Managing Sickness Absence Effectively

Sickness management can be tricky for employers

Managing sickness absence effectively has become increasingly important following recent employment law changes introduced under the Employment Rights Act 2025, including the removal of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) waiting days from April 2026. These changes place greater emphasis on having robust absence management processes in place, effective management training, and clear contractual documentation.

Managing sickness absence well is about far more than just recording days off and the occasional check-in email. A proactive and supportive approach helps reduce absence levels, improves employee wellbeing, strengthens workplace culture, and minimises operational disruption.

Management Training

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is inconsistency in how managers handle or prioritise managing sickness absence. Many managers feel uncomfortable asking questions about absence or are unsure where supportive management should end and formal management should begin.

Providing managers with training and guidance helps ensure they:

• Understand absence policies and procedures.
• Know what questions they can and should ask.
• Conduct absence conversations confidently and timely.
• Recognise when to escalate concerns.
• Identify wellbeing or mental health concerns early.
• Manage attendance consistently and fairly.

Without training, ineffective practices can quickly develop, leading to employee relations issues, increased absence levels, and ultimately the risk of legal challenge.

Clear Notification Expectations

Employees should understand exactly how sickness absence must be reported. Wherever possible, employers should require:

• Personal notification by telephone.
• Notification within a specified timeframe.
• Contact with the appropriate manager.
• Basic information regarding the nature of the illness and likely duration.

Relying solely on texts, emails or messages can make it difficult to assess the situation properly. A phone conversation allows managers to make appropriate enquiries, assess support needs, and discourage any avoidable absences.

Managers should feel confident asking reasonable questions rather than simply accepting “I’m sick” without further discussion. The aim is not to challenge genuine sickness absence, but to understand the situation properly.

Poor Absence Notification

If employees fail to follow the company’s notification procedures, managers should address this promptly. Examples could include failure to call personally, late notification, lack of contact, inadequate information, or delays in providing fit notes. Clear expectations around reporting sickness absence, which are reiterated where necessary, helps prevents poor habits developing.

Managers should also note that SSP should not automatically be withheld simply because a fit note has not yet been received. Government guidance makes clear that where there is no reasonable basis to doubt that the sickness absence is genuine, SSP should normally be paid, and fit notes can be accepted retrospectively once provided.

Appropriate Contact

Maintaining reasonable contact during absence is essential. Employees should not feel abandoned but equally should not feel pressured while unwell.

Where absence becomes prolonged or recurring, it is advisable for contact to develop into a more structured welfare meeting. This provides a fuller opportunity to understand the employee’s current circumstances, explore any workplace factors that may be contributing, consider whether reasonable adjustments may support a return to work, and determine whether Occupational Health input would be helpful.

A lack of contact or delayed welfare conversations can often lead to disengagement and longer absences than necessary.

Disability-Related Absence

Managers should distinguish between general sickness absence and absence relating to a longer term underlying medical condition. Where an employee’s condition meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to consider reasonable adjustments and avoid unfavourable treatment arising from disability-related absence.

This can be a tricky area to navigate where the determination of disability status is ultimately a legal question that can only be conclusively decided by an Employment Tribunal. In instances where there is uncertainty as to whether a condition meets the legal definition, it is advisable for managers to err on the side of caution and seek HR advice if unsure.

This does not mean disability-related absence is simply ignored, but it does mean it must be managed carefully, with a focus on adjustments and support rather than automatic triggers or disciplinary-style responses. Occupational Health input is often particularly valuable in these cases to help identify appropriate workplace support.

Review Contracts and Qualifying Days

With the removal of SSP waiting days, it is important that contracts clearly define qualifying days wherever possible, particularly for part-time or irregular workers. These determine how SSP is calculated and help avoid payroll uncertainty or disputes.

Clear contractual wording around normal working patterns, qualifying days, notification requirements, and company sick pay provisions helps to ensure processes and payments are consistently applied correctly.

Return-to-work Meetings

Return-to-work meetings remain one of the most effective tools in absence management. They provide an opportunity to confirm fitness to return, ensure appropriate support is in place, reinforce attendance expectations, and identify any underlying issues contributing to absence.

These conversations do not need to be lengthy or formal, but they play an important role in maintaining visible absence management and supporting early intervention where needed.

Workplace Culture

Workplace culture has a significant impact on absence levels. Employees are less likely to take avoidable absence where they feel supported, workloads are manageable, communication is open, and they trust that flexibility will be considered where appropriate.

It is also important to recognise the role of presenteeism, where employees attend work while unwell. This can reduce productivity, increase errors, contribute to burnout, and often results in longer-term absence later. Absence management should therefore support both appropriate attendance and appropriate recovery.

Effective sickness absence management is ultimately about having a proactive and supportive framework in place that balances employee health needs with business continuity. The aim is not to catch employees out or control absence, but to manage it fairly. Employers who communicate clearly, intervene early, maintain supportive contact, and build healthy workplace cultures are often more successful in maintaining healthy attendance levels.

If you would like support or guidance on a matter relating to sickness absence, are interested in management training, or would like assistance in updating your employment contracts and/or sickness absence policy, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team.