Learn More About The Bradford Factor

You are effectively initiating a disciplinary process by approaching staff members about absenteeism dues to sickness. You want to ensure that your termination decision was fair and objective.

One of the many methods of measuring absence objectively and impartially is through the Bradford factor calculator.  The Bradford factor was created at Bradford University in West Yorkshire, England. You can also sign up for a completely free 1-month annual leave entitlement calculator trial with no obligations.

What is the Bradford Factor?

This principle was the basis of the Bradford factor.

"Shorter, frequent, unplanned absences can be more disruptive than long absences"

This means that if staff members have a lot of absences from their managers, it is much more difficult to plan around the disruptions this causes than a staff member with a longer run of sick days.

Another issue that high frequency, short-term sick leave can cause is staff resentment. This could be because they don't believe their illness is legitimate. This will lead to resentment among the team at best, and your entire team may start to believe they can take a sick day when they want it.

What is the Bradford Factor formula? The Bradford Factor formula can be very simple, but we have added a Bradford Factor calculation at the bottom of this page.

Score in Bradford points: S x S = D

S refers to the number of absences in the past 52 weeks, and D refers to the total absences in the past 52 weeks.

For example, if an employee is absent for 14 days in 52 weeks, their Bradford score may vary greatly depending on how many occasions they were involved.