Managers guide to managing short term sick absence
This guide offers practical strategies for managing short-term employee sick leave, including policies and procedures, return-to-work interviews, monitoring and support mechanisms, and balancing compassionate leave with business needs.
Short-term sickness absences are inevitable in any business, but what might not be so clear is how to keep on top of them, to ensure they don’t become a recurring problem.
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Managers guide to managing short term sick absence
Some employee sickness absence is unavoidable. Indeed, it is sometimes preferable for a legitimately unwell employee to miss work than to risk spreading his or her illness.
Short-term, intermittent, and persistent illness absence, on the other hand, may be disruptive and costly for organisations due to the management time necessary to address the problem and the cost of replacing hours missed with overtime or temporary workers.
This guide is intended to assist businesses in efficiently responding to short-term sickness absence by presenting them with all of the options available to help reduce absenteeism throughout the workforce to manageable levels. It contains guidance on:
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How to guarantee that organisational illness absence rules are regularly and fairly applied.
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Tools and approaches that line managers can use to keep short-term illness absence to a tolerable level.
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Investigating various forms of illness absence, particularly those involving employees in protected categories such as pregnancy and handicap.
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Monitoring illness absence patterns and identifying potential action points.
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Considering what corrective action, such as disciplinary, should be taken.
Policy on sick absence
An organisation should have an appropriate sick absence policy in place. The policy should include the following provisions:
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When and how to tell the employer if an employee is absent due to illness.
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When an employee is obliged to provide a GP with a Statement of
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Managing employee sickness absence effectively often requires a sensitive approach, coupled with a good understanding of the law. It can also be difficult to strike a balance between supporting your employee and managing him or her to reduce the unacceptable absence levels.
Having an attendance management procedure in place is a straightforward way of reducing the impact of absence on your business.
It creates a framework for you to manage absence, and sets clear boundaries for your employees. A well drafted and communicated procedure will enable you to fairly and consistently manage your employee sickness absence.
Compliance
Compliance
This Managers guide to managing short term sick absence incorporates relevant UK laws and HR standards, including those listed below:
There’s no legal definition as to what constitutes short-term sick absence, but typically it’s any period up to four weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I use this template in my small business?
Yes. The Managers guide to managing short term sick absence is designed to be flexible and suitable for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses and charities. It follows UK employment law best practice, so even if you don't have an in-house HR team, you can confidently apply it.
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Is this template compliant with 2025 UK employment law?
Absolutely. Like the Managers guide to managing short term sick absence, all of our templates are drafted with the latest ACAS guidance and UK employment legislation in mind. We review and update them regularly, so you can be confident they remain compliant.
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Can I customise this template for my organisation?
Yes, in the Managers guide to managing short term sick absence, as with all of our templates, we highlight the areas that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
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Do I get instant access to the template?
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download the Managers guide to managing short term sick absence instantly. Templates are provided in editable Word or Excel format so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
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What if I need more help, not just this template?
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Managers guide to managing short term sick absence along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need a complete HR library.
