Sick Pay and Managing Absence: What You Need To Know

It’s flu season and winter bugs are everywhere! This means you may be seeing a rise in sickness absence from your employees, which is not just inconvenient (people can’t help being unwell but let’s call a spade a spade it is inconvenient) but also can have employers wondering just where they stand when it comes to sickness pay and managing absence.

Whether it’s a case of the sniffles, someone pulling the oracle or something a bit more serious, we’ll help you stay within the regulations and do what’s right for your business.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

The UK government provides a financial safety net for employees who are unable to work due to illness through Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Employees are eligible for SSP if they earn at least the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions. They must also be ill for at least four consecutive days, including weekends and public holidays.

SSP is currently £109.40 per week and can be paid for up to 28 weeks. Employees should inform you of their illness as soon as possible but typically within 7 days. You may require a self-certification form for absences lasting less than seven days and a doctor's note for longer periods.

Legally this is the minimum you must pay an employee who is off sick and who meets all of the SSP requirements. 

Company Sick Pay

If you offer additional sick pay on top of SSP, then it is essential to have a clear and fair company sick pay policy that complies with legal requirements. If you don’t have one of these in place, increased instances of employee absence may have forced you to address the situation and that’s a good thing - your employees will thank you for it. Any sick pay policy should outline how much sick pay an employee can expect, how to apply for it and any waiting periods. You must ensure your policy is accessible to all employees.

As part of company sick pay you can choose to pay more than SSP but it’s worth considering a clause for discretion in exceptional cases, bearing in mind illnesses can vary in seriousness and length and there are some instances which may need additional and considerable support. 

Returning To Work

When an employee returns to work after sickness absence you should conduct a return-to-work interview, this doesn’t need to be a drawn-out affair but it is helpful for a number of reasons. Early intervention allows you to identify recurring health issues and address them proactively with your employees, providing support if you are able to and working together to reduce future absences. The return to work interview is an opportunity to communicate with your employee about their well-being and provides a platform to express any concerns.

Managing Long Term Illness

When an employee is unable to work due to long-term illness, it's essential to handle the situation sensitively and within the law, you’ll also be focused on finding a solution that works for the business as well as the individual.

You must consider adjustments which could be made to facilitate a return to work for the employee in question such as part-time hours, or modified tasks. Occupational Health Support is another well-used option to help manage long-term illness and allows you to consult with occupational health professionals to assess the employee’s condition and capabilities - and although this can seem incredibly negative this can also form the basis of any dismissal which may arise further down the line on the grounds of capability, of course as an employer you will want to avoid this but sometimes this is the reality of long term illness management.

Let’s flip it on its head …

We’ve talked about managing sickness but we can always do more to prevent sickness absence. People get ill that is a fact of life, as an employer, there will be absence but encouraging a healthy workplace is always a good place to start and we’re not talking about free fruit either, flexible working policies mean people aren't in the office spreading germs when they’re not 100%, encourage wellness, let people go to the gym at 2 pm (or whenever they want) basically encourage people to take care of themselves in every possible way - show that you are an employer who cares and you won’t be worrying about managing absence anymore.