The Bradford Factor is a tried and tested HR tool used to help understand how frequent sickness patterns are impacting the company’s performance. Read on to discover how you can implement it to gain insights into absence patterns, and what additional methods you need to avoid unfair outcomes.
What is the Bradford Factor?
One of the pillars of an effective performance management strategy is the monitoring of absence and sickness patterns. By using the Bradford Factor calculator, employers can gain insights into how frequently members of staff take time off for sickness.
This data, combined with other methods of analysis and feedback, can be used to help those employees who are struggling with attendance. It can also be used to identify patterns of absence within teams and departments, setting benchmarks for absence rates throughout the company.
Who Uses the Bradford Factor?
The cost borne due to absenteeism stands at USD 4080 for a full-time employee and USD 2040 for a part-time employee, which is significantly high. This is even higher in the public sector, leading to a significant burden on the public.
Owing to the public burden, public sector industries are also more likely to monitor their workers for absences. This makes the public sector the biggest users of the Bradford Factor. Usually, this includes institutions such as public schools, local authorities, etc.
However, this does not mean that private sector industries cannot use the Bradford score calculator. In fact, these organisations have a lot of scope to calculate the Bradford score and monitor their employees.
How Does the Bradford Factor Work?
One of the biggest hidden costs to running a company comes from unnecessary time off. A study in 2019 by Viking discovered that UK businesses lost £5.6 billion that year due to workers who lied about requiring a sick day.
The report found that 38% of sick days taken were not actually for illness. This comprised a total of 51.9 million sick days which were fake, leading to huge losses for businesses around the country.
The Bradford Factor score gives employers valuable insights into employee absences. Identifying employees who take frequent sickness absences can help managers address a range of performance issues.
Since frequent absences cause the most disruptions, managers and HR leaders can use the Bradford Factor scores to determine which employees need the most attention. They can work with the employees with the highest scores to help address their number of absences.
How Are Bradford Factor Scores Calculated?
Calculating a Bradford Factor score is easy to do, and can be achieved through the relevant HR software. The basic equation of the Bradford Factor calculator appears like this:
B = S² × D
These letters stand for:
- B represents the Bradford Factor
- S represents the spells (or instances) of an individual’s absence over a determined period of time
- D represents the total number of absence days over the same period of time
For example, 10 instances of absence over a 10 day period would be 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 points.
This formula makes sure that employees who take frequent if shorter spells of absence over a period of time will have a higher Bradford Factor score than those who take long but infrequent absences.
History of Bradford Factor Score
The exact origins of the Bradford Factor remain unclear to this day. It takes its name from Bradford University School of Management, based on the results of a research team based there in the 1980s.
In fact, Bradford University has stated that no such research has been conducted there, leaving people to speculate as to its real origins. The Financial Times stated in an article:
“HR folklore sources it to a pharmaceutical company in the 1980s whose managers attended a seminar at the Bradford University School of Management (Bradford University didn’t reply to my questions about it).”
Since its creation, a number of other methods have been adopted to help assess absence patterns. For example:
Lost Time Rate
Using the Lost Time Rate allows you to work out the percentage of total time lost on account of absence. The number of hours of absence are divided by the total possible working hours to give this percentage.
Absence Frequency Rate
The absence frequency rate calculates all the individual instances of absence occurring within an organisation. This figure is arrived at by dividing the total absences by the total number of employees.
The Consolidated Approach
The consolidated approach combines both of the above methods to give business leaders a broader insight into absence patterns. This gives a clearer – but still imperfect – picture of how sickness affects the company.
The Advantages of the Bradford Factor
As with many data-gathering methods, the Bradford Factor has its pros and cons. Here are some of the advantages you can gain through applying the Bradford Factor score to analyse employee absences:
- It’s an efficient way to get data on absence frequency patterns
- It can be fully automated through HR software tools
- It’s a mathematical equation, so treats all employees the same
- It encourages fewer absences and gets employees to consider how frequent absences may affect performance
The Disadvantages of the Bradford Factor
There are several disadvantages to the Bradford Factor which warrant consideration. These include:
- By treating all employees the same in its analysis, the Bradford Factor fails to treat people fairly. It doesn’t provide the context which might explain and justify frequent absences, such as ongoing health issues which require regular hospital visits
- It becomes inefficient when following up on the data is taken into consideration. While the raw data itself can be helpful to identify patterns, the reasons behind those patterns requires additional time and effort to discover
What is a Good or Bad Bradford Score?
When you use the Bradford factor or score calculator, it will provide a numerical value that reflects the impact of an employee’s absenteeism. In theory, the higher the Bradford score is, the more damage the absence can cause for the organisation.
Using the Bradford score system obtained using the Bradford calculator, you can outline the following:
| Score | What It Implies |
| Less than 50 | The usual score that employees receive |
| 51 – 100 | Threshold limit for monitoring an employee |
| 101 – 200 | The start of a potential trend of absenteeism |
| More than 200 | Point where intervention might be required |
| 201 – 500 | The signal for raising an issue with the employee |
| 501 and above | Potential reason for the employee’s dismissal |
What distinguishes a good Bradford score from a bad one? Anything less than 50 is a good score, as it indicates regular attendance and no immediate need for monitoring. A score above 50 raises concerns about employee behavior, and is considered a bad one.
While the Bradford points or scores are an indicator, the Bradford score chart is not a hard and fast rule. Thus, managers and HRMs need to account for situational issues that may have led to a high Bradford score.
Trigger Points for Bradford Factor
The results of the Bradford score or points calculator are important when deciding if an employee warrants disciplinary action. When an employee has a low Bradford score, there is no need for the HRM or the managers to have a meeting or take any action.
However, most organisations assign a “trigger point” on the Bradford score system. This helps them identify which employees are exhibiting problematic behaviour owing to their absenteeism and require intervention.
Implementing the Bradford Score System
While companies may opt for a trigger point, this might not be enough. The primary reason is that the Bradford score will vary, and someone scoring in the 200s will not warrant the same action as someone who scores 400 or above.
As such, HRMs and managers can refer to the system:
| Score | Potential Action |
| 100 | Meetings and reviews |
| 200 | Verbal and/or written warning |
| 400 | In-depth meeting with the managers |
| 700 | Grounds for potential dismissal |
Again, since these are not a hard and fast rule, companies have their choice in setting up a system that they prefer based on the Bradford points.
How Useful Are Bradford Factor Scores?
Most organisations use the Bradford Factor as part of their overall strategy of assessing sickness rates. It’s a common feature in many HR software suites, while its ability to automate reports makes it simple to use.
However, in order to make the most of the Bradford Factor, other measures need to be taken. For example, long-term illnesses and disabilities are not taken into consideration when using this formula. To account for this, HR leaders should make sure they include these factors when analysing sickness in the workforce.
Using Continuous Feedback
Medical conditions are often included in an employee’s personal profile. But there are other circumstances that may lead to frequent sickness absences which might go under the radar. Stress, anxiety, or an illness in the family can all affect attendance without team leaders or managers being aware of the problem.
By scheduling and conducting regular one2one check-ins, employers can make sure continuous feedback picks up these issues. Managers can include questions about mental health and well-being as a matter of course so that employees who are taking frequent sick days for legitimate reasons aren’t unfairly disciplined because of Bradford Factor scores.
The Ideal Solution When Using Bradford Scores
Bradford scoring, though based on data, is subjective. This is due to the reasons why an employee might be absent. Thus, it is important to treat the system as it is – a formula, instead of a standalone tool.
An ideal route is to opt for a strategy that combines employee engagement strategies with absence management. For a more comprehensive policy, HRMs can analyse employee absence data regularly and address the reasons behind any unplanned absence.
Regular one2one check-ins with employees are a good way to address any issues. By implementing continuous feedback, employers can ensure that leaves taken (planned or unplanned) can be correctly monitored. For instance, while chronic health issues or conditions are generally included in the employee profile, unprecedented events (illness in the family, mental health issues etc.) might affect attendance while slipping under the radar.
Frequent one-on-one sessions with the employees that touch upon their professional as well as personal well-being maintains transparency. Implementing the Bradford score should not become a rigid affair that leads to unwarranted repercussions for employees taking leaves for legitimate causes.
To put it in a nutshell, HRMs should resort to disciplinary action only if necessary and offer support to employees if required. Not only will this approach help increase morale but also improve performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Calculate the Bradford Factor?
Using the Bradford Factor calculator to determine your employees’ rates of absence is easy. Simply multiply the total number of instances of absences by itself (e.g. 7 x 7), then multiply this number by the total number of absence days.
For a more detailed explanation, head to the top of this article.
Is Bradford Factor Legal?
The Bradford Factor sits within the concept of guidelines rather than rules, although it is legal to take action against employees who are repeatedly absent from work. While the score given is a useful guide and can be used as a benchmark for trigger points, all factors need to be considered before taking any action against an employee.
Is the Bradford Factor Effective?
The Bradford factor gives employers a clear data set that they can use for the assessment of sickness. However, it is only fully effective when used alongside other methods to determine whether or not frequent absences are justified or not.
How Many Sick Days Are Acceptable in a Year
While there are no firm guidelines on how many sickness absences an employee can have each year, the national average in the UK as of 2018 is 4.4, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Businesses are free to establish their own threshold for absences, but should always take into account mitigating circumstances for employees who pass this figure.
