The Bradford Factor is a method that gives line managers and HR professionals the tools to identify patterns of unplanned staff absences. It’s based on the premise that repeated absences are more disruptive, and more likely to be indicative of an underlying problem than, say, a long illness that is a one-off.
It’s a deceptively simple formula which multiplies the total number of days of absence with the number of times(squared) that someone has been absent – the Bradford formula is S2 x D = B. The higher the score, the greater effect the absences are going to have on your business, making it more likely that HR will need to intervene or even take disciplinary action. Therefore if a person takes five sick days but only once during a given period – usually a year – they will have a score of 5. If a different employee takes five separate sick days during the year on the other hand, their Bradford factor score will be 125. Even though both have had exactly the same number of days absent, the score indicates the reasons for taking five separate unauthorised absences may be more problematic.
At what point a business deems the Bradford score to be concerning enough to take follow-up action is up to individual companies. As a general rule of thumb, a score of under 50 is considered to be good, a score of between 50 and 100 suggests there may be a concern, a score above 100 means you need to do further investigation, and a score above 200 indicates that action is definitely needed.
Of course, a high score doesn’t necessarily mean that an employee is up to no good, but it gives you a good benchmark that indicates there may be a potential problem and gives you the chance to take further action or offer that staff member additional support.
The Bradford Factor is a hugely efficient way of highlighting where there might be a problem. If you’re a small business without an in-house HR expert, it’s especially effective as you don’t need specialist skills or software to calculate it. There are free online Bradford factor calculators available, enabling you to monitor absences before deciding whether or not to take things further and seek out professional advice from an HR consultant if you don’t have an in-house HR department.
The other advantage of implementing the Bradford factor calculator is that when employees are aware you are using it as a way of monitoring their absenteeism, they are generally more careful about taking short-term absences.
The Bradford Factor must only be used as a guide as it cannot identify types and causes of unplanned absence – everyone is different and good absence management means every case needs to be taken on its own merits. Some issues will be complex and employing the Bradford score in these cases would be unsuitable.
Indeed, people who have long-term health problems or disabilities or who are looking after family members with medical conditions may feel they are being penalised for their situation. However, the Bradford Factor was not designed for those dealing with chronic health conditions, so safeguards need to be implemented around them.
Another possibility is that staff members who would genuinely benefit from taking a day off, will come to work instead, for example if someone has a cold or flu. Not only is it more likely that other staff members will become infected and need time off too, it’s also likely that coming back to work too soon will mean they take longer to recover from their illness, with the consequent drop in productivity and motivation.
Absence management software has many useful functions, including the management of sickness and absenteeism. Detailed reports will highlight absence data, helping you manage absence by identifying patterns of lateness, sickness, compassionate and unauthorised leave, calculating the Bradford factor score to help you highlight where there may be issues with personnel. This enables your managers to keep on top of issues – whether it’s because an employee needs some extra support, or if there is a problem that needs to be dealt with.
When you have an effective absence management system, it’s easier to track attendance and stay in control. It will help you streamline the way you work, maintain accurate absence records and make sure your business is compliant, giving you more time and energy to spend on improving performance and productivity.
A good absence management system can be tailored to the needs of your organisation, helping you to automate a process that otherwise takes a lot of time and hard work to get right. This includes integration with your payroll systems to ensure everyone gets paid accurately and on time, benefitting everyone and keeping your staff loyal and motivated.
Nextra’s workforce management system is not just another off-the-shelf solution. It has been designed to be customised to your business in order to provide everything you need from your WFM system. Uniquely amongst other WFM systems, it offers 100% of your rostering, time tracking, zero hours, payroll and HR needs – including absence management. With everything on one system, you can future-proof your business – your WFM will grow alongside your business, offering all the resources you need as soon as you need them. All the features in Nextra’s workforce management systems are there from day one, ready to be switched on the moment you need access to them.
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