Absence Reporting Procedures

A Practical Guide To What Employees Should Do When They Cannot Attend Work – And What Employers Should Put In Place

When an employee cannot attend work, a clear absence reporting procedure helps everyone understand what needs to happen. Employees know who to contact, when they need to make contact and what information they should provide, while managers receive the information they need to arrange cover, record the absence and decide whether any further action is required.

Problems often arise when reporting arrangements are informal or inconsistent. One employee telephones their manager, another sends a WhatsApp message to a colleague and someone else simply does not turn up. Over time, it becomes difficult to establish whether employees have followed the correct procedure or whether managers have treated similar situations consistently.

This guide explains what an effective absence reporting procedure should include, what employees should be expected to do and how SMEs can deal with situations where the procedure is not followed.

What Is An Absence Reporting Procedure?

An absence reporting procedure sets out what an employee must do when they are unable to attend work unexpectedly, most commonly because of sickness. It should provide a clear and consistent process for notifying the employer and keeping in contact while the absence continues.

A good absence reporting procedure should explain:

• Who the employee should contact if they cannot attend work.
• How they should make contact, for example by telephone rather than text or email.
• When the absence must be reported.
• What information the employee is expected to provide.
• Whether the employee needs to make contact again if their absence continues.
• When a fit note or other medical evidence may be required.
• What the employee should do when they are ready to return to work.
• What may happen if the reporting procedure is not followed without a reasonable explanation.

The procedure will usually form part of the employer’s sickness absence or attendance policy and should be readily available to employees. Managers should also understand the procedure so that the same reporting requirements are applied consistently across the business.

The aim is not to make reporting sickness unnecessarily difficult. It is to ensure the employer knows that the employee is safe, understands why they are not attending work and has enough information to manage the immediate impact of their absence.

Why Clear Absence Reporting Procedures Matter

In a small business, one unexpected absence can have an immediate impact. Work may need to be redistributed, appointments rearranged, customers contacted or another employee asked to provide cover. The sooner the employer knows what is happening, the easier it is to manage that disruption.

A clear absence reporting procedure also removes uncertainty about what employees are expected to do. Without one, different employees may report absence in different ways and managers may develop their own informal rules. This can lead to confusion, inconsistent treatment and disputes about whether an employee actually reported their absence correctly.

Effective reporting procedures help employers to:

• Know promptly when an employee will not be attending work.
• Arrange appropriate cover and manage workloads.
• Understand the reason for the absence and likely duration where this is known.
• Keep accurate sickness and attendance records.
• Identify whether further contact, support or action may be required.
• Ensure managers apply the same reporting expectations consistently.
• Identify repeated failures to follow the reporting procedure.
• Maintain appropriate contact where an absence continues.

Clear reporting arrangements also protect employees. They know exactly what is expected of them and are less likely to find themselves accused of failing to report an absence because one manager expected a telephone call while another routinely accepted a text message.

The procedure should therefore be communicated before it is needed. Ideally, employees should be told how to report absence when they join the business, with the requirements also clearly set out in the employee handbook or sickness absence policy.

Who Should Employees Contact?

An absence reporting procedure should clearly identify who an employee must contact when they are unable to attend work. Wherever possible, this should be the employee’s line manager or another specifically nominated person who has responsibility for managing attendance.

Employees should normally be required to make contact themselves and speak directly to the appropriate manager. Text messages, emails and messages sent through WhatsApp or other social media platforms should not normally be accepted as a substitute for a telephone call. Messages can be overlooked, delayed or remain unread until much later in the day, leaving the employer unaware that the employee will not be attending work.

A telephone conversation also gives the manager an opportunity to establish the reason for the absence, how long the employee expects to be away from work and whether there is any immediate information the business needs to know.

Employees should not simply be expected to “let someone know”. Telling a colleague, leaving a message with reception or asking another employee to pass on the information can result in messages being delayed, misunderstood or never reaching the person responsible for managing the absence.

There will, of course, be circumstances where an employee is genuinely unable to make the call themselves, for example because they are seriously ill, receiving emergency treatment or otherwise unable to communicate. The procedure should allow for someone else to make contact on their behalf in exceptional circumstances.

The procedure should also explain what the employee should do if their usual contact is unavailable. This might mean telephoning another manager, a designated absence contact or an alternative telephone number.

For businesses operating shifts, multiple sites or outside normal office hours, employees should know who they need to contact at the time their absence needs to be reported. The arrangements should reflect how the business actually operates rather than relying on a process that only works during normal office hours.

When Should Employees Report Their Absence?

Employees should report their absence as soon as they know they will be unable to attend work. The purpose of early notification is not simply to tell the employer that they will be absent, but to give the business reasonable time to deal with the gap their absence creates.

Depending on the employee’s role, the employer may need to arrange cover, redistribute work, change shifts, rearrange appointments or contact customers. Reporting an absence only a few minutes before the employee is due to start work may leave very little time to make those arrangements.

Employees should therefore be encouraged to think about when they knew, or reasonably should have known, that they were unlikely to be fit for work. For example, if an employee would normally need to leave home well before their start time to travel to work, waiting until shortly before the shift begins to report sickness may not give the employer reasonable notice if they already knew they were too unwell to make the journey.

The absence reporting procedure should specify a clear reporting deadline appropriate to the business. This might require employees to telephone at least 30 minutes or one hour before their normal start time, but some businesses may reasonably require earlier notification where arranging cover is particularly difficult.

The appropriate timescale will depend on how the business operates. An office-based employee may have different reporting requirements from someone working on a production line, providing customer appointments, opening a premises or working a shift that requires minimum staffing levels.

Employees should not deliberately delay making contact once they know they are unlikely to attend. Equally, employers should recognise that illness can develop suddenly and emergencies occur. An accident, unexpected deterioration in health or emergency medical treatment may make it impossible for an employee to provide the normal amount of notice.

Where an employee is going to be late rather than absent for the whole day, the procedure should also explain how and when lateness should be reported. Again, employees should make contact as soon as they know there is likely to be a problem rather than waiting until their normal start time has passed.

What Information Should Employees Provide?

When reporting sickness absence, employees should provide enough information for their manager to understand what is happening and make any immediate arrangements required. A simple message saying “I’m sick” may not give the employer enough information to manage the absence effectively.

Employees should normally be asked to provide:

• The general reason for their absence.
• When the illness or problem started.
• How long they expect to be absent, where they are able to give an indication.
• Whether they have sought, or expect to need, medical advice or treatment where relevant.
• Whether there is anything work-related that may have contributed to the absence.
• Whether there are any urgent tasks, appointments, customer commitments or other information the manager needs to deal with while they are away.
• How and when they will make further contact if they are not well enough to return as expected.

Employees will not always know how long they are going to be absent. Someone who wakes with a migraine or stomach bug may reasonably expect to return the following day but later find that they remain unwell. The important point is that the manager establishes what is known at the time and agrees when the employee should make contact again.

Managers should ask appropriate questions but should not turn the absence reporting call into a medical interrogation. Employees should not normally be expected to provide detailed medical information that is unnecessary for managing their absence. The aim is to understand the general reason for absence, its likely duration and anything the business needs to know or do.

There may also be occasions where the information provided suggests that further action is needed. For example, an employee may say that their absence is connected to workplace stress, an accident at work or difficulties with another employee. The manager should make a note of the information and ensure the underlying concern is followed up appropriately rather than treating the call purely as notification of sickness.

Can Employees Report Sickness By Text Or WhatsApp?

Employers can set reasonable rules about how employees must report sickness absence. Where the absence reporting procedure requires employees to telephone and speak directly to their manager, a text message, WhatsApp message, email or social media message would not normally satisfy that requirement.

There are practical reasons for requiring a telephone call. Electronic messages may not be seen immediately. A manager may be driving, in a meeting, away from work or simply not checking that particular communication channel. By the time the message is read, the employee’s shift may already have started and the business may have lost valuable time in arranging cover.

Speaking directly to the employee also gives the manager an opportunity to establish the reason for the absence, the likely duration, whether further contact will be needed and whether there is anything requiring immediate attention while the employee is away.

If the business does not want employees reporting sickness by text, WhatsApp or email, this should be stated clearly in the absence reporting procedure. Employees should be told what method they are expected to use, who they should telephone and what they should do if that person is unavailable.

Employers should also make sure managers follow the procedure consistently. If one manager regularly accepts WhatsApp messages while another insists on a telephone call, it becomes much harder to take issue with an employee for using the wrong method.

There may be exceptional circumstances where an employee is genuinely unable to telephone personally. For example, they may be receiving emergency medical treatment or be too unwell to make the call. Employers should consider the circumstances rather than treating every departure from the normal procedure as misconduct.

Can Someone Else Report An Employee’s Absence?

Employees should normally be expected to report their own absence and speak directly to their manager. This allows the manager to hear from the employee, understand the reason for the absence, discuss how long they may be away and agree any further contact that will be required.

Having a partner, parent, friend or colleague telephone on the employee’s behalf should therefore normally be reserved for situations where the employee is genuinely unable to make contact themselves.

This might include circumstances where the employee:

• Has been admitted to hospital or is receiving emergency medical treatment.
• Is seriously ill or physically unable to make the telephone call.
• Has been involved in an accident.
• Is experiencing a medical or mental health emergency that prevents them from making contact personally.
• Is otherwise genuinely unable to communicate with the employer.

The fact that it may be more convenient or comfortable for someone else to make the call does not necessarily mean the employee is unable to report their own absence. Where the employee could reasonably have contacted the employer themselves, the manager can remind them of the reporting procedure and the requirement to make future absence calls personally.

Where somebody else does report the absence, the manager should record who made contact, their relationship to the employee, the information provided and why the employee was unable to make contact themselves where this is known.

Employers should still use common sense. If an employee’s partner telephones to say that the employee has been taken to hospital, the priority is to establish that the employee will not be attending work and arrange appropriate contact later. It would not be reasonable to insist that the employee personally telephone simply to comply with the normal procedure.

Keeping In Contact During Sickness Absence

Employers are sometimes nervous about contacting an employee who is off sick, particularly where the employee has been signed off by their GP or their absence is related to stress or mental health. This can result in weeks passing with little or no communication other than the employee sending another fit note.

Being signed off work does not normally mean that an employee cannot have reasonable contact with their employer. Appropriate communication is an important part of managing sickness absence and helps both the employer and employee understand what is happening.

Where an absence is expected to continue, the employer and employee should agree how contact will be maintained. This should include who will make contact, how they will communicate and approximately how often contact will take place.

Regular contact can help the employer:

• Understand how the employee’s recovery is progressing.
• Keep up to date with any expected return-to-work date.
• Discuss changes to fit notes or medical advice.
• Identify whether further support or Occupational Health advice may be needed.
• Discuss reasonable adjustments or arrangements that may support a return to work.
• Keep the employee appropriately informed about relevant workplace developments.
• Plan workloads, cover and staffing arrangements while the absence continues.

There is no single contact frequency that will be appropriate for every absence. Someone recovering from planned surgery with a clear recovery period may need relatively little contact. An employee whose return date is uncertain may require more regular discussions. Where absence is related to stress, anxiety or a workplace concern, the method and frequency of contact may need particular care.

Contact should be reasonable and purposeful. Managers should avoid repeatedly contacting an employee simply to ask when they are coming back to work, but neither should they assume that leaving the employee completely alone is the supportive option. A short, agreed conversation at sensible intervals is usually preferable to silence followed by an unexpected formal meeting several months later.

If an employee says that contact from a particular manager is causing difficulty, that does not necessarily mean all communication must stop. It may be appropriate to agree another contact within the business, change the method of communication or reduce the frequency of contact while still maintaining a reasonable management relationship.

Employees also have a responsibility to maintain reasonable communication during sickness absence. They should provide fit notes when required, respond to reasonable attempts to make contact and keep the employer informed about significant changes that may affect their absence or anticipated return.

Importantly, the contact arrangements should not be left vague. Agreeing at the end of each conversation when the next contact will take place gives both parties certainty and reduces the risk of the employee feeling unexpectedly chased or the employer wondering whether they are allowed to make contact.

Fit Notes And Medical Evidence

Employees can normally self-certify sickness absence for the first seven calendar days. If the absence continues for more than seven calendar days, the employee will usually need to provide a fit note from an appropriate healthcare professional.

The seven-day period includes days the employee would not normally work, such as weekends and rest days. For example, an employee who becomes unwell on a Monday and remains unfit for work the following Monday will normally need a fit note because their absence has continued for more than seven calendar days.

A fit note may state that the employee is “not fit for work” or “may be fit for work” if appropriate support or changes could help them work. Where recommendations are included, employers should discuss them with the employee and consider whether they can reasonably be accommodated.

Employers should keep a record of fit notes received and monitor their expiry dates. If an employee remains unable to work when their current fit note expires, they should provide further medical evidence where required and continue to follow the organisation’s sickness absence procedure.

Importantly, providing a fit note does not remove the need for reasonable communication between the employee and employer. A fit note provides medical evidence of the employee’s fitness for work; it does not mean the employer must have no contact with the employee until the note expires.

For longer or more complex absences, a fit note may not provide all the information the employer needs. Where there are questions about prognosis, likely return-to-work timescales, workplace restrictions or reasonable adjustments, further medical information or an Occupational Health assessment may be appropriate.

Any medical information received should be handled appropriately and confidentially, with access limited to those who genuinely need the information for employment purposes.

Recording Employee Absence

Once an employee has reported their absence, the information should be recorded promptly and consistently. Relying on managers to remember who was absent, when they called or what was discussed can quickly lead to incomplete records, particularly where several managers are responsible for different employees.

The absence record should normally include:

• The date and time the employee reported their absence.
• Who the employee spoke to.
• The reason given for the absence.
• The first day of absence.
• The employee’s expected return date, where this is known.
• Any work-related concerns or other relevant information raised during the conversation.
• Any immediate actions or support agreed.
• When the employee and manager have agreed to make contact again.
• Details of any fit note or other medical information subsequently received.
• The employee’s eventual return-to-work date.

It is also worth recording information that may seem relatively unimportant at the time if it could become relevant later. For example, an employee may explain why they were unable to follow the normal reporting procedure, raise a concern about work or agree to a particular method of contact. A short note made at the time is much more reliable than trying to reconstruct the conversation several weeks or months later.

Accurate records become particularly important if absence continues or begins to form a pattern. They allow managers to see the frequency and duration of sickness absence, understand what has previously been discussed and identify whether further support or attendance management may be required.

Records should also distinguish between different types of absence. Sickness absence, authorised leave, time off for dependants and unauthorised absence should not simply be grouped together as “absence”. Recording the reason correctly helps employers understand what has happened and ensures that subsequent decisions are based on accurate information.

For very small businesses, absence may initially be recorded using a simple HR record or spreadsheet. As the business grows, HR software can make recording and monitoring absence easier by keeping information in one place and giving managers better visibility of attendance patterns.

Information about an employee’s health is sensitive personal information and should be handled appropriately. Access to sickness and medical records should be restricted to those who genuinely need the information and records should be stored securely.

What If An Employee Doesn’t Follow The Absence Reporting Procedure?

If an employee does not follow the absence reporting procedure, the first step should usually be to establish what happened. A failure to follow the procedure does not automatically mean that disciplinary action is appropriate.

For example, an employee might telephone too late, send a text instead of calling, ask somebody else to report their absence or fail to make contact at all. Before deciding how to respond, the manager should speak to the employee and understand why the normal procedure was not followed.

The manager should consider:

• Whether the employee knew and understood the absence reporting procedure.
• Whether the procedure had been clearly communicated and was reasonably accessible.
• Why the employee did not follow it.
• Whether illness, an accident or another emergency prevented them from complying.
• Whether this is the first occasion or part of a repeated pattern.
• Whether similar situations have been dealt with consistently.
• Whether the employee has previously been reminded about the correct reporting requirements.

Where there is a reasonable explanation and the problem is relatively minor, an informal reminder may be all that is required. The manager should explain what the employee should have done, confirm what is expected in future and make a brief record of the conversation.

Where an employee says they did not know what they were expected to do, employers should also look at how effectively the procedure has been communicated. If the rules have never been properly explained, immediately taking formal action for failing to follow them may be difficult to justify.

The position may be different where the employee clearly knows the procedure but repeatedly chooses not to follow it without a reasonable explanation. In those circumstances, the concern is no longer simply that the employee is absent from work; it may be their failure to follow a reasonable management instruction or company procedure.

It is important to keep the two issues separate. An employee may be genuinely unwell but still fail to follow the reporting procedure correctly. The employer should not treat genuine sickness as misconduct simply because there is a separate concern about how the absence was reported.

When Failure To Report Absence May Become A Conduct Issue

Sickness absence itself should not normally be treated as misconduct simply because an employee is genuinely unable to attend work. However, the way an employee reports and manages their absence is a separate issue.

Where an employee knows the absence reporting procedure, is reasonably able to follow it and repeatedly or deliberately fails to do so without a satisfactory explanation, the matter may become a conduct concern.

Examples might include:

• Repeatedly reporting sickness significantly later than required without good reason.
• Continuing to send text or WhatsApp messages when the employee has been clearly told that they must telephone and speak to their manager.
• Repeatedly asking another person to report their absence when they are reasonably capable of doing so themselves.
• Failing to maintain agreed contact during an ongoing period of sickness absence.
• Failing to provide required fit notes or other information without reasonable explanation.
• Failing to make any contact and simply not attending work.
• Providing deliberately false or misleading information about an absence.

Before considering formal action, the employer should investigate what happened and give the employee an opportunity to explain. The circumstances matter. Someone who failed to telephone because they were receiving emergency treatment is in a very different position from an employee who simply decided that sending a message was easier despite having previously been reminded of the correct procedure.

Where the problem is relatively minor or a first occurrence, an informal conversation and reminder of the reporting requirements may be sufficient. If the behaviour continues after the employee has been clearly told what is expected, formal disciplinary action may become appropriate.

Employers should also be clear about what they are addressing. If disciplinary action is considered, the concern should be the employee’s failure to follow the reporting procedure or another specific conduct issue, rather than the fact that they were genuinely sick.

Unauthorised Absence And AWOL

If an employee does not attend work and has not reported their absence, employers will often describe them as “AWOL” or absent without leave. However, the fact that an employee has not arrived for work does not necessarily mean that they have deliberately chosen to be absent without permission.

The first priority should be to establish what has happened. The employee may be ill, have misunderstood their shift, experienced an emergency or be genuinely unable to make contact. There may also be circumstances where the lack of contact raises concerns about the employee’s welfare.

Where an employee fails to attend work without making contact, the manager should normally:

• Check that the employee was expected to attend work and that there has not been a change to their shift, holiday or other agreed arrangement.
• Check whether the employee has attempted to contact another manager or colleague.
• Try to contact the employee using their usual contact details.
• Leave a clear message asking the employee to make contact as soon as possible if they do not answer.
• Make a record of the attempts made to contact them.
• Consider whether there is any reason to be concerned about the employee’s welfare.

If contact is established, the manager should find out why the employee is absent and why the normal reporting procedure was not followed. The appropriate response will depend on the explanation and the circumstances.

Where the employee remains absent and does not respond to reasonable attempts to make contact, the employer should normally write to them. The communication should explain that their absence has not been authorised, set out the attempts that have been made to contact them and require them to make contact by a reasonable deadline.

Employers should not simply assume that an employee who disappears from work has resigned. If there is still no contact, further action may be necessary under the employer’s disciplinary or unauthorised absence procedure. Any decision should be based on the information reasonably available and a fair process should still be followed.

If the employee later provides a reasonable explanation for both their absence and their inability to make contact, the employer should take that into account before deciding whether any further action is appropriate. Where there is no satisfactory explanation, the unauthorised absence and failure to follow the reporting procedure may become conduct matters.

Common Absence Reporting Mistakes Employers Make

Many absence reporting problems arise because expectations are unclear, managers apply different rules or the procedure is only discussed after something has gone wrong. A few simple steps can prevent many of the most common problems.

Common mistakes include:

• Not explaining the procedure before it is needed. Employees should know how to report absence from the start of their employment rather than discovering the rules after they have already got something wrong.
• Using vague instructions. Telling employees to “let us know” does not explain who they should contact, how they should make contact or when they need to do it.
• Accepting last-minute notification unnecessarily. Employees should make contact as soon as they know they are unlikely to attend work, giving the business reasonable time to arrange cover or deal with the gap their absence creates.
• Allowing different reporting methods for different employees. If some managers accept WhatsApp messages while others require telephone calls, employees may understandably become confused about what the actual procedure is.
• Failing to provide a backup contact. Employees need to know what to do if their usual manager is unavailable when they need to report their absence.
• Not asking enough questions during the initial call. Managers need sufficient information to understand the general reason for absence, likely duration and whether anything requires immediate attention.
• Failing to record the conversation. Important details can easily be forgotten, particularly if an absence continues or later becomes part of a formal attendance process.
• Leaving ongoing contact arrangements vague. Saying “keep us updated” can leave both parties uncertain about who should make the next contact and when.
• Assuming a fit note means the employee should be left completely alone. Reasonable contact can and should normally continue during sickness absence.
• Jumping immediately to disciplinary action. If an employee fails to follow the procedure, establish why before deciding how to respond. Illness, an accident or an emergency may provide a reasonable explanation.
• Confusing sickness with misconduct. Genuine sickness absence and failure to follow an absence reporting procedure are separate issues and should be managed accordingly.
• Assuming an employee who has not turned up has resigned. Make reasonable attempts to establish what has happened and follow an appropriate process before reaching conclusions about their employment.

How Kea HR Can Help

Clear absence reporting procedures make sickness absence easier to manage from the very first telephone call. Kea HR can help SMEs put practical procedures in place and support managers when an employee’s absence becomes more difficult to manage.

We can help with:

• Sickness absence policies – creating clear reporting and contact procedures that reflect how your business actually operates.
• Employee handbooks – ensuring employees understand their responsibilities when they are unable to attend work.
• Attendance management – helping you manage frequent short-term absence, long-term sickness and emerging attendance concerns.
• Return-to-work procedures – helping managers use return-to-work meetings effectively and consistently.
• Occupational Health referrals – helping you decide when medical advice may be useful and preparing appropriate referral questions.
• Reasonable adjustments – helping you identify and consider appropriate workplace adjustments.
• Conduct and capability support – helping you identify the correct process where absence, reporting failures or capability concerns become more serious.
• HR software – helping you introduce systems such as Breathe HR to record and monitor employee absence more effectively.

Whether you need to improve your existing absence procedure or need advice about an employee who is currently off work, Kea HR can help you identify the practical next steps.

Need Help With Absence Reporting Procedures?

If you’re unsure what to do next, Kea HR can help you review the situation, identify the appropriate process and manage it fairly and practically. Speak directly with our CIPD-qualified HR expert with 30+ years’ experience.

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