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Sickness absence and sick pay

Laura Kimpton

Editor's message: Employee sickness absence continues to have a significant impact on UK organisations in terms of financial cost and disruption to business.

To minimise the impact that both short-term and long-term sickness absence can have, employers need to have effective absence management policies and procedures in place. Integral to this will be the accurate recording and measurement of absence, alongside the ability of line managers to have open conversations around the reasons for sickness absence in return-to-work meetings. People managers need appropriate training in these areas, as well as a good understanding of the organisation's absence policies and procedures.

Thanks to Labour's Employment Rights Bill, there are some changes coming down the road concerning statutory sick pay. For example, the Bill proposes to remove the requirement to earn at least the lower earnings limit to be eligible, effectively meaning that statutory sick pay will be available to all workers. For further information on the detail of the proposals, see the Employment law guide on Sick pay.

Laura Kimpton, HR strategy and practice editor

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HR and legal information and guidance relating to sickness absence and sick pay.