Employee absences are both costly and disruptive to employers since affect productivity and profits. A Sickness and Absence Policy can help employers minimise staff absence by providing effective procedures to be followed when an employee is absent due to sickness or injury.

This Sickness and Absence Policy template is designed to help businesses manage both short and long-term sickness absence in a legal, supportive and effective way. This Policy aims to:

• encourage and develop a positive culture towards attendance at work and reduce sickness absence;
• ensure sickness absence is managed responsibly, consistently and equitably;
• address frequent short term absence in an equitable and consistent manner in order to minimise operational disruption and negative effects on team morale;
• provide a supportive environment for staff affected by ill-health;
• balance the interests of the individual and the operational needs of the company.

The Sickness and Absence Policy sets out clearly how employers will deal with employee absences. It contains detailed notification and return to work procedures including requirement on self-certification and return to work interview. Also, this Policy contains provisions for the monitoring of employee absences by setting out a framework where both the amount of absences and the reasons for the absences are recorded and kept in the employee’s personnel file. This monitoring system prevents unjustified absences since employees are made aware that they must account for their period of absence.

This Sickness and Absence Policy is fully comprehensive, it can be used by any kind of business as it can be adapted to suit particular needs. Also included with this Policy you can find three statutory forms:

• Form SC2 - it shall be used by employees to inform their employer with details of sick absences of 4 or more days in a row,
• Form SSP1 - it shall be used by employers to inform an employee why they do not qualify for statutory sick pay, and
• Form SSP2- it shall be used by employers to record details of an employee's statutory sick pay.

Please note that Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid to employees who are unable to work for at least four calendar days because of sickness. It is paid by the employer for up to a maximum of 28 weeks to all employees. If an absence lasts for seven calendar days or less, the employee should complete a sickness self-certificate or a form SC2. If an absence exceeds seven calendar days employees must also provide a medical certificate also called a ‘fit note’. If an employee does not qualify for Statutory Sick Pay or SSP runs out and the employee is still sick, the employer should complete form SSP1 and give it to the employee. Form SSP1 is used to support a claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

The Sickness and Absence Policy contains the following clauses:

1. Introduction
2. Policy Aims
3. Principles
4. Employee Responsibilities
5. Return to Work Interview
6. Short Long-Term Absence
7. Long-Term Absence
8. Sick Pay
9. Other Circumstances

This Sickness and Absence Policy is in Microsoft Word format, written in plain English, easy to use and edit.