Sick leave

Record the absence before you solve the pay

Sick leave begins when illness or injury means someone cannot work. Ask the employee to follow your reporting process, tell you when the absence started and give a sensible indication of when they will update you. The Acas sick leave guidance explains the separate steps for reporting sickness, providing evidence and returning to work.

Open one absence record for the continuous spell. Record the first day, the last day when it is known and the working days missed. Pay is a related decision, not the definition of the absence. An employee can be on sick leave without receiving full company pay, and an employer's scheme may sit alongside Statutory Sick Pay.

Keep calendar days and working days distinct

Calendar days tell you how long the sickness lasted. Working days tell you when the employee was expected at work. You need both because evidence and pay rules may use them differently.

Do not split a continuous illness into several absences simply because a weekend or non-working day falls in the middle. If the person returns and later becomes ill again, record the new facts and let payroll decide whether any statutory linking rules apply.

Keep the health detail proportionate

Your record should show the dates, broad reason, notification, evidence received, pay treatment and agreed follow-up. It rarely needs a detailed diagnosis or a manager's opinion about whether the illness was genuine.

Limit access to health information. Keep a fit note or other sensitive evidence with the restricted absence record rather than copying it into general notes. A short, reliable record gives the employee, manager and payroll the same dates without turning private medical information into office knowledge.