Bradford Factor
A formula HR teams use to score how disruptive someone's sickness absence pattern is, weighting frequent short absences more heavily than one long one.
The Bradford Factor is calculated as S² × D, where S is the number of separate spells (occurrences) of absence a person has had in a rolling 12-month period, and D is the total number of days absent across those spells.
The logic behind squaring the number of spells is that frequent short absences tend to be more disruptive to a team's operations — and more likely to indicate an underlying pattern worth a supportive conversation — than one longer absence for a single serious illness. Two employees with 10 total sick days can generate very different scores: one 10-day absence scores 10 (1² × 10), while five separate 2-day absences score 250 (5² × 10).
The score itself has no formal legal status — the Working Time Regulations and sickness-related dismissal law don't reference it. It's an internal management tool, typically used as a trigger point for a return-to-work conversation, not as an automatic disciplinary threshold. Employers using it should be careful it doesn't penalise absences linked to a disability or pregnancy, which raises discrimination risk under the Equality Act 2010.
Key facts
- Formula: S² × D (spells of absence squared, multiplied by total days absent)
- Frequent short absences score disproportionately higher than one long absence with the same total days
- Has no statutory basis — it is a management/HR tool, not a legal requirement
- Using it to trigger action against absence linked to disability or pregnancy risks an Equality Act 2010 discrimination claim
Checked 2026-08. Rates and thresholds change — always confirm current figures on GOV.UK before relying on them.
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