Recording Sickness

Sickness records serve pay, coverage and — occasionally — a difficult conversation later. They do not need to serve curiosity.

What to record

Who, which days, and that the reason was sickness.

Whether it was reported in line with the process.

Whether a fit note or self-certification was provided, and the dates it covers.

Return date.

That is the record. The diagnosis is not part of it, and holding it puts health data in a system that was not designed for health data.

The reporting process

One channel, stated in advance: call, message or email to a named person.

A deadline, usually before the shift starts, with a realistic tolerance.

What to say: that they are unwell and, if they know, how long they expect to be off. Nothing more.

Who covers the shift, which is the employer's problem rather than the sick person's.

Write it down and give it to everyone, because the moment someone is genuinely ill is the worst time to work out what they are supposed to do.

What not to ask

"What's wrong with you?" as a required field.

A diagnosis before the point at which medical evidence is due.

Contact during the absence beyond a reasonable check-in, which for a short absence means very little.

Proof for a one-day absence where the law does not require it, which is most places.

Self-certification and fit notes

Short absences are usually self-certified up to a threshold set by law or policy.

Beyond that, medical evidence — and the note says what it says. It is not an invitation to ask more.

Where a note recommends adjustments, that is the actionable part. Read it for that rather than for the condition.

Store notes separately from the attendance record, with restricted access and a retention period. They are health data and the attendance sheet is not the place for them.

Patterns

Some patterns are worth noticing: repeated Mondays, absences clustering around a particular task or shift, a sudden change from a long-standing pattern.

Noticing is not the same as concluding. A Monday pattern can be a rota problem, a caring responsibility, a mental health issue, or nothing.

The response to a pattern is a conversation, and the conversation starts by asking whether everything is all right rather than by presenting a chart.

Automated triggers are a separate topic and have their own note, because they are widely used and frequently unfair.

The line worth holding

Coverage is your problem. Their health is theirs.

You need to know whether they will be in. You do not need to know why, beyond what the law and the pay calculation require.

Small businesses find this hard because everyone knows everyone, and the informality that makes a small team good is the same informality that produces a question that should not have been asked.

Who covers is not their problem

A small but consequential point of practice.

Someone reporting sickness should report it and stop.

Arranging cover is the employer's job, and asking an ill person to find their own replacement is common in small businesses and is a burden they should not carry.

It also produces worse cover, because they will ask whoever is easiest rather than whoever is best placed.

Say so in the reporting process, which removes an awkwardness people otherwise feel.

A useful implementation prompt

During configuration, view a practical reference can prompt questions about fields, ownership and output. Confirm current capabilities with the provider and document every plan, integration or policy assumption behind the decision.

Independent reference

For an external point of reference, see ACAS employment guidance. This is a useful external reference for keeping the record proportionate while supporting a consistent absence process.