Sickness & Return-to-Work Tracker

Sickness absence needs handling the same way every time. This keeps the paperwork and the follow-up in step.

Log each absence with its first day off, and the day they came back. An employee can self-certify for the first 7 calendar days, weekends included; you can only ask for a fit note once they have been off more than 7 days in a row - so the sheet only flags one from the 8th day. It watches the end date on a fit note, reminds you to collect a self-certificate for short absences, and to hold a return-to-work meeting within 3 days of someone coming back.

An Absence summary tab shows each person's spells and days off over the last year, with a Bradford factor for those who use it - a rule of thumb, not a legal test, and never to be applied to disability- or pregnancy-related absence. Since 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is paid from the first day of sickness to all eligible employees.

It is a record-keeping aid, not legal advice, and uses the rules for Great Britain as they stood in September 2026.