Manage sickness and absence fairly, without making it up under pressure.
Managing absence well comes down to three things: a clear written policy everyone knows, a fair and consistent process for following it, and the judgement to understand the reason behind an absence before you act. Trigger systems help you spot a problem early, but they don't replace a conversation. Get long-term sickness wrong, especially where a disability is involved, and you risk a discrimination claim. Done properly, absence management protects your business and supports the person who's unwell.
Three things, and the judgement to use them together.
A trigger flags a number. It can't tell you why someone is off, or what to do about it. These three are what let you act fairly and consistently, even when an absence lands at the worst possible moment.
One everyone knows, with a reporting procedure staff actually follow. It's the thing that lets you deal with absence consistently rather than inventing a response under pressure.
The same steps for everyone, documented as you go. That's what makes your decisions stand up later, whether at a welfare meeting or a tribunal.
Understand the reason behind an absence before you act. A trigger is a prompt to have a conversation, not the decision itself.
The smaller your workforce, the harder one absence hits.
A single person off sick can blow a client deadline, pile pressure onto everyone else, and cost you money you hadn't planned to spend. Frequent or unmanaged absence also sends a quiet signal to clients that things aren't quite under control. That's why a written absence policy isn't bureaucracy. It's the thing that lets you deal with absence fairly, consistently and without making it up under pressure. We spent the last few years helping a manufacturing client on a 24/7 shift pattern whose attendance had been poor for years. Staff ignored the reporting procedure and often didn't supply fit notes. Absenteeism ran at almost double the national average. We put a proper sickness absence policy in place, and they could finally tackle it fairly and in a structured way.
Where absence cases go wrong, and how to stay on the right side.
Trigger systems are a sound tool. The mistake is treating the trigger as the decision. And when there's a health condition behind an absence, the route you take matters more than anything else.
A trigger tells you someone has hit a threshold. It doesn't tell you why. Investigate the reason before you act, as the tribunal made clear in Caroline McKenzie v University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
A condition counts as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if it has a substantial, long-term effect on daily life, generally lasting or likely to last at least twelve months. If someone is disabled or on long-term sick, you follow the medical capability route, not the disciplinary one.
If an employee keeps hitting triggers, speak to them first to find out what's going on. You're legally obliged to give reasonable adjustments proper thought rather than dismissing them out of hand, as the employer in L Bristow v Craigard Care learned the hard way.
Six steps that protect your business and the person who's unwell.
The HR specialist who guides the cases that carry risk.
You get one named HR specialist, and you keep them. They write an absence policy that fits your shift patterns and your workforce, then guide the cases that actually carry risk: the welfare meeting, the capability route, the Equality Act judgement call.
“When you have a problem you need to speak to the same person who can help you from that initial phone call all the way through to a resolution. My job at Spectra is to be part of your business and provide you with commercial and practical HR advice. I deal with clients over the phone and in person, and when necessary I can carry out your internal meetings, giving you the peace of mind that what you are doing is the best for you and your business.”
Book a free HR reviewA generic document won't know your shift patterns, your workforce or the individual sitting in front of you on long-term sick. For ongoing support, your named Spectra HR specialist writes an absence policy that fits your business and guides the cases that carry risk.
Common absence management questions
Should I keep in touch with an employee who's off sick, or leave them alone?
Do I have to pay an employee who's off after a workplace accident?
When does a health condition count as a disability?
What should I do if a doctor recommends light duties?
Absence sits inside ten domains of employment-law compliance. Get an honest risk profile across all ten. Free 30-minute review.
Talk through a specific case, and we'll tell you what your approach is missing.
Book a free HR review and talk to a named specialist about the absence case that's actually on your desk, no script and no obligation. We'll tell you plainly what your current approach is missing and what to do first.