Sickness absence
Using HR Organiser
We aim to have a clear process to manage sickness and support our employees back to work.
Line managers or delegated individual record employee sickness via People Manager, our secure management portal.
Employees use HR Organiser to close their sickness and complete the detail relating to the period of sickness.
As of 6 April 2026, it is now a legal requirement for all employees, whether they are permanent or a casual employee, to receive statutory sick pay (SSP) from day 1 of employment.
As part of this change, all employees will be given access to the ‘My Time’ section of HR Organiser to report their sickness absence.If you are a line manager, you will be required to enter the employee’s absence on the first day they are off, even if they are a casual employee, as you currently do for your direct reports. Once the employee returns from sick leave, they will be required to add an end date to the period of absence.
Please ensure you familiarise yourself with the sickness absence management policy below.
If you do have any questions, please reach out to the Reward Team (reward@essex.ac.uk).
- Sickness Absence Management Policy (.pdf)
- Sickness absence flowchart (.pdf)
- Informal meeting – sickness absence review form (.pdf)
Sick pay arrangements
University of Essex employees are entitled to paid sick leave based on length of service. The entitlement to occupational sick pay is as follows:
| Length of service | Entitlement to paid sick pay |
| Up to 3 months service | 1 month full pay |
| Between 3 months and 1 year of service | 2 months full pay, 2 months half pay |
| During the 2nd year of service | 3 months full pay, 3 months half pay |
| During the 3rd year of service | 4 months full pay, 4 months half pay |
| During the 4th and 5th year of service | 5 months full pay, 5 months half pay |
| After 5 years’ service | 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay |
Part-time, term-time or fixed-term contracts
Employees engaged on a part-time basis or term-time only basis are entitled to the above entitlements on a pro-rata basis. Those on fixed-term contracts will be entitled to the same occupational sick pay arrangements as detailed above. The full detail of the entitlement and conditions can be found in sick leave and pay arrangements (.pdf).
Additional information for line managers
Return to work conversations
The purpose of the return to work discussion is to confirm with the employee that they are well enough to return to work, agree workload priorities and ensure they are up to date on any changes that occurred in their absence. The discussion is usually straightforward and provides an opportunity to highlight / resolve issues and shows your colleagues that you care.
Managing long-term sickness
A period of sickness will likely be considered long term if the period is likely to last more than four weeks. In cases of long-term sickness, it is essential that regular dialogue is maintained and an appropriate method and frequency of contact agreed. A referral to Occupational Health should be made, in agreement with your Employee Relations Adviser, when it is known that there is the prospect of long-term sickness, to determine whether any additional support can be provided to the line manager or employee.
Work-related stress
Work-related stress is the reaction people have to demands which exceed their capacity and capability to cope. As part of a commitment to staff wellbeing, the University wants to identify and address the causes of work-related stress. If you have an employee who reports work related stress; whether they are currently at work or absent, please speak to your Employee Relations Adviser.
Stress and stress-related absence has a significant impact on employees, teams, departments and the University. Occupational Health provides guidance and support for line managers and employees as part of the University’s Stress Management Policy (.docx).
