Most HR professionals are familiar with the Bradford Factor, as an integral part of many businesses’ absence management policies. However, as attitudes towards employee engagement and wellbeing have begun to shift, the use of this metric may need to be reevaluated.

Where does the Bradford Factor come from?

The exact origins of the Bradford Factor calculation are unclear, but the name is thought to relate to research carried out by the Bradford University School of Management.  Their work explored the belief that short, sporadic absences are much more damaging for a business than longer term absences.

The theory proposes that when employees call in sick at short notice, for a short time period, this causes greater disruption to the working environment; managers may struggle to find a replacement, so customers and other employees will be impacted by short-staffing. In the case of small business owners, you may even end up picking up the slack yourself, derailing your own work.

Longer term absences (either planned or unplanned) are supposedly less likely to be disruptive, as it’s easier for team leaders to accommodate for shift swaps and extra staffing to cover a longer term absence.

Employees who take more instances of sick leave will therefore have a higher Bradford Factor – in some cases, their Bradford Factor may even be higher than colleagues who have taken a greater number of days off over the period, depending on absence frequency.

How do I calculate the Bradford Factor?

Use the below formula to work out your employees’ Bradford Factor; their score is calculated by squaring the number of instances of absence, then multiplying this by the total days they have been absent.

The formula is: (S x S) x D = B

• ‘S’ is the number of spells  (instances) of absence
• ‘D’ is the total number of days absent
• ‘B’ is their resulting Bradford Factor

How to interpret your Bradford Factor

Once you’ve calculated an employee’s score, you can assess how their score compares to other employees and where it falls on the scale of severity. The exact scale you choose to use will depend on your particular business, but the below scale is used as a guide:

• Under 50 – average score for most employees, no cause for concern
• 50 to 100 – slightly higher than average, becoming a cause for concern
• 100 to 250 – requires monitoring and potentially a verbal warning
• 250 to 500 – requires a formal, written warning and monitoring
• Over 500 – potential grounds for dismissal or in depth investigation

Should the Bradford Factor be used in disciplinaries?

As we’ve mentioned, a Bradford Factor which is over 250 would usually require a formal, written warning, and anything above 500 may be grounds for dismissal in some companies. Using the Bradford Factor as a trigger for investigation and action against employees is totally legitimate.

However, it’s wise for businesses to take into consideration the context of an individual’s absences before immediately disciplining employees whose score exceeds 500. Employees who have chronic conditions or disabilities may easily exceed this limit through no fault of their own, simply due to frequent doctors visits. Employees who have children may also need to take days off from work with short notice, due to emergencies or childcare issues.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the difference between two employee’s Bradford Factors can be vast, even if the total number of sick days taken is the same. An employee who takes off 10 days consecutively would have a Bradford Factor of 10 ((1 x 1) x 10 = 10) whereas an employee who takes off 10 days in isolation over the year would have a score of 1,000 ((10 x 10) x 10 = 1,000). In practice, it’s unlikely that this employee’s absences over the year were 100 times more disruptive – a review of their performance would give a better indication as to the scale of the issue.

Is the Bradford Factor a useful metric for businesses?

The Bradford Factor is simply one way of visualising your employee’s absences. It can be a handy metric when comparing the frequency and impact of one employee’s absences to another’s, and identifying employees who are outliers. It can also be a helpful signal for HR, to identify team members who may be struggling at work and require intervention before the situation deteriorates.

Should we be using the Bradford Factor in 2023?

Whilst the Bradford Factor may be helpful for some businesses as a trigger for further investigations, for others its use may be limited.

The main issue with the Bradford Factor is the lack of nuance; an employee’s score doesn’t take into account their performance at work, whether they’re hitting their targets, nor their dedication to the team.

Using the Bradford Factor as a trigger for disciplinary procedures may also unfairly target employees with disabilities and chronic illness, or those with dependents that require care – having an unavoidably high Bradford Factor may push these employees out of the workforce entirely, or put them under undue stress. Many businesses implement adjusted trigger points for employees with known health conditions, to avoid indirect discrimination.

Some trade unions have warned against businesses using the Bradford Factor. They suggest that employers who utilise the Bradford Factor are attempting to target employees who ‘abuse the system’ by taking unnecessary sick days, but ultimately its use can be divisive amongst the workforce and erodes employee trust.

Workplace culture is now a huge factor for employees when making decisions about a new role; if businesses are hoping to attract and retain the best talent in a competitive job market, having a reputation for enforcing old-fashioned absence management policies without any compassion may be counterintuitive.

Instead of using black-and-white metrics to make decisions on employee wellbeing, businesses in 2023 may wish to take a more nuanced approach to reduce employee absenteeism, and focus on improving employee wellbeing instead.

How to reduce employee absenteeism

Reducing employee absenteeism begins with addressing the key causes of short-term absences from work.

For employees with chronic conditions and disabilities, offering flexible working options (such as the ability to work from home, or asynchronous working patterns) can help to reduce the impact of unavoidable short-term absences, and means employees are still able to work whilst managing their condition.

Encouraging employees to take annual leave, and allowing them control over when they take it can also help to ensure they are well rested and mentally ready for work, reducing the instance of poor mental health and related absences.

Employee absenteeism is frequently an indicator of low work satisfaction or possible bullying and harassment, so it’s important to give employees space to raise any concerns about work before issues begin to escalate. Clear, defined policies on how issues can be raised and resolved will help to ensure every issue is dealt with fairly, and reduce the risk of employees becoming disengaged.

Having a comprehensive record of your employees’ leave in your time and attendance platform helps to keep an eye on the frequency of absences and unauthorised leave, as well as how many sick days or authorised holidays your team are taking.

https://www.timekeeper.co.uk/employee-leave-management-system/