ICAEW.com works better with JavaScript enabled.

Absence and sickness

Find out how to handle absence and sickness issues at work with our selection of articles, books and online resources.
Contents
Back to top

Latest on absence and sickness

Read our latest features and articles on absence and sickness.
Statutory sick pay rebate scheme end date announced
  • Article
  • 02 Mar 2022
HMRC has confirmed that small employers can make claims for absence periods up to 17 March 2022 and that waiting days are reinstated from 25 March 2022.
ICAEW technical round-up: January 2022
  • Article
  • 28 Jan 2022
This month’s top technical stories include the opening of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme claims portal, and guidance to safeguard employers being caught out by complicated National Minimum Wage rules.
Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme: claims portal open
  • Article
  • 25 Jan 2022
Following the announcement that small employers could once again claim refunds for coronavirus-related sick pay, HMRC’s claims portal is now live.
Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme reintroduced for small businesses
  • Article
  • 21 Dec 2021
Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be able to claim up to two weeks’ SSP per employee for COVID-related sickness absences occurring from 21 December 2021
SSP self-certification period temporarily extended to 28 days
  • Article
  • 17 Dec 2021
Employees can normally self-certify sickness absence for the first seven days. Temporarily, they can self-certify for 28 days, to enable GPs to focus on the COVID-19 booster programme. ICAEW’s Tax Faculty explains this temporary extension.
SSP three-day wait to be reinstated in 2022
  • Article
  • 12 Nov 2021
The standard three-day waiting time for statutory sick pay will be reinstated for coronavirus-related claims from 25 March 2022, unless government intervenes.
COVID sick pay rebate scheme ends on 30 September
  • Article
  • 10 Sep 2021
The government scheme enabling small businesses to recoup statutory sick pay costs due to coronavirus will end at the end of the month, and any outstanding claims must be made by 31 December 2021.
Tax news in brief
  • Article
  • 31 Mar 2021
Highlights from the broader tax news week ending 31 March, which includes: HMRC repackaging its guidance on tax implications of cryptocurrencies and rate change for COVID statutory sick pay rebate scheme.

Webinars

Essential employment issues
  • Listing
  • Feb 2019
This new ten minute webinar format is being used to deliver a series of “what you need to know” webinars on best practice for employment issues.

Legal Alert

Legal Alert is a monthly checklist from Atom Content Marketing highlighting new and pending laws, regulations, codes of practice and rulings that could have an impact on your business.
New guidance: Acas publishes updated guidance on sickness absence
  • Article
  • Sep 2023
Employers will welcome free, updated guidance from Acas on sickness absence in the workplace ‘Holiday, sickness and leave: Advice for employees and employers on managing holiday entitlement, sickness absence and other leave’.
New guidance: New CIPD guide to help support employees with fertility issues
  • Article
  • Jul 2023
Employers should consider a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development giving guidance on how to support employees with fertility issues.
New resource: Online help with employees’ disability/long-term health conditions
  • Article
  • Dec 2022
Employers and managers will welcome a new online questionnaire that gives them free, tailored advice to help support and manage staff with a disability or a long-term health condition, whether they are off work or still working.
New guidance: Acas updates guidance on managing bereavement in the workplace
  • Article
  • Apr 2022
Employers will welcome updates to the Acas guidance helping them deal with employees who have suffered a bereavement.
Disclaimer

These articles from Atom Content Marketing are for general guidance only, for businesses in the United Kingdom governed by the laws of England. Atom Content Marketing, expert contributors and ICAEW (as distributor) disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Dealing with absence
  • eBook chapter
  • 2017
  • Barry Cushway
  • Kogan Page
This chapter of the handbook looks at absence from work, both planned and unplanned. Policies and procedures for reducing unplanned absences are dealt with as are the question of pay during absence and dealing with persistent absence.
Exclusive Rights of employees
  • eBook chapter
  • 2016
  • Ewan MacIntyre
  • Pearson
These sections of the chapter on employment looks at the following aspects: The national minimum wage; The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE); Working Time Regulations 1998; authorised deductions from wages; time off work.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More HR eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive No-shows
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2023
  • Jennifer Thomas
Five ways to track, manage and reduce employee absenteeism. The article details how to study the data, discover the reasons, be proactive, be flexible and recognise employee efforts.
Exclusive UK benefits bill for sick and unable to work to rise by £11bn
  • Article
  • 13 Jun 2023
  • Philip Aldrick
The number of working age people in the UK not looking for a job due to long-term sickness rose to a new record in April 2023, triggering a warning by economists that the cost to taxpayers is becoming increasingly unsustainable. Long term sickness among those of working age is one of the most pressing economic issues the UK government faces.
Exclusive Counting the cost of poor mental health
  • Article
  • 01 Apr 2020
The article reports on the results of a Deloitte 2020 study, which found that UK businesses lose as much as £45 billion a year due to poor mental health of workers. The rise was found to be mainly due to increases in presenteeism, with employees still coming to work despite poor health and underperforming.
Exclusive Get well SOONER
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2019
This article looks at how human resource (HR) professionals can address the problem of long-term sickness absence of employees, examining topics including the emerging culture of presenteeism and its impact to HR professionals trying to manage their workforce's absence levels, cost of long-term sickness to employers in the private sector and mental health as a major cause of long-term sickness.
Exclusive Britain's presenteeism crisis
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2018
  • Emily Burt
The article reports that presenteeism or the number of employees going to work while sick has increased in Great Britain between 2010 and 2018. Topics discussed include the factors that drive employees to go to work despite not feeling well, the implication of the trend for the well-being of employees and the ways in which presenteeism can hurt business organizations in the long run. Also discussed are the steps that line managers should take to address the problem of presenteeism.
Exclusive How to beat workplace stress
  • Article
  • 12 May 2018
  • Rob Archer
The article focuses on research on workplace stress and methods of overcoming or preventing stress. It states that in 2016-2017 in Great Britain nearly 49 percent of all working days lost were a result of anxiety, depression, or work-related stress.
Exclusive Sick pay for 'flexible' workers
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2018
The article reports on the British government's launch of consultations relating to the rights of part-time and flexible workers including sick pay and holiday entitlements and clarification of their employment status.
Exclusive Employers not required to create ideal job for returning employee
  • Article
  • 17 Apr 2015
  • Robert Crawford
Report on the UK Employment Appeal Tribunal's ruling that employers are not always required to create an 'ideal job' for an employee returning from sickness absence. The ruling was delivered in the case of Makuchova v Guoman Hotel Management.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on absence and sickness. Use the link below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources - Acas guidance

Advice, guidance and practical resources on a wide variety of recruitment topics for both employers and employees, produced by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Acas. Acas is the employment relations service for England, Scotland and Wales offering practical, independent and impartial advice to employers, employees and their representatives.
Absence from work
  • Website
Acas advice for employers on how to manage and minimise employee attendance problems.
Capability procedures
  • Website
Acas advice on how to manage capability issues - a procedure based on encouraging their employee to improve.
Managing staff absence and personal records documents
  • Website
Acas template absence and personal record documents for employers, including an absence form and GP letter.
Managing staff absence: A step by step guide
  • Website
Acas guide for small firms and team managers, covering the basics of how to manage staff absence.
Mental health and occupational health
  • Website
Acas guidance on mental health and occupational health.
Time off work for training
  • Website
Acas advice on employee rights regarding time off for training, aimed at both employees and employers.
Using occupational health at work
  • Website
Acas guidance on the use of occupational health - what is it, when it is used and what happens in an occupational health assessment.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - Guidance and advice

Absence management
  • Website
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Guidance and information from CIPD on absence management, absence procedures and return to work after sickness. Registration is required to view most of the content.
Fit notes
  • Website
  • Department for Work and Pensions
Government guidance for GPs, employers, hospital doctors and occupational health practitioners on using fit notes (statements of fitness for work). Fit notes replaced sick notes in 2010.
Guide to family friendly work
  • Website
  • Trades Union Congress
The TUC provides access to a useful selection of links to TUC and external resources on flexible working, time off to care for sick children and dependents, and maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
Managing sickness absence and return to work
  • Website
  • Health and Safety Executive
Guidance from the HSE including Guidance for employers, case studies and research reports including 'Managing health at work - recording and monitoring information on sickness absence including work relatedness'
Statutory Payments Manual
  • Website
  • HMRC
HMRC internal manual giving guidance on Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay.
Statutory leave and time off
  • Website
  • HM Government
Collection of Government guidance on statutory leave and time off, including holiday entitlement, statutory sick pay, maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay, time off for jury service and other public duties.
Statutory pay
  • Website
  • HMRC
Collection of guidance for employees and additional detailed guidance for employers covering Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, and penalties, disagreements and compromise agreements.
Statutory sick pay: employer's guide
  • Website
  • HM Government
Government guidance for employers on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

Can't find what you're looking for?

The ICAEW Library can give you the right information from trustworthy, professional sources that aren't freely available online. Contact us for expert help with your enquiries and research.

Everything business

Find out about the key benefits available for members in business and the support from ICAEW. We are proud of our some 60,000 members working in and running business all over the world.
Read More
Winding road
Information

Some of the content on this web page was provided by the Chartered Accountants’ Trust for Education and Research, a registered charity, which owns the library and operates it for ICAEW.