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Managing unplanned absences can be fraught with risk, particularly when employers haven't strictly enforced certain obligations in the past, a lawyer warns.

Difficulties tend to arise when an employee who has a pattern of absenteeism hasn't previously been asked to provide any medical evidence, and "then all of a sudden there's very stringent evidence requirements imposed", Kingston Reid partner Brendan Milne tells an HR Daily Premium webcast.

"Now, there's nothing wrong with enforcing your obligations, but you just need to be careful how you do it," he says...