How to manage sickness absence in a small team

Set the reporting and contact rule before somebody is ill

Give employees one way to report sickness and make it easy to find. The policy should say who to contact, how to report, what to do if the usual manager is unavailable, how updates will work and where to find the sick-pay and evidence rules. It should also explain return conversations, absence reviews, disability-related time off and how unauthorised absence is handled. Acas sets out the Great Britain policy topics, while nidirect explains the Northern Ireland reporting and evidence process.

On the first day, establish that the person cannot work and when the absence began. Ask whether there is urgent work to hand over or a safety issue the business needs to address. If they can say, ask how long they expect to be away, but do not press for a diagnosis or promise of a return date.

Agree the next contact, including who will make it and by which channel. Someone may prefer a different manager for a sensitive health issue. If they are too unwell to speak, accept a reasonable alternative contact and arrange the next check-in.

The GOV.UK notice rules apply across the UK. An employer may set a reporting time limit for Statutory Sick Pay purposes, but cannot insist that the employee reports in person or on a special form. If the policy has no time limit, the SSP default is seven days. Keep an operational reporting expectation proportionate, accessible and separate from the later question of whether SSP is due. Acas sets out the wider Great Britain policy topics.

Record absence without spreading health details

Keep enough information to run the absence and explain what happened:

• the first and last calendar dates, and the working time missed
• when and how the absence was reported
• whether it is ongoing, self-certified or covered by a fit note
• the contact agreed and conversations held
• payroll information and evidence supplied
• return date, support offered and agreed actions

A simple absence record can say that somebody is unavailable because of sickness without naming the condition. The ICO distinguishes that record from a sickness record, which contains medical detail and is special category data. Where practical, keep the two separate and let people see only what they need for their job.

Tell employees what sickness information you use, why you use it, who can see it and how long you keep it. Record a manager's fair, factual account of a conversation, not speculation about whether an illness was genuine.

Keep in touch around the person's circumstances

Contact during sickness should support the person and the return to work, not keep them working from home. On the first conversation, agree the purpose, method, frequency and usual contact person. Review the arrangement if the absence lasts longer or the person's health changes. The Acas approach for Great Britain is to agree contact that is useful rather than overwhelming. Northern Ireland's support-while-in-work guidance also encourages regular contact and planning for return.

For a brief illness, the next contact may simply confirm whether the person expects to return. For a longer or uncertain absence, use planned welfare conversations to discuss work impact, available support, medical or occupational-health input and a possible return plan. Keep the employee informed about significant workplace changes and opportunities that affect them.

If contact is difficult because of a mental health condition or another health issue, ask whether another channel, contact person or agreed representative would help. Do not treat a missed call as misconduct before finding out why it was missed.

Use fit notes to plan work and support

An employee can self-certify for the first seven calendar days. You can ask for a fit note only when the absence lasts more than seven days in a row, including non-working days. The note can be digital or printed and may be issued by a doctor, registered nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist. Check the current GOV.UK fit-note rule rather than adding extra evidence requirements to the policy.

If the note says “may be fit”, discuss what the person can do in their actual role. Options might include a phased return, altered hours, amended duties, a different working pattern or a workplace adaptation. In Great Britain, Acas says the employee remains not fit for work if the recommended support cannot be agreed, without needing another note. Northern Ireland uses the same UK fit-note evidence rule, alongside its separate disability law.

Write down any temporary arrangement, including duties, hours, pay, start date, owner and review date. A fit-note suggestion may also be a reasonable adjustment for a disabled employee, so do not reject it only because the business does not usually offer that arrangement. If you need a medical report or occupational-health opinion, ask focused questions about work and obtain the employee's required permission.

Keep changing SSP rates and eligibility decisions out of this policy guide. Give payroll the absence and evidence facts, then use the current SSP calculator and official guidance for the person in front of you.

Hold a return conversation that leads to action

Speak privately as soon as reasonably possible after the employee returns. A return-to-work meeting is not a general legal requirement, but Acas recommends it in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland's official guidance also treats it as useful absence practice.

Use the conversation to:

1. Welcome the person back and confirm the dates recorded.
2. Check that they are ready to work safely.
3. Share relevant work updates.
4. Ask whether work caused or worsened the illness.
5. Discuss fit-note advice, support or adjustments.
6. Agree what happens next and what colleagues may be told.

Keep this conversation separate from a formal attendance, capability or conduct meeting. If the absence pattern needs a wider review, explain that and arrange the correct process rather than surprising the person during a welcome back.

If work may have caused or aggravated the illness, investigate the underlying risk. In Great Britain, HSE advises employers to review risk assessments where health or adjustments affect workplace risk. In Northern Ireland, HSENI gives small employers a separate risk-assessment route, including for work-related stress. An absence record should lead to action on a workplace hazard, not hide it as an individual attendance problem.

Review patterns without turning a trigger into a verdict

Look at repeated short absences and a continuous long absence differently. Several short spells may point to separate illnesses, a fluctuating condition, treatment, caring responsibilities or a workplace problem. A long absence calls for agreed contact, cover planning, medical or occupational-health input where useful, and a realistic return plan. Duration alone does not tell you whether somebody is disabled or capable of returning.

If the policy uses a review point, define the data and period it uses. In Great Britain, there is no legal formula for when an absence must be reviewed, and Acas says a trigger should start a review rather than automatic disciplinary action. In Northern Ireland, use the published policy and the separate official capability process rather than importing an Acas formula.

Before relying on a pattern, ask whether absence is linked to disability, pregnancy, mental health, a workplace accident or stress, or an emergency involving a dependant. In Great Britain, consider separate recording or adjusted trigger points for disability-related absence, and record pregnancy-related sickness separately without counting it towards review points under the Acas pregnancy guidance.

Northern Ireland uses the Disability Discrimination Act framework rather than the Equality Act. Use the Equality Commission NI disability guidance when considering reasonable adjustments, and its joint pregnancy and maternity guidance for decisions connected with pregnancy-related illness. Keep those categories visible to the authorised decision-maker without exposing them on ordinary team reports.

Choose capability or conduct before formal action

Genuine ill health affecting a person's ability to attend or do the job is a capability issue. Start with support, adjustments, current medical information where needed and a fair view of whether and when the person may return. In Great Britain, Acas describes dismissal for sickness capability as a last resort. Northern Ireland's fair-dismissal guidance also separates capability from conduct and expects alternatives to be considered before dismissal for illness.

Conduct is about behaviour within the person's control. A deliberate false sickness report or an unexplained failure to follow a reasonable reporting rule might become a conduct issue, but only after a fair investigation. Do not turn genuine illness, a disability-related difficulty or one missed contact into misconduct by assumption.

For formal action, add a short decision record showing:

• the accurate absence history and any corrections
• the policy and jurisdiction used
• what the employee said and evidence considered
• disability, pregnancy and work-related checks
• support, adjustments and alternatives discussed
• the decision, reasons, owner and next review
• what the employee was told, including any formal rights

That record should show how the decision was reached, not simply that a trigger was hit. If formal action becomes possible, move out of the ordinary return workflow and follow the correct Great Britain or Northern Ireland procedure from the start.