Staff Keep Calling in Sick? Here's What to Do (UK Employer Guide)

Every manager has experienced it. The Monday morning phone call, the vague "not feeling well" text, the pattern you can see but cannot quite prove. Persistent short term absence is one of the most frustrating problems for UK employers, and most small businesses handle it badly. They either ignore it until it becomes unbearable, or overreact and end up at an employment tribunal. This guide walks you through a fair, legal, and effective approach.

Step 1: Get the data

Before you do anything, you need facts. Gut feelings and frustration are not enough to take action. Start by pulling together:

The total number of absence days for the employee over the last 12 months
The number of separate absence spells (this matters more than total days)
The reasons given for each absence
Any day of the week patterns (e.g. Mondays, Fridays, or days after bank holidays)
The employee's Bradford Factor score

The Bradford Factor is particularly useful here because it weights frequent, short absences more heavily than occasional longer absences. An employee with 6 single day absences in a year scores 216 (6 × 6 × 6), while an employee who took one block of 6 days scores just 6 (1 × 1 × 6). This reflects the reality that many short absences are far more disruptive.

Step 2: Set clear trigger points

Your absence management policy should define trigger points that prompt action. Common examples:

3 or more absence spells in a rolling 12 month period
8 or more total days absent in a rolling 12 month period
Bradford Factor score above 200
Any identifiable pattern (e.g. always absent on Mondays or after holidays)

The specific numbers are less important than having them written down and applying them consistently. If you only enforce triggers for some employees and not others, you are exposed to discrimination claims.

Step 3: Conduct return to work interviews every time

Return to work interviews are the single most effective tool for reducing casual absence. They should happen after every absence, for every employee, without exception.

The interview serves multiple purposes:

It shows the employee that their absence has been noticed
It allows you to update your records with the correct reason
It gives you a chance to ask whether anything at work is contributing
It provides documentation if you need to take formal action later

Keep the tone supportive but factual. "Welcome back. Can you tell me about your absence?" is enough to start the conversation.

Step 4: Have an informal conversation when triggers are hit

When an employee hits a trigger point, invite them for an informal meeting. This is not a disciplinary meeting. It is a welfare and attendance discussion. Cover the following:

Share the data: "You've had X absence spells totalling Y days in the last 12 months. Your Bradford Factor score is Z."
Ask if there is an underlying reason (health condition, personal problems, workplace issues)
Explain the impact on the team and the business
Discuss any support you can offer (flexible hours, occupational health referral, Employee Assistance Programme)
Set a clear expectation for improvement and a review date (typically 3 months)
Confirm the conversation in writing

Step 5: Consider occupational health

If the employee says their absence is related to a health condition, consider an occupational health referral. This is especially important if the condition could be a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (which includes conditions like depression, anxiety, IBS, or chronic pain).

An occupational health assessment will tell you:

Whether the employee has an underlying medical condition
Whether their absence level is likely to improve
What reasonable adjustments the employer could make
Whether the condition is likely to be considered a disability

Acting on occupational health advice protects you legally and shows that you are being reasonable.

Step 6: Move to formal action if needed

If absence does not improve after informal management, you may need to move to the formal stages of your absence management policy. A typical structure is:

Stage 1: First written warning with targets for improvement over 3 to 6 months
Stage 2: Final written warning if absence continues, with a further review period
Stage 3: Dismissal on capability grounds if there is no sustained improvement

At every stage, the employee should have the right to be accompanied (by a colleague or trade union representative), and you should be offering support alongside the formal process.

Important: dismissing for sickness absence is a capability dismissal, not a conduct dismissal. The ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance does not strictly apply, but following a fair procedure is still essential to defend any unfair dismissal claim.

What NOT to do

Do not ignore it. Hoping it will improve on its own rarely works, and it demoralises the rest of the team.
Do not make assumptions. "They're clearly pulling sickies" might be right, but it might not. Follow the process and let the evidence guide you.
Do not treat disability related absence the same as general sickness. If someone has a disability, you must make reasonable adjustments, which may include discounting some absence from your trigger calculations.
Do not skip steps. Going straight to a final warning because you are frustrated will backfire at a tribunal.
Do not apply policies inconsistently. If one employee gets a warning at 3 spells and another gets away with 6, you are vulnerable to discrimination claims.

How Leavely flags absence patterns automatically

Leavely takes the guesswork out of managing persistent absence:

Automatic Bradford Factor scores updated with every absence record
Trigger alerts when an employee crosses your defined thresholds
Absence history for each employee with dates, reasons, and duration
Pattern spotting that highlights day of the week trends
Full audit trail for every absence event, ideal for formal proceedings

When absence is tracked properly, the difficult conversations become easier because the data speaks for itself.