Managing Sickness

Reduce Lost Time. Stay Legally Compliant. Protect Your Business.

Sickness absence costs UK employers billions each year — in lost time, reduced productivity, and increased pressure on remaining staff.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

UK workers lost an average of 5.7 days per employee per year to sickness (2023 figures)
That equates to 185.6 million lost working days across the UK
The most common causes include minor illnesses, musculoskeletal issues, and mental health
Long-term absence (4+ weeks) accounts for the majority of lost time

For small and medium-sized businesses, these absences hit harder — costing time, money, and morale.

How HR Matters Helps You Tackle Absence

At HR Matters, we work with business owners to reduce sickness absence, improve visibility, and support staff properly — while protecting you from legal risk.

Our absence management support includes:

Bradford Factor Scoring

We help you introduce the Bradford Factor, a proven method for identifying frequent short-term absence patterns that disrupt operations.

Combined with our HR software, this allows you to run reports, set absence triggers, and take action consistently.

People Management Software

Track every absence, trigger return-to-work actions, generate absence reports, and get real-time visibility into absence trends — all from one system.

Return-to-Work Interviews

We provide robust return-to-work forms and coach your managers to hold structured conversations that cover:

The reason for absence
Any adjustments required
Health & safety considerations
A clear plan for moving forward

These meetings reduce repeat absences and reinforce standards.

Welfare Meetings & Long-Term Absence Support

If an employee is off long-term, we’ll guide you through:

Welfare check-ins
Collecting and interpreting GP or Occupational Health advice
Assessing whether absence may be related to a disability under the Equality Act 2010
Adjusting duties or working arrangements where needed

Managing Repeat Absences & Medical Capability

We help employers take formal action when absence becomes excessive — but do it the right way.

That includes:

Initiating a medical capability process
Gathering medical evidence
Following a fair and legally sound route, including warnings or dismissal where appropriate
Avoiding tribunal risk by respecting disability protections

You Can't Just Dismiss Someone for Being Off Sick

Even if absence is disruptive or frustrating, you must follow a fair and legal process.
If the illness is related to a disability, failure to act properly could lead to a discrimination claim.

HR Matters helps you balance firmness with fairness — supporting your business and your people.

Ready to Take Control of Sickness Absence?

We’ll put structure, systems and support in place so you can:

Cut down on lost days

Handle absences confidently and legally

Know when and how to take disciplinary or capability action

legal-team@hr-m.co.uk
01733 667030