Attendance Policy Template UK
Most absence disputes are lost long before the meeting. They are lost at the point where a manager has to explain why this employee was managed at three absences and that one was not, and the honest answer is that nobody had written down what the rule was.
An attendance policy exists to remove that conversation. Below is a complete template you can copy into your own document, section by section, with notes explaining the legal reasoning behind each clause. Everything in square brackets is a decision for you to make.
One caveat worth stating up front: this is a general template for a general business. If you operate in a regulated sector, recognise a trade union, or have contracts with existing absence terms, have it reviewed before you publish it.
Before You Start: Three Decisions
- Contractual or not? Keep it non-contractual so you can update it without varying contracts. State this explicitly.
- What are your trigger points? Decide before you write, not after someone hits one.
- Do you pay company sick pay? If yes, the terms belong in the policy and in the written particulars.
The Template
1. Purpose and Scope
This policy sets out [Company]'s expectations on attendance and the procedure for reporting and managing absence from work. It applies to all employees and workers from the first day of engagement.
This policy does not form part of any contract of employment. [Company] may amend it at any time.
Good attendance matters because absence affects colleagues, customers and the quality of our work. This policy aims to be applied consistently and fairly, and to support employees who are genuinely unwell.
Why: The non-contractual statement is the most important sentence in the document. Without it, every future change is a contractual variation requiring consultation.
2. Working Hours and Recording Time
Your normal working hours are set out in your contract. You are expected to be ready to start work at your scheduled start time.
All employees must record their working hours using [system]. Hours must be recorded accurately and submitted by [deadline]. Recording hours on behalf of another employee, or recording hours not worked, is a serious disciplinary matter and may be treated as gross misconduct.
[Company] keeps records of hours worked to comply with the Working Time Regulations 1998 and the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015.
Why: Naming falsification and clocking in for others as potential gross misconduct is what allows you to treat it that way later — see our guide to time theft and buddy punching. The statutory reference explains to employees why the records exist.
3. Reporting an Absence
If you are unable to attend work you must contact [your line manager / named person] personally by telephone as early as possible and in any event no later than [time] on the first day of absence.
Text messages, emails and messages passed on by others are not acceptable unless you are physically unable to telephone.
You must tell us: the reason for the absence, when you expect to return, and anything urgent that needs covering.
You must keep us updated [daily / every [X] days] for the duration of the absence.
Why: Vagueness here is the single most common cause of disputes. "As soon as possible" is not a rule. A named person and a clock time is.
4. Certification
Absence of up to seven calendar days: you must complete a self-certification form on your return.
Absence of eight calendar days or more: you must provide a fit note from a healthcare professional covering the whole period, and further fit notes for any continuing absence.
The seven days include non-working days such as weekends and bank holidays.
Why: Seven calendar days is the statutory self-certification period. The reminder about weekends prevents the most common miscalculation.
5. Sick Pay
You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) subject to the qualifying conditions in force at the time. Details of current rates and conditions are available from GOV.UK.
[Company] [does / does not] pay company sick pay in addition to SSP. [Where paid, set out: the qualifying service, the amount, the duration, and that payment is discretionary and may be withheld where this policy is not followed.]
Why: Writing the SSP rate into the policy guarantees it will be out of date within a year. Point to GOV.UK instead. SSP rules have been subject to reform — check the current position against our coverage of the Employment Rights Act 2026.
6. Lateness
If you will be late you must notify [your line manager] before your scheduled start time.
Persistent lateness will be addressed under the disciplinary procedure. [Company] will consider the reasons for lateness, including any disability-related or caring responsibilities, before taking action.
Why: Note what this section does not say: it does not authorise docking pay. Deductions require a separate contractual term, and rounding lateness away in the timesheet creates minimum wage exposure — see timesheet rounding rules.
7. Return-to-Work Discussions
After every absence, your manager will hold a return-to-work discussion with you. This is a supportive conversation, not a disciplinary meeting.
Its purpose is to confirm you are fit to return, identify any support or adjustments needed, update you on anything you missed, and complete the absence record.
Why: "Every absence" matters — applying it selectively is what makes it look punitive. Our return to work form template covers the record itself.
“The app is simple to use, reliable, and makes managing holidays, absences, and staff records straightforward. The system has saved us a significant amount of administration time.”
Jordan Ingoe, CLI Manchester8. Absence Trigger Points
[Company] monitors absence levels. A formal review will normally be triggered where an employee has:
• [three] separate periods of absence in any rolling [12] months; or
• [ten] or more working days of absence in any rolling [12] months; or
• a Bradford Factor score of [X] or above
Reaching a trigger point does not automatically result in disciplinary action. It prompts a discussion about the reasons for the absence and any support that may help.
Absence related to a disability, pregnancy or maternity, or covered by a statutory entitlement such as carer's leave or time off for dependants, will be recorded separately and discounted from trigger calculations.
Why: The final paragraph is the one that keeps you out of an employment tribunal. Counting disability-related absence towards a trigger is a failure to make reasonable adjustments, and the trigger itself becomes the discriminatory act. Our guide to the Bradford Factor explains the scoring and its limits.
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9. Managing Persistent Short-Term Absence
Where absence exceeds a trigger point, your manager will hold a formal attendance review meeting. You may be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative.
The meeting will consider the reasons for the absence, any underlying medical condition, whether adjustments would help, and what improvement is expected over what period.
Where absence does not improve, [Company] may take further action under the disciplinary procedure, which in serious cases may include dismissal. Any dismissal will follow a fair procedure and consider medical evidence.
10. Long-Term Absence
Where absence continues beyond [four] weeks, [Company] will keep in regular contact and may, with your consent, seek a medical report from your GP or an occupational health provider.
We will consider adjustments including a phased return, altered duties, changed hours, or redeployment. Dismissal on capability grounds will only be considered after a full process and where no reasonable adjustment would enable a return within a reasonable period.
Annual leave continues to accrue during sickness absence.
Why: The leave accrual line prevents a recurring argument — see holiday entitlement during sick leave.
11. Unauthorised Absence
Absence without approval and without following the reporting procedure is unauthorised. You will not normally be paid for unauthorised absence and it may be treated as a disciplinary matter.
Where we cannot make contact, [Company] will attempt to reach you by telephone, in writing, and via your emergency contact before taking any action.
Why: The contact attempts paragraph is what makes a later dismissal defensible — the detail is in our guide to unauthorised absence.
12. Other Types of Leave
This policy covers sickness absence and unauthorised absence. Other absence is covered by separate policies: annual leave, family leave (maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and neonatal care leave), carer's leave, time off for dependants, compassionate leave, and time off for public duties.
Why: This cross-reference stops statutory entitlements being recorded as sickness, which is the fastest way to corrupt your absence data and unfairly inflate someone's score. See carer's leave and time off for medical appointments.
13. Disability and Reasonable Adjustments
If you have a disability within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, tell your manager or [HR contact] so we can consider reasonable adjustments. These may include adjusting trigger points, allowing paid time off for treatment, changing duties or altering hours.
Disability-related absence will be recorded separately and will not count towards trigger points without a specific and documented reason.
14. Data Protection
Absence records include health information, which is special category data under UK GDPR. It is held securely, accessible only to those who need it, and retained in line with our retention schedule. Full details are in our privacy notice for workers.
Why: Health data is Article 9 data and needs an explicit condition for processing. Our guide to the ICO rules on monitoring workers covers the wider obligations.
15. Review
This policy was last reviewed on [date] and will be reviewed at least annually.
Four Mistakes to Avoid
- Automatic sanctions at a trigger. A trigger starts a conversation. If it starts a warning, you have removed the discretion that makes the policy defensible.
- Counting everything as sickness. Carer's leave, antenatal appointments and dependants leave are statutory entitlements, not absence.
- Writing rates and figures into the text. SSP rates change every April. Cite GOV.UK.
- Publishing it and never mentioning it again. A policy nobody has read cannot be relied on at a hearing.
Key Takeaways
- Make the policy non-contractual and say so in the first section
- Specify a named person and a clock time for reporting absence
- Self-certification covers the first seven calendar days; fit notes from day eight
- Set trigger points in advance and exclude disability-related absence from them
- Hold return-to-work discussions after every absence, not selectively
- Cross-reference statutory leave so it never gets recorded as sickness
- Review annually — absence law has changed repeatedly in recent years
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an attendance policy a legal requirement in the UK?
No single law requires one, but you must give employees written particulars including any terms relating to sickness absence and sick pay. In practice a written attendance policy is how employers meet that duty and defend absence decisions.
How many days can you be off sick without a fit note?
Employees can self-certify for the first seven calendar days of sickness absence. From the eighth day you can ask for a fit note from a healthcare professional.
What is a reasonable absence trigger point?
There is no legal figure. Common approaches are three separate absences in a rolling twelve months, or a Bradford Factor score threshold. Whatever you choose, it must be applied consistently and adjusted for disability-related absence.
Should an attendance policy be contractual?
Usually not. Keep it non-contractual so you can update it without needing to vary every contract, and say so explicitly in the policy itself.
Can you discipline someone for genuine sickness absence?
You can act on persistent absence even where each instance is genuine, but the process must be fair, medical evidence should be considered, and disability-related absence needs reasonable adjustments before any sanction.
How often should an attendance policy be reviewed?
Annually, and whenever the law changes. Statutory sick pay rules and family leave entitlements have both changed in recent years, and a policy citing superseded rules undermines every decision made under it.
Sources
- Absence from work — Acas
- Statutory Sick Pay: employer guide — GOV.UK