If you’ve worked in the NHS for any length of time, you’ll probably have heard about the Bradford Factor. It’s a simple formula that allows employers to monitor short-term sickness absence, and it’s an important tool in the absence management arsenal. It’s a weighted system as regular short absences tend to be harder to manage…

I’ve never before been in the position of recommending anyone to read a 401 page document … so I won’t start now! Instead, I’ll just say that our friends at NHS Employers have been in touch with some good news: all that we have been saying for the past couple of years about the interaction…

In this final absence-related blog, I’m going to look at making the most of Occupational Health referrals and implementing reasonable adjustments. Occupational Health Sometimes it might seem that Occupational Health is a pointless and expensive exercise. But an Occupational Health report is only as good as the referral you make. The purpose of Occupational Health…

This episode follows on from ‘Managing persistent short-term absences’ and will focus on managing staff on long-term sickness leave. First of all, what constitutes a “long-term” absence? Four weeks. It’s that simple. Any absence lasting four or more calendar weeks is deemed to be “long-term”. Why is managing long-term absence any different?  Essentially, it doesn’t…

We’ve all been there. Everything’s going swimmingly and then a member of staff goes off sick. Work needs reallocating, cover needs arranging, you have a situation to manage. How long will they be off? How many times has this employee been off so far If the answer to the first question is “more than a…

“Joey was sniffing for days and moaning about a headache. Now it’s Friday and he’s not here. There’s a Robbie Williams concert in town tonight!”

Contemplating dismissing an employee who is on long term sickness has always been difficult for employers/practices. However, in the recent case of O’Brien v Bolton St Catherine’s Academy the Court of Appeal has provided us with some helpful consolidated guidance indicating that it is acceptable to tackle the issue if: you can justify dismissal and you…