{"id":1116,"date":"2010-05-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/from-sick-notes-to-fit-notes-all-you-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:09:39","slug":"from-sick-notes-to-fit-notes-all-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/from-sick-notes-to-fit-notes-all-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"From sick notes to fit notes: What you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFrom sick notes to fit notes: What you need to know\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-8 col-lg-4 entry-header__image\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"entry-header__thumbnail js-hero-section\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sage_KWAutomotive_DE_031116_3074.jpg\" class=\"entry-header__thumbnail-image\" alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sage_KWAutomotive_DE_031116_3074.jpg 999w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sage_KWAutomotive_DE_031116_3074-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 999px) 100vw, 999px\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2010-05-12T00:00:00+01:00\">12 May, 2010<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"From sick notes to fit notes: What you need to know\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/from-sick-notes-to-fit-notes-all-you-need-to-know\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--share\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M768 106.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 10 2.5 18.5a268 268 0 0 1 4.5 17.5l-256 128q-21-26-50-41.5t-64-15.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44q35 0 64-16t50-41l256 128q-2 9-4.5 17.5t-2.5 17.5q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44 105.5-44 43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44q-35 0-64 15.5t-50 41.5l-256-128q2-9 4.5-17.5t2.5-18.5q0-9-2.5-17.5a268 268 0 0 1-4.5-17.5l256-128q21 25 50 41t64 16q62 0 105.5-44t43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44m0 64q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m-512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--copy\" hidden>\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M698 85.5q-45 0-88.5 17.5T531 154.5l-430 431q-3 2-4.5 4.5t-3.5 5.5q-1 3-1.5 6t-.5 6q0 4 .5 7t1.5 6 3 5.5a54 54 0 0 0 4 4.5q3 3 5.5 4.5t5.5 2.5q3 2 6 2.5t6 .5 6.5-1 6.5-2 5.5-3a54 54 0 0 0 4.5-4l430-431q51-50 122-50t121 50q51 51 51 122t-51 121l-406 406q-26 27-62.5 27t-63.5-27q-26-26-26-62.5t26-62.5l328-328q3-2 4.5-4.5t3.5-5.5q1-3 1.5-6t.5-6q0-4-.5-7t-1.5-6-3-5.5a54 54 0 0 0-4-4.5q-3-3-5.5-4.5t-5.5-2.5q-3-2-6-2.5t-6-.5-6.5 1-6.5 2-5.5 3a54 54 0 0 0-4.5 4l-328 328q-44 44-44 107.5t44 108.5q45 44 108.5 44t107.5-44l406-407q35-34 52-77 17-44 17-89t-17-89q-17-43-52-78-34-34-77.5-51.5T698 85.5\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/samantha-bell\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"29\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sam2.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Samantha Morrison<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The change from traditional sick notes to new fit notes came in amid a whirlwind of controversy and confusion. Now that the dust has settled and fit notes have been trialled for real, we&#8217;ve put together what we hope will prove to be a useful guide to using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is a fit note?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Technically called a statement of fitness for work, a fit note is provided by a doctor to an employee who has been off work for longer than seven days. The fit note will advise you, as an employer, whether your employee is fit enough to return to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What does a fit note do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the fit note, your employee&#8217;s doctor will select one of two options; that the employee is either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unfit for work; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>may be fit for work, taking account of the following advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the doctor has written that your employee may be fit for work, they will then offer advice about the circumstances in which they could return to work, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A phased return to work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Altered hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amended duties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Workplace adaptations, such as them working on the ground floor only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I have to take the doctor&#8217;s advice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t have to follow the advice given in the fit note if you think it&#8217;s impracticable. After discussing the advice with the employee, it&#8217;s your decision whether to allow the employee back to work. You&#8217;ll know more about any health and safety issues in your workplace than the doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you can&#8217;t provide what the doctor has suggested, tell this to your employee and treat them as being unfit for work. The employee doesn&#8217;t need to go back to their doctor for a new fit note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, if your employee&#8217;s illness could be described as a &#8220;disability&#8221;, you need to understand what &#8220;reasonable adjustments&#8221; you can make to allow them to come back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get a picture of how this process works, take a look at these real-life case studies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Case study A <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Julia is 31 years old and works as an administration assistant in a small company. She has been off work for six weeks with severe back pain for the third time in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her fit note, her GP advises that she &#8216;may be fit for work taking account of the following advice&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The advice is that Julia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>May need time off to attend physiotherapy after a referral.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should avoid static postures by taking more frequent breaks and be able to sit\/stand when she needs to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should have a workstation review.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should consider a referral for occupational health advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the fit note, the doctor also ticked &#8216;a phased return to work&#8217;, &#8216;amended duties&#8217; and &#8216;workplace adaptations&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The doctor noted that this will be the case for eight weeks and he will need to assess Julia&#8217;s fitness for work at the end of this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Julia and her manager discuss the advice on the fit note and how her health condition affects her ability to do her usual job. They agree that Julia should observe a phased return to work with more frequent breaks during her shifts. Her manager has also organised for a workstation review and an occupational health assessment to identify any action that may help prevent future episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Julia immediately returns to work under these conditions and is back to her normal hours after four weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Case study B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eric is 47 and works in a retail store on the service desk, but also stocks shelves and works on the till. He has chronic anxiety and has been off work for three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He would like to return, but has concerns about coping with customer complaints that make up some of his role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his fit note, Eric&#8217;s GP advises that he &#8216;may be fit for work taking account of the following advice&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a title=\"testing\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/\">advice<\/a> is that Eric:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Should avoid customer facing duties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Should observe a phased return to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GP additionally advises that Eric&#8217;s employer should consider creating a support network at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The doctor noted that this will be the case for three weeks and he will need to assess Eric&#8217;s fitness for work at the end of this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eric and his employer discuss the advice on the fit note and agree that Eric should return to work on a phased return to a non-customer facing role, before gradually returning to the services desk for shorter then longer periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Eric&#8217;s employer arranges for an experienced member of the team to become a &#8216;buddy&#8217; to support him and advise on techniques to deal with handling difficult customer issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eric returns to work immediately and returns to normal duties after three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-process\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for small businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/performance-management\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPerformance management\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-32775 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-freelancers tag-make-receive-payments tag-performance-management tag-tax business_type-small-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_462762333-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_462762333-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_462762333-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_462762333-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-02T14:36:00+00:00\">2 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-to-manage-feast-or-famine-income-as-a-freelancer\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHow to manage feast-or-famine income as a freelancer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tA busy month can bring financial relief, but it doesn\u2019t tell you what you can afford next month. Here\u2019s how to plan around uneven freelance income, build a buffer and make payments more predictable. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-32618 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-people-leadership tag-employee-engagement tag-employee-retention tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees tag-working-remotely business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-hybrid-and-remote-working\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/Infographic-5-Image-Final-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"A man poses in front of the Sage glow line and a black background.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/Infographic-5-Image-Final-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/Infographic-5-Image-Final-688x768.jpg 688w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/Infographic-5-Image-Final-726x810.jpg 726w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-10-28T11:25:14+00:00\">28 October, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is remote and hybrid working?: How can you make it fair and effective?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-32306 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-cloud tag-data-analytics tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-productivity tag-reporting business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/is-your-finance-system-holding-back-business-growth\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-5-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:32:05+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tIs your finance system holding back business growth?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-32302 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation category-trends-insights tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-digital-transformation tag-international-trading tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-productivity tag-reporting tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/group-financial-reporting-moving-beyond-the-basic-p-and-l\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-1-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:10:28+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGroup financial reporting: Moving beyond the basic P&amp;L\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-32298 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-technology-innovation tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-cloud tag-data-analytics tag-digital-transformation tag-finance tag-midsized-business tag-performance-management tag-reporting tag-workplace-technology business_type-medium-sized-business industry-financial-services industry-professional-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/group-consolidation-why-it-takes-so-long-and-how-to-fix-it\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/09\/intacct-2-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-29T12:00:40+01:00\">29 September, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">6 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGroup consolidation: Why it takes so long and how to fix it\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The change from traditional sick notes to new fit notes came in amid a whirlwind of controversy and confusion. Now that the dust has settled and fit notes have been trialled for real, we&#8217;ve put together what we hope will prove to be a useful guide to using them. What is a fit note? Technically [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":1862,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"From sick notes to fit notes: What you need to know","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"The change from traditional sick notes to new fit notes came in amid a whirlwind of controversy and confusion. Find out what you need to know.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"From sick notes to fit notes: What you need to know","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"The change from traditional sick notes to new fit notes came in amid a whirlwind of controversy and confusion. Find out what you need to know.","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","sage_membership_post_content_type":"article","sage_membership_post_featured_video_id":"","sage_membership_post_video_type":"trailer","sage_membership_post_featured_video_duration":"","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[41,42],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[92],"coauthors":[424],"class_list":["post-1116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-process","tag-performance-management","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Samantha Morrison","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Sage_KWAutomotive_DE_031116_3074.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}