Sickness Absence Policy for UK employers. Covers ERA 2025 day-one SSP, fit notes, return-to-work, long-term absence and reasonable adjustments. From £9.99.
A Sickness Absence Policy sets out how an employer manages sickness absence consistently and fairly — the reporting procedure, sick pay entitlements, return-to-work arrangements, and how longer or repeated absences are handled. Since 6 April 2026, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable from the first day of absence with no waiting days and no Lower Earnings Limit qualifying threshold. Employees who previously earned below the LEL now qualify for a proportion of their normal weekly pay.
Every employer with employees needs a written Sickness Absence Policy. ERA 1996 s.3 requires the written statement of employment particulars to include or refer to sick pay arrangements. The day-one SSP change under the Employment Rights Act 2025 means any policy drafted before 6 April 2026 that still refers to the former three waiting days is now out of date and should be replaced.
Notification procedure — who to contact, when, and how on the first day of absence. Self-certification for absences up to seven calendar days; fit notes for longer absences. Sick pay: SSP at the statutory rate (currently £123.25 per week, reviewed each April) or enhanced company sick pay if the employer offers it. Return-to-work interviews and phased return. Absence monitoring and trigger points — Bradford Factor or similar — with the safeguard that any trigger prompts a supportive conversation, not an automatic sanction. Long-term absence management. Disability and reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Health data confidentiality under UK GDPR.
A Sickness Absence Policy works alongside a Disciplinary and Grievance Policy — persistent absence without genuine medical cause may ultimately be addressed under the capability or conduct procedure — and an Equal Opportunities Policy, which governs the separate treatment of disability-related absence. The Employment Contract should also specify the sick pay scheme.
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