Returning to work: employer policies and practices - The second part of our examination of rehabilitation and absence presents the results of recent research by Middlesex University Business School into how employers manage long-term absence and return to work. The policies and practices covering how employers treat employees who become ill are being subjected to increasing government scrutiny. A number of government-led initiatives have been launched to reduce the number of illness-related job losses. For example, the Health and Safety Commission is going to consult on whether employer duties in respect of the rehabilitation of sick and injured workers need to be clarified or strengthened., perhaps by requiring organisations to set out their approach to rehabilitation in health and safety policies.