What is the Bradford Factor?

From short-term illnesses to personal emergencies, there are plenty of reasons why your employees may need time off work. Life happens, and it’s unrealistic to expect a 100% attendance rate across your workforce.

However, repeated absences can quickly become a problem; they lead to reduced productivity, place a strain on other team members and disrupt the day-to-day operations of your business. So how can employers assess the true impact of frequent absences? That’s where the Bradford Factor comes into play. 

While those in HR should be familiar with this tool, this may be a new concept to many people. So what is the Bradford Factor? And how can employers effectively use it to help manage their workforce? 

What is the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford Factor, also known as the Bradford Index, is a formula that is used to measure the impact of repeated ‘one-off’ absences on a company.

Named after Bradford University, where the concept originated in the 1980s, this method works off the theory that frequent, short-term absences are more detrimental to a business than occasional long-term leave.

The end result? A figure that helps employers to identify patterns of absenteeism so that potential issues can be flagged at an early stage.

How is the Bradford Factor score calculated?

The formula for calculating a Bradford Score is as follows: B= S² x D. Although this might look complicated, it’s actually simpler than you’d think.

• B = Bradford Factor score
• S = Spells of absence: This is the total number of separate occasions where an employee is absent over a set period. For example, if someone is off ill for three consecutive days, this counts as one spell of absence.
• D = Days: This is the total number of working days an employee has been absent across all spells. 

So, let’s say a member of your team was off work with a chest infection. They initially took three consecutive days off, returned to work, but then had two further one-day absences over the following month to recover. That would work out as three separate spells of absence and five days off in total, meaning their Bradford Score would be calculated as follows:

• B = 3² x 5
• B = 9 x 5 
• Bradford Score = 45

Now let’s say another employee caught the same illness, but instead of returning to work and then having intermittent absences, they took five consecutive days off. This would count as one spell of absence across five days, meaning their Bradford Score would be:

• B = 1² x 5
• B = 1 x 5 
• Bradford Score = 5

As you can see, even though both employees took the same number of days off, one has a significantly higher absence score than the other. This demonstrates the impact that frequent, short-term absences can have on a business and highlights how the Bradford Factor can help identify disruptive patterns of absence.

What is a good Bradford Score?

As a general rule of thumb, the lower the score, the better. However, every organisation is different, and what’s considered to be a ‘good’ Bradford Score may vary depending on the size and structure of the business in question.

Many companies will have their own thresholds and processes in place, but here’s a typical example of how this might be used:

Benefits of the Bradford Factor

• It’s easy to use: As we’ve demonstrated above, the formula is simple and straightforward to use, requiring no specialist software or training. This makes it especially handy for smaller businesses that may not have a large administrative team, as attendance issues can be easily monitored without overwhelming staff.
  
• It enables early intervention: The Bradford Factor can highlight patterns of absence that might otherwise go unnoticed. Your employee might be reluctant to share any ongoing issues with you unless prompted, so flagging potential problems at an early stage can help to open up a dialogue. Perhaps they’re struggling with some long-term health issues? Or maybe they’re under a lot of stress at home? With early intervention, you can ensure the correct support is in place to prevent further absences.
• It helps to reduce absences: When staff are aware that their absences are being objectively tracked and monitored, they may think twice about taking unnecessary or avoidable days off. This can then lead to improved attendance rates across your workforce.
• It’s consistent: The Bradford Factor is transparent, consistent and applied to every person in the same way, so there can be no allegations of favouritism or bias.

Limitations of the Bradford Factor

• It ignores context: The Bradford Factor focuses solely on the frequency of absences without taking into account the underlying reason for that absence. For example, employees who are managing chronic health conditions will naturally require more time off than others. They may then be unfairly penalised for their absences, despite having a legitimate reason, leading to a demotivated workforce.
  
• It may encourage people to work while sick: If an employee is concerned about their Bradford Score, they may feel pressured to come into work while ill. Not only can this set their own recovery back, but they may spread their illness to other team members, leading to a wider outbreak of sickness across the whole workforce.

Is the Bradford Factor fair?

The question of whether or not the Bradford Factor is fair is a hotly discussed topic. Some people argue that it’s an objective, consistent way to track absence, identify potential problems and improve staff attendance. Meanwhile, critics say that the system is too black and white, treating all absences the same regardless of the context. This could mean that those with legitimate health issues are unfairly discriminated against.

One thing’s for sure: if the Bradford Factor is used, it must be part of a wider absence management plan and applied with care and consideration for individual circumstances.

How to ensure fair use of the Bradford Factor

• Be transparent with your employees: Naturally, any kind of attendance scoring system might make your staff feel distrustful, especially if it’s introduced without a proper explanation. It’s important to maintain complete transparency and ensure everyone understands why and how absences are being monitored.
  
• Consider the context for absences: The Bradford Factor ensures consistency across the board when tracking absences. While this is great in one respect as it eliminates bias, it can also unfairly penalise those with legitimate issues, such as chronic illnesses or a long-term disability. It’s essential that you use your discretion and take into account the context behind each absence to prevent unintentional discrimination.
  
• Investigate before acting: If a staff member has a high Bradford Score that is sparking concern, this should be a prompt to investigate the issue rather than jump straight to disciplinary action. By offering help and proactive intervention, you ensure your employee feels supported rather than judged.
  
• Review the policy regularly: Like any workplace procedure, your use of the Bradford Factor should be regularly revisited to ensure it remains fair and relevant. By frequently reviewing this policy, you can also obtain employee feedback and make adjustments to address any issues.
  
• Use alongside other measures: You shouldn’t solely rely on the Bradford Factor to help manage attendance. Ensure you have other measures in place – such as occupational health referrals, well-being programmes and sickness absence management plans – to help employees who may need additional support.

How can Healthier Workforce help?

If you have concerns about employees with a high Bradford Score, let the experts at Healthier Workforce help. 

Since 2009, we’ve been working with businesses across the UK to provide a range of occupational health services, including occupational health referrals, occupational health assessments, health surveillance and sickness absence management. With our support, you can benefit from a stronger and happier workforce, leading to increased productivity and reduced disruption across your organisation.

Thanks to our flexible, pay-as-you-go options, free consultations and no-obligation quotes, we’ve established a leading reputation in the industry. If you’d like to know more about what we do, simply contact our friendly team today – we’re always happy to offer advice and answer any questions. Alternatively, you can fill out our online management referral form and we’ll take care of the rest.