Name: Managers guide to Reducing sickness absence | Sep 26
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SKU: HRDBOX-860
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This guide brings together the key information, considerations and practical guidance you need to understand the subject, make informed decisions and take an appropriate and consistent approach. Preview the document below.

Manager responsibilities for attendance and sickness absence
Practical approach to absence reporting and maintaining contact
Return-to-work discussions and early intervention
Understanding absence patterns and underlying issues
Support, reasonable adjustments and occupational health
Escalation, formal absence management and HR involvement

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Managers guide to Reducing sickness absence

Overview

Managing sickness absence effectively is essential for maintaining productivity, supporting employee wellbeing, and managing the financial impact of absence across the organisation.

From April 2026, statutory sick pay (SSP) is payable from the first day of sickness absence. This represents a significant change from the previous rules, where SSP was not payable for the first three waiting days. As a result, employers may see increased costs associated with short-term sickness absence.

This guide provides managers with practical steps to reduce avoidable absence while ensuring employees who are genuinely unwell are supported appropriately.

Consistency is Essential

The most effective way to manage absence is through consistent application of company policies and procedures. Employees should clearly understand how sickness absence is managed and what is expected of them when they are unable to attend work.

HR should ensure that absence procedures are consistently applied across all departments and that expectations are regularly communicated to employees.

Role of Managers

Managers play a key role in maintaining good attendance levels and identifying potential absence issues early.

Ensure employees follow sickness reporting procedures.
Require employees to call in personally when reporting sickness.
Conduct return-to-work meetings after every absence.
Monitor attendance records for emerging patterns.
Raise concerns promptly where absence levels increase.

Return-to-Work Meetings

Return-to-work meetings should take place after every period of sickness absence. These discussions provide an

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What is a managers guide to reducing sickness absence?

Managers guide to Reducing sickness absence preview

This Manager's Guide to Reducing Sickness Absence provides practical guidance for managers who are responsible for supporting attendance and managing sickness absence within their teams. It focuses on early intervention, consistent management and understanding the reasons behind absence rather than simply recording days lost.

It supports organisations preparing for the April 2026 change where Statutory Sick Pay becomes payable from the first day of absence, increasing the financial impact of short-term sickness.

Taking a proactive approach to attendance

Effective absence management starts with clear expectations around attendance, absence reporting and keeping in contact during sickness. Managers should monitor attendance appropriately and address emerging concerns rather than allowing repeated or prolonged absence to go unmanaged.

Understanding the reasons for absence

Absence can arise from a wide range of health, personal or workplace circumstances. Managers should use return-to-work discussions and appropriate questions to understand whether there are underlying issues, while avoiding assumptions about an employee's health or circumstances.

Supporting employees back to work

A supportive return-to-work discussion provides an opportunity to check how the employee is feeling, confirm the reason for absence, identify any support that may be needed and reinforce the organisation's attendance expectations. Where appropriate, managers may need to consider reasonable adjustments or occupational health advice.

Managing recurring absence

Where an employee has repeated periods of sickness absence, managers should review the overall pattern rather than considering each absence in isolation. The organisation's absence policy should provide the framework for deciding when an absence review or formal stage may be appropriate.

Working with HR

Managers should involve HR where absence is becoming persistent, complex or potentially requires formal action. HR can help managers apply the organisation's procedure consistently, consider relevant employment law issues and identify when additional medical or occupational health information may be appropriate.

Example

A manager notices that an employee has had several short periods of sickness absence over the previous few months. Rather than treating each absence separately, the manager reviews the attendance record and prepares for a return-to-work discussion after the employee's latest absence.

During the discussion, the manager asks about the reason for the absence and whether there is anything affecting the employee's ability to attend work consistently. The employee explains that there is an ongoing issue that has not previously been discussed with their manager.

The manager discusses the situation with HR and considers whether any workplace support or reasonable adjustments may be appropriate. The employee is also offered the opportunity to discuss the matter further and, where appropriate, occupational health advice is considered.

The manager agrees a period of monitoring with the employee and confirms the organisation's expectations around attendance and absence reporting. The manager records the discussion and arranges a review to assess whether the support is helping and whether any further action is required.

5 Steps to Success

Use the following as a practical framework for assessing the situation, considering the available options and deciding on the appropriate course of action. Follow each step in sequence to support consistent, informed and appropriate decision-making.

Step	Description	Responsibility	Timing
1	Monitor attendance, make sure absence is reported correctly and maintain appropriate contact with employees who are absent.	Manager	From first day of absence
2	Hold a return-to-work discussion, establish the reason for absence and consider whether there are any underlying concerns or support needs.	Manager / Employee	On first day back or within 1–2 working days
3	Review recurring or persistent absence patterns and consider whether additional support, reasonable adjustments or occupational health advice may be appropriate.	Manager / HR	When a pattern emerges
4	Agree appropriate attendance expectations, support and monitoring arrangements, or progress the matter under the organisation's absence procedure where necessary.	Manager / HR / Employee	Following absence review
5	Review progress, maintain appropriate records and take further action where attendance concerns continue in accordance with the organisation's policy.	Manager / HR	At agreed review dates

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Common mistakes

Understand the common mistakes to avoid when using this HR template, helping you reduce risk, prevent unnecessary costs and ensure the process is handled correctly.

Only reacting to absence – managers should monitor attendance and address emerging patterns rather than waiting until absence becomes persistent.
Focusing only on the number of days – consider the pattern, circumstances and any underlying issues rather than treating every absence as identical.
Skipping return-to-work discussions – these provide an important opportunity to understand absence, identify support needs and reinforce expectations.
Making assumptions about health – ask appropriate questions and avoid reaching conclusions about an employee's medical condition.
Failing to consider support – where appropriate, consider reasonable adjustments, occupational health input or other practical support before deciding on further action.
Leaving formal action too late – involve HR when appropriate and follow the organisation's absence procedure consistently where attendance concerns continue.

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HR considerations

UK employment law and best practice

This template is designed to support the process, but the document should be used alongside the relevant HR procedure and applied to the circumstances of the individual case.

Managing sickness absence fairly

Employers should manage sickness absence consistently while taking account of the individual circumstances of the employee. A fair approach involves maintaining appropriate records, giving employees an opportunity to explain their circumstances and following the organisation's absence management procedure.

Equality Act 2010

Where an employee has a disability within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, employers may have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Managers should therefore consider whether absence is connected with a disability and whether adjustments or other support may be appropriate before taking formal action. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

Medical information and occupational health

Managers should only seek information that is relevant to managing the employee's absence and ability to work. Where medical information is required, an employer may consider obtaining appropriate occupational health advice or medical evidence, with the employee's rights and applicable data protection requirements taken into account.

Statutory Sick Pay

Employers should ensure that statutory sick pay and any contractual sick pay arrangements are administered correctly. The rules applying to Statutory Sick Pay can change, so managers should follow the organisation's current payroll and absence procedures rather than relying on historic assumptions about eligibility or payment.

Data protection

Information about an employee's health is special category personal data under UK data protection law. Managers should therefore ensure that sickness information is recorded, accessed and shared appropriately and only where there is a legitimate reason to do so. https://www.gov.uk/data-protection

Acas guidance

Acas recommends that employers have a clear approach to managing sickness absence, including keeping in touch with employees, holding return-to-work discussions and considering whether further support is required. Managers should apply their organisation's absence policy consistently and seek HR advice where circumstances are complex. https://www.acas.org.uk/absence-from-work

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FAQs

What can a manager do to reduce sickness absence?

Managers can help reduce absence by setting clear attendance expectations, responding promptly to absence, holding effective return-to-work discussions, identifying emerging patterns and addressing underlying issues where appropriate. The aim should be to manage attendance consistently while supporting employees where support is needed.

Should managers hold a return-to-work meeting after every absence?

Where the organisation's policy provides for return-to-work discussions, managers should apply the process consistently. A short discussion can help confirm the reason for absence, check the employee is fit to return and identify any support or recurring concerns.

When should a manager involve HR about sickness absence?

Managers should involve HR where absence becomes persistent or recurring, where there may be an underlying health condition or disability, where reasonable adjustments may be required or where the organisation's formal absence procedure may need to be considered.

Can a manager take action against an employee for frequent sickness absence?

Potentially, but the employer should follow its absence management procedure and consider the individual circumstances first. This may include considering medical evidence, reasonable adjustments and whether the employee has been given a fair opportunity to improve attendance before formal action is taken.

Does sickness absence relating to a disability have to be treated differently?

It may require additional consideration. Where an employee has a disability, the employer should consider its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, including whether reasonable adjustments may be appropriate. Managers should seek HR advice where disability may be relevant to an absence case.

Why use HRDocBox rather than AI?

AI can produce generic absence management advice, but HRDocBox provides structured, UK-focused HR guidance designed around practical workplace processes. This guide gives managers a consistent framework for managing attendance while recognising the importance of employee support, reasonable adjustments and appropriate HR involvement.

How this content is developed and reviewed

The Managers guide to Reducing sickness absence is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.

About the author

Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director

Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.

He has extensive practical experience of managing sick management HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.

HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.

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Ruth Brock Chief Executive Officer The Hygiene Bank