Hello! Hope you all had a lovely weekend, how amazing has this weather been?? It makes everything better when we have a bit of sun doesn’t it?
I had my proper spring cleaning head on on Saturday, our kitchen is being redone soon (equal parts excited for when it is done and dreading the mess and chaos it is going to create whilst it is being done!), and I have started to sort through all our cupboards (where does all the tupawear come from?!), which turned into a deep clean of the house, let’s call it a spring clean.. I was knackered afterwards but glad it was done!
Then on Sunday we had a weekend off kids football, and dragged the teenagers out for breakfast (oatcakes of course), and around our local lake for a walk. We used to do this all the time during lockdown times so it was really nice to spend some time together outside blowing away the cobwebs. It feels like it has been a very long dark, wet winter and I’m glad to see the back of it!
And I’m only working today and then I am off for the rest of the week (yay!), my husband and I are going away in a lodge, there is a hot tub for me, and fishing for him, so we are both very happy and looking forward to a break (kid-free too!). Better get packing anyway, so onto the blog!
You know the feeling, you wake up feeling awful, convince yourself you’re “probably fine,” and drag yourself into work anyway (or if you are lucky enough to work from home, just drag yourself to the laptop). Under the current rules, that behaviour actually makes a certain amount of sense. Statutory sick pay (SSP) doesn’t kick in straight away, so employees have to be off work sick for three consecutive “waiting days” before they’re eligible to be paid SSP. In reality, that usually means the first few days of absence are unpaid.
Unsurprisingly, that can make people think twice about calling in sick, especially if they can’t afford a few days without pay. And in the middle of a cost of living crisis, that’s likely to be the case for a lot of people.
From 6 April 2026, that changes. Those waiting days are being scrapped, so SSP will be payable from the first day an employee is off sick. In other words, no more toughing it out just to avoid losing a few days’ pay.
There are a couple of other important changes too. The lower earnings limit is being removed, meaning more people will qualify for SSP, and payments will be set at 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25 a week, whichever is lower.
So, more people will qualify for sick pay, and they’ll qualify sooner. The government’s aim is to give lower-paid workers more financial security when they’re ill, while also helping reduce the spread of illness in the workplace. And just to be clear, this isn’t a complete free-for-all, the core eligibility rules still apply.
It also means where you are doing phased returns to work with employees that if they are doing reduced days, so for example 3 days a week instead of their usual 5, on the 2 days that they don’t work, SSP would be payable which may make phased returns to work a more favourable option for employees too.
It might not be the most exciting job on your HR to-do list, but it’s the kind that stops March’s lack of action turning into April’s problem.
What should you actually do now?
If this is sitting on your “I’ll deal with it later” list, here are three things worth doing sooner rather than later:
- Sense-check your sickness policy or contracts
If your paperwork still talks about “waiting days,” it’s going to be out of date. This is a good opportunity to tidy up the wording, make sure it reflects how absence is actually managed, and this will avoid confusion later.
- Speak to payroll (before payroll speaks to you)
These changes sound simple, but they need to be reflected properly in payroll systems. If something’s not configured correctly come April, it’s not just a technical issue, it becomes an employee relations one too and a potential tribunal claim for unpaid wages.
- Prepare managers for the shift
Day 1 SSP might subtly change absence behaviour. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but managers need to be ready for it. A quick refresher on handling short-term absence now could save a lot of awkward conversations later. We’d also recommend being proactive in your management of absence to avoid bigger issues cropping up in the longer term. So, if somebody hits a trigger point, take steps to address this. If you spot a pattern with absences, investigate. Don’t bury your head in the sand!
This isn’t the flashiest employment law change, but it’s one that will be felt day-to-day. And those are often the ones that cause the most friction if they’re not handled well.
Or put another way: fewer people coming in ill is probably a good thing, if we just make sure our policies are well enough to cope with it. And that’s where your team here at Precept come in, we’re experienced in dealing with absence management and policy changes and can help you every step of the way (just not me this week because I’m off on holiday!). You can contact us by calling us on 01332 866610 or emailing enquiries@precepthr.com.
Recent Comments