The Bradford Factor

THE BRADFORD FACTOR & ABSENTEEISM

The Bradford Factor is a Human Resources tool used by many organizations to measure and identify areas of absenteeism. The theory is that short, frequent and unplanned absences are more disruptive than longer absences. It is based on the fact that it is normally easier to make arrangements to cover for staffs who are going to be off for long periods, and which are more likely to be suffering from a genuine illness. However, employees taking odd unplanned days off here and there actually cause more disruption to the business. If this pattern is repeated regularly, the employee will have a high Bradford Factor score; which may raise questions about how genuine the illness actually is.

The formula for the Bradford

However, used effectively, the

Bradford Factor can reduce absenteeism dramatically, serving as a deterrent and a method for tackling persistent absenteeism.

Studies have shown that by educating staff about the Bradford Factor, and then showing them their score on a regular basis, absenteeism can be reduced by over 20%. This is largely down to staff understanding that taking the odd day off here and there will quickly multiply their Bradford Factor score. The Bradford Factor places a value on the absence which an employee can clearly see. Where the absence is not absolutely necessary, this can serve to deter absenteeism. When this is used in conjunction with a points system the Bradford Factor can be effectively utilized to deter unnecessary absenteeism.

For example the Bradford Factor can be utilized by creating ―triggers‖ whereby certain actions are taken when an employee‘s Bradford score reaches a certain point.

For example, the UK Prison Service has used the following triggers:

51 points – verbal warning.

201 points – written warning

401 points – final warning

601 points –

It is usually advisable to use the Bradford Factor as one of a number of absence policies. However, setting these triggers and making staff aware of them, in addition to taking action, resulted in the Prison Service reducing absenteeism by 18%. By implementing mandatory procedures for tackling absenteeism across an organization led by the Bradford Factor, an organization can remove the potential for differences across teams and management and remove the difficulties and reluctance that line managers often face when having to discipline a close staff member.

The Bradford Factor can provide organizations with a two pronged method for tackling absence: proactively deterring absence in the first place and utilizing a set procedure to identify and tackle persistent absenteeism.

Implementing the Bradford Factor

Calculating the Bradford Factor for one member of staff over a given period is not a difficult proposition. However, calculating the Bradford Factor over a rolling 52 week period, across multiple teams and locations and considering different types of absence is a very difficult task.

As a result of the exponential nature of the formula {E x E x D}, even the slightest mistakes in calculation can result in a wide variance of an employee‘s Bradford Factor score.

For example: For an employee who has had 10 days off in a year in total, on two separate