At The Herd, health comes first. When people are unwell, they should be able to focus on recovering, not worrying about work. At the same time, unplanned absence affects clients, project delivery, and the rest of the team, so it needs to be managed clearly and fairly.
The HR Portal is the single source of truth for sickness, absence, and related records at The Herd.
This policy applies to all employees of The Herd, regardless of role, contract type, or seniority.
The aims are to:
Nothing in this policy overrides statutory rights or obligations under UK employment law or your employment contract.
If you are too unwell to work, you must:
Messages by email, WhatsApp, SMS, Teams or any other channel are not acceptable for reporting sickness and will be treated as if you have not reported your absence.
The only exception is where a different method has been formally agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment (for example, for a disability or specific communication need).
For ongoing short absences (up to 7 calendar days), you should call your manager regularly to provide updates, especially if your expected return date changes.
For sickness absence of 7 calendar days or fewer, self‑certification is usually sufficient, recorded via your manager in the HR Portal.
If you are absent for more than 7 calendar days, you must provide a GP fit note (or equivalent medical evidence) and ensure your manager has a copy so it can be logged.
If an absence continues, you must provide further fit notes covering the full period with no gaps.
In some circumstances (for example, repeat short absences or health concerns), The Herd may ask for additional evidence or suggest occupational health input, where appropriate and lawful.
The HR Portal is used to record:
Managers are responsible for ensuring all sickness and related absence is recorded promptly and accurately in the HR Portal so balances, patterns, and any triggers are visible and fair across the team.
Where possible, routine medical or dental appointments should be scheduled outside working hours.
If that is not practical:
For planned operations or treatment likely to involve a period of absence, discuss the expected dates and impact as early as you can so cover can be arranged.
Short‑term or intermittent sickness can still have a big impact if it becomes frequent.
To manage this fairly, managers may:
The Herd may operate an "absence trigger" approach, where reaching a certain level of absence within a period prompts a formal review meeting. Any formal warnings or action will follow the disciplinary and capability procedures, taking account of disability, pregnancy, and other protected factors.
For the purposes of this policy, "long‑term sickness" typically means continuous absence of 4 weeks or more, although managers may treat shorter periods as long‑term depending on medical advice and impact.
For long‑term sickness:
If, after reasonable time and exploration of adjustments, you are still not able to return to work, The Herd may need to move into a formal capability process, which could ultimately include consideration of ending your employment in line with UK law and internal procedures.
When you return from sickness absence (short or long term), your manager may:
For phased returns following long‑term sickness, details such as reduced hours, temporary duties, and review dates should be agreed in writing between you, your manager, and HR.
If you become unwell before or during booked holiday:
Where sickness is properly reported and evidenced, some or all of the affected holiday days may be converted to sickness absence and your holiday allowance reinstated, in line with UK rules on statutory holiday and The Herd's Holiday Policy.
Your entitlement to pay during sickness depends on:
Key points:
If you are not entitled to SSP or Company Sick Pay for a particular period, any further absence may be unpaid, though you may request to use holiday where appropriate and agreed with your manager.
Separate from sickness, employees may occasionally need urgent time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant (for example, a child suddenly taken ill or care arrangements collapsing).
In these situations:
The detailed rules for time off for dependants are set out in The Herd's Time Off for Dependants Policy, which sits alongside this document.
Bereavement, compassionate leave, and family‑related leave (such as maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave) are covered by separate policies, but are closely linked to how The Herd manages absence overall.
Where such leave is taken, it will be recorded in the HR Portal under the correct category, and statutory and contractual entitlements will apply.
If you experience a bereavement or serious family event, speak to your manager or HR as soon as you can so the right type of leave and support can be agreed.
The Herd expects all absences to be reported promptly and honestly.
If you fail to attend work and do not call in as required, this may be treated as unauthorised absence.
Unauthorised absence, or misuse of sickness (for example, being fit to work but claiming to be sick), may be treated as a disciplinary matter under The Herd's disciplinary procedure.
Examples of misuse include:
The Herd is committed to supporting physical and mental health.
If your health is affecting your work or attendance, you are encouraged to:
Where a health condition may amount to a disability under UK law, The Herd will consider reasonable adjustments to duties, hours, or workplace arrangements, in line with its Equality and Diversity commitments.
Sickness and absence data from the HR Portal may be monitored to:
This policy will be reviewed periodically as The Herd grows, to reflect changes in law, best practice, and feedback from employees and managers, and any updates will be communicated and reflected in the HR Portal and Employee Handbook.