Preloaded UK policy

Sickness & Absence Policy template

SSP 2025/26 rates, Bradford Factor with disability exclusions, fit notes and return to work.

Legal basis
  • Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
  • Employment Rights Act 2025
  • ACAS Guidance
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    your company is committed to supporting employees through ill health while managing absence fairly and consistently.
  2. 2. NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
    Employees who are unable to attend work due to sickness must:
  3. 3. SELF-CERTIFICATION
    For absences of up to and including seven consecutive calendar days (including weekends and bank holidays), employees must complete a self-certification form (SC2 or company equiva
  4. 4. FIT NOTES
    Where absence exceeds seven consecutive calendar days, a fit note issued by a registered healthcare professional (GP, hospital doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or
  5. 5. STATUTORY SICK PAY (SSP)
    Eligible employees are entitled to SSP at the following rates:
  6. 6. RETURN TO WORK INTERVIEWS
    A return to work interview will be conducted by the line manager on the employee's first day back after every period of absence.
  7. 7. ABSENCE MONITORING — BRADFORD FACTOR
    your company uses the Bradford Factor to identify patterns of short-term absence.
  8. 8. LONG-TERM SICKNESS ABSENCE
    Where an employee is absent for four or more weeks continuously:
  9. 9. PHASED RETURN TO WORK
    Following a period of long-term sickness, a phased return may be agreed.
  10. 10. ANNUAL LEAVE DURING SICKNESS
    Statutory annual leave continues to accrue during sickness absence.
  11. 11. REVIEW
    This policy will be reviewed annually or following relevant changes to legislation or ACAS guidance.

Who needs it

Any UK employer who wants absence handled the same way every time, and to be seen to take health seriously.

Questions people ask

Is a sickness & absence policy a legal requirement?

It rests on Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 and Employment Rights Act 2025 and ACAS Guidance. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

Two ways. It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies (from £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card), and a Word version is a free download on our free templates page.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer who wants absence handled the same way every time, and to be seen to take health seriously.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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