Employee absence for a range of reasons is a reality in every workplace. Employees may be absent from work due to illness, personal emergencies, caregiving responsibilities, or other causes. Simply noticing when employees are absent is not enough though. Employers benefit greatly from recording and analysing absence information. In this guide, we explain why absence recording matters, how good data drives better decisions, and what employers should consider from both a practical and legal perspective.
What we mean by recording absence
When we talk about recording absence information, we mean more than just ticking off days on a calendar when someone is off work. Recording absence should be carried out in a detailed, systematic and consistent manner. It is important to log when employees are absent, for how long, and for what reason. Having these records then allows employers to track absence trends across teams and departments and to take a deeper dive into analysing absence data over time to spot patterns or recurring issues. Accurate absence records then become the foundation for understanding workforce wellbeing and organisational resilience.
Absence is rising — and recording it helps you see the trend
Recent research shows that employee absence in the UK has been increasing. According to a 2025 report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), employees were off sick for nearly two full working weeks (9.4 days) on average over a 12month period, a notable rise compared to the average of 7.8 days when the same survey was conducted in 2023.
This kind of absence statistic is valuable not only to HR teams but to senior leaders planning resource allocation, staff wellbeing strategies, and absence reduction initiatives. Seeing rising absence trends early enables proactive measures rather than reactive firefighting and benchmarking their business data to national statistics helps employers to understand the wider context.
Without robust absence records, employers are effectively blind to important shifts in workforce health and behaviour.
Why accurate absence data matters
Here’s a breakdown of the key benefits of recording absence information:
Understand costs and impact
Employee absence isn’t just about days off, it has tangible business costs. Recording absence data helps employers calculate:
- Costs of sick pay (including statutory sick pay).
- Lost productivity due to unplanned absence.
- Overtime or temporary cover costs.
- Impact on team morale and delivery deadlines.
Research shows many employers struggle with this as up to 27% of businesses don’t record the impact of sickness absence on their organisation, even though most collect basic absence records.
Without these insights, companies risk underestimating the financial and operational impact of employee absence.
Spot patterns and risks early
Good absence records allow employers to analyse who is taking repeated short absences, or where long term absence is persistent. This can help identify issues such as:
- Workloads contributing to stress.
- Workplace hazards leading to injury.
- Teams experiencing burnout.
Accurate absence tracking enables early intervention support, which can help individuals return to work sooner and reduce the likelihood of long absences.
Legal and compliance reasons to record absence
Recording absence is good business practice, it helps a company to meet legal obligations and manages risk effectively. Employers must treat staff fairly in areas such as:
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) administration — you need records to calculate eligibility and ensure that payments are accurate.
- Disciplinary or capability processes — if an absence becomes a performance or attendance issue, accurate records are essential to demonstrate fairness and consistency. Ultimately, a case may even result in a tribunal if an employee makes a claim and so holding records is vital in being able to defend such a claim.
If absence records are sloppy or inconsistent, an employee could argue that decisions were unfair or discriminatory.
Absence records often contain sensitive personal data, especially when they include health related information. Employers must handle this in line with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) advises that while absence data can be recorded, employers should minimise personal details where possible and protect records securely.
This means:
- Limiting access to authorised HR or management staff only.
- Securing records in protected HR systems.
- Being transparent with employees about how their absence information is used.
Failing to protect sensitive absence data could lead to legal challenges or regulatory scrutiny.
Recording absence supports wellbeing and retention
Beyond compliance and cost analysis, absence data can help employers improve workplace wellbeing.
For example, if absence statistics show a rise in long term absence due to stress or mental health reasons, this can inform wellbeing strategies such as:
- Providing employee assistance programmes (EAPs).
- Offering flexible working options.
- Training managers to support staff effectively.
It may also be that absences relating to musculoskeletal issues are high and this can be addressed through training on manual handling or providing ergonomic chairs and desks.
Absence trends can act as an early warning system for emerging issues that affect the whole workforce.
Common pitfalls employers should avoid
Certain mistakes can undermine the value of absence recording in an organisation. When different managers record absence in different ways, data becomes inconsistent and unreliable. If your business is using an HR system then this should help to minimise this problem. Absence patterns can also look very different when staff are partially or fully remote as staff will often say that they can still work at home when really they are sick. Managers need to stay on top of this. Once you have a strong data set then failing to analyse that data is almost negligent. Making sense of the numbers and acting on trends is where the real value lies.
Recording and analysing absence data is not just about spotting who in your team or business is off sick, it’s about understanding what’s behind the absence, how to support your team better and using the data to make better, more informed decisions.
Do you have any questions about today’s blog, need help in becoming legally compliant with contracts/policies or can we support you in taking away any people pains to give you peace of mind?
If you answered yes to any of the above, just give us a call at CUBE HR on 01282 678321, or book in a FREE 30 Minute HR Health Check here FREE HR Health Check and we’ll happily give your business a full HR overview with our personal recommendations absolutely FREE!
Why not also check out last weeks blog A Guide to the AWOL Process
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos outlining various HR related scenarios.
