after an illness and what they need to do, or not do, before getting back behind the wheel. The training includes practical tips for driving after illness, such as choosing familiar routes and avoiding busier roads or motorways.
“Returning to driving is about fitness, not about the length of sick leave,” comments Jonathan Mosley, sales and marketing director at E-Training World. “Employees may be worried about sick pay and keen to get back to driving as quickly as possible. However, they must understand that there are certain situations in which they must not drive, even if they feel able to.
A fit note is designed to guide a return to work, not to determine the ability to drive. Individuals are responsible for making sure they are well enough to drive safely. Going ahead and driving anyway could invalidate insurance and be treated as driving while unfit, or dangerous driving, both criminal offences.”
By rolling out driving after sick leave training to their drivers, employers and fleet operators can clearly communicate driver responsibilities and ensure that employees and other road users are protected.
E-Training World is the company that pioneered online driver profiling and training. As well as serving some of the largest fleet operators in the UK, they provide branded/white-labelled systems to many of the best-known companies in the fleet sector. These include insurance companies, fleet management specialists, accident management providers, driver training businesses, vehicle rental specialists and other fleet sector suppliers.
