The situation
An employee with five years' service had accumulated 47 days of absence over 12 months, across many short periods, each certified with a different condition.
Why it was difficult
Frequent short-term absence is harder to manage than one long absence. Push too hard and you risk a claim; do nothing and it normalises across the team.
What Samantha did
- Reviewed the pattern objectively rather than reacting to individual days
- Used a fair, structured absence-review conversation
- Set clear expectations and support without crossing into discrimination risk
- Documented the approach consistently
The outcome
Absence reduced significantly. The situation was resolved without needing a formal capability process.
Absence reduced sharply. No formal process required.
What this means for you
Patterns matter more than single days. A fair, structured conversation usually achieves more than a formal process, if you handle it correctly.
Related support
Sickness absence support →Anonymised. Sector, names and identifying details have been removed or changed. Outcomes reflect the specific circumstances of each case and are not a guarantee of any particular result.