What is the Bradford Factor and should I use it at my business?

The Bradford Factor (or Bradford Formula) is a mathematical formula for employers to assess and measure the effect – or damage – an employee’s absence pattern has on its business and to fairly compare the attendance of its staff by accounting for whether the employee has one long period of absence or multiple short term absences.

How does it work?

The formula to determine the score (known as the Bradford Factor) is laid out as S² x D = B.

• S is the number of separate absences by the employee. You multiply this number by itself.
• D is the total number of days of absence taken by the employee.
• B is the Bradford Factor score.

The period used to determine the S number is usually a rolling 52 week period but this can be set by the employer at whatever period they wish. As long as the period chosen remains consistent throughout, this will not affect the score when calculating.

For example, you have two employees who both take 12 days absence over a 52-week period. Employee A takes 6 sick days off in one period and another 6 days off in a second period. Their formula would be as follows:

• 2² x 12 = 48

Employee B takes one sick day each month for 12 months. Their formula would be as follows:

• 12² x 12 = 1,728

As you can see, for the same number of days absence in the same period, the scores are very different. The factor is designed to give greater weight to repeated periods of short-term absence and the impact that has on the running of the business at a day-to-day level.

When is the Bradford Factor implemented?

The Bradford Factor is usually used to determine the appropriate stages within the absence management procedure that is triggered by the Employee’s absence. For example:

• 0-100 points = no concern.
• 101-400 points = informal discussion with notes to improve.
• 401-800 points = formal meeting with a written warning outcome.
• 801-1200 points = formal meeting with a final warning outcome.
• 1201+ points = grounds for dismissal after continued absence.

If we use this points system with our above example, Employee A with 48 points is not really of any concern. However, Employee B with 1,728 points is a concern and their attendance pattern should be reviewed through the employer’s Managing Absence or Sickness Absence Policy.

Pros and cons of the Bradford Factor:

The Bradford Factor can help to remove an employer’s subjectivity when making decisions relating to an employee’s attendance.  Personal opinions can be replaced by mathematical decision making. This means that employees are less likely to accuse employers of taking action against them on the grounds of bias or due to a protected characteristic and are less likely to assert that another employee has been more favourably treated due to the employers perceived preferences.

Some employers also use the Bradford Factor scoring as an element of their selection criteria for redundancy purposes.  This again removes the risk of bias and is an objective criteria to apply.

However, employers should exercise caution when relying on the Bradford Factor in either sickness absence redundancy procedures. If an employee has a disability then they are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act and there is an obligation on the employer to make reasonable adjustments for them.  Reasonable adjustments apply to every aspect of their employment and therefore there may be a need to adjust the score that will trigger action in relation to that individual employee, to disregard absences relating to disabilities when calculating the score or to discount the score when considering a redundancy selection exercise.

Let’s use the Employees A and B example stated above again:

• Employee A’s first six-day absence is due to a serious case of the flu and the later six-day absence is due to bad food poisoning or a COVID infection.
• Employee B’s intermittent absences may be due to a medical condition or treatment required for their condition.

Although both Employee A and B’s reasons for their absences are beyond their control, Employee B’s absence is due to their disability and therefore there is an obligation to make an adjustment and not to take action against them which may be perceived to be less favourable treatment.

A high Bradford Factor score may be a result of a disability, treatment for a disability or the disability of someone associated with the employee (e.g. illness of family members or dependants) and employers should discuss these possibilities with employees before acting on the outcome of their calculations. 

Should I use the Bradford Factor?

By implementing the Bradford Factor into sickness absence procedures, employers are able to remain aware of absences that may be affecting the business. It is important that employees are made aware of the use of the factor and how it is calculated. This usually tends to be included as part of a sickness absence policy, a copy of which should be supplied to all employees. Also employers should intervene each time a trigger point is reached or surpassed, so that the company procedures for absence and disciplinary are applied consistently or they are able to justify the reason for not doing so and discount the possibility of discrimination or a breakdown of mutual trust and confidence which might result in a constructive dismissal claim.

In summary:

1. The Bradford Factor can be a useful way to compare the attendance records of employees
2. It needs to be applied consistently to avoid an accusation of constructive dismissal
3. There needs to be an adjustment of the trigger points for employees who have a disability
4. It is important to have a discussion with employees as well as applying the Bradford Factor