Persistent short-term absence or a long-term sickness case can drain a small team and leave you unsure what you’re allowed to do. We help Sussex and Surrey employers manage absence fairly and confidently — supporting your people while keeping the business running.
An employee is on long-term sick leave
You need to manage a return to work
You’re seeing a pattern of frequent short absences
A health condition may count as a disability
When someone is off sick, the work still has to be done — and in a small business, a single absence can put real pressure on everyone else. But how you respond matters. Handle it insensitively and you risk a grievance, a disability discrimination claim, or losing a valued employee. Ignore it and the disruption and cost mount up.
Most SME owners want to do the right thing but aren’t sure where the line is: when can you make contact, when should you involve occupational health, and when does a health condition become a legal disability you have to accommodate?
That’s where MJV Consulting comes in. We give you a fair, consistent framework for managing absence — supportive to your people and protective of your business.
Absence is an area where a little care goes a long way. Where an underlying condition amounts to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, there’s a duty to make reasonable adjustments — and handling that thoughtfully both supports your employee and gives your business confidence it’s acting fairly.
There are practical changes coming too. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, Statutory Sick Pay is set to become payable from the first day of absence, with the three “waiting days” removed and the lower earnings limit abolished — so more employees will qualify for SSP sooner. Clear, well-documented absence processes make all of this straightforward to manage.
We help you track absence properly — often using tools like the Bradford Factor and Breathe HR — so you can spot patterns early and act on facts, not gut feel.
We guide sensitive, appropriate contact during absence, arrange occupational health referrals where needed, and keep the door open for a positive return
We provide return-to-work interviews, phased returns and reasonable adjustments — so people come back safely and sustainably, and the business benefits.
Resolve fairly
Where absence can’t be sustained, we guide you through a fair capability process — with the right meetings, evidence and safeguards at every step.
The framework we work through with every client — and the
version we’re happy to talk through on a free discovery call.
We help you strike the balance between compassion and consistency — the hardest part of managing absence well.
✓ Experienced HR professionals across short and long-term absence
There’s no fixed legal definition, but long-term absence is generally taken to mean a continuous period of four weeks or more. It’s handled differently from frequent short absences — the focus is on understanding the employee’s condition, keeping in touch, and working out how and when they might return. We’ll help you manage it supportively and consistently.
Yes, and most employees appreciate it when it’s done thoughtfully. Agree a sensible rhythm for keeping in touch, so you can check how they’re doing and keep them gently updated on work. The aim is support, not pressure. We can help you strike the right balance and document it well
Under the Equality Act 2010, a condition is a disability if it has a substantial, long-term effect on someone’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Where it does, you have a duty to consider reasonable adjustments. Handling this well protects your employee and gives your business confidence it’s acting fairly — and we’ll guide you through what’s reasonable in your situation.
A fit note will either say an employee is “not fit for work” or “may be fit for work” with certain support in mind — such as a phased return, altered hours or amended duties. Your job is to consider those suggestions and discuss openly what you can accommodate. If you genuinely can’t, the employee normally remains signed off. We’ll help you have those conversations constructively.
Regular short absences are usually best managed with clear triggers, return-to-work conversations and consistent record-keeping, so you can spot patterns and offer support early. Many issues resolve once the underlying cause is understood. Where a formal capability process is needed, we’ll help you run it fairly rather than reactively.
Yes. Employees continue to accrue annual leave while off sick, and they can choose to take paid holiday during sickness — often useful during longer absences on reduced pay. Where they can’t take it because of illness, it can usually be carried over. We’ll help you apply your policy fairly and keep the records straight.
Yes. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, Statutory Sick Pay is set to become payable from the first day of absence, with the three “waiting days” removed and the lower earnings limit abolished, so more employees will qualify sooner. (Timings are still being finalised.) Clear, well-documented absence processes make these changes easy to absorb, and we’ll help you prepare.
Try to make contact the same day — a call and a message — and, if you’re genuinely concerned and can’t reach them, their emergency contact. If there’s still no explanation, write to them setting out that the absence is currently unauthorised and asking them to get in touch. Jumping to conclusions is the thing to avoid. We’ll help you follow a calm, fair sequence.
The Bradford Factor is a simple scoring method that weights frequent short absences more heavily than one long one, on the basis that lots of odd days off can be more disruptive. It can be a useful trigger for a supportive conversation, but it should never be used mechanically to justify action on its own. We’ll help you use it as a prompt to check in, not as a stick.
Start with care rather than process. Acknowledge the fit note, keep a gentle line of contact open, and think about what might be contributing — workload, a relationship at work, or something personal. A short occupational health referral often helps everyone understand what support would make a difference. We can guide the conversation so it feels genuinely supportive.
Yes, and it’s often the most helpful thing you can do. An occupational health assessment gives you an independent view on what’s going on and what adjustments or timescales are realistic, which protects both of you. Employees can decline, but most are reassured once they understand it’s there to support their return, not to catch them out.
Your employees deserve a workplace where they can thrive and so does your business. Contact MJV Consulting to explore how our workplace wellbeing solutions can transform your organisation.
