COVID-19 live Q&A Managing sickness and absence within your workforce
We hope you enjoyed our recent live Q&A on the 26 November. If you missed it or would like to watch it again, you can find the recording below.
As part of our continued commitment to supporting organisations through the various employment and health and safety implications of coronavirus. Ellis Whittam continues to produce free resources, designed to help employers make confident, informed decisions whilst working within the confines of the law.
We have also included free resources, such as an absence management guidance note, absences and refusals to work during COVID-19 FAQ, statutory sick pay (SSP): when is it payable guide and a staff memo re – self isolation template available further down the page.
How Ellis Whittam can help with Employment Law and HR issues
We understand that taking care of Employment Law issues can often be very time-consuming keeping, especially if you don’t have an in-house team or the expertise to deal with more complex matters.
Our pragmatic Employment Law & HR support takes the hassle out of managing employee issues and minimises your risk of an Employment Tribunal claim and to your reputation. With Ellis Whittam, you will have unlimited access to a dedicated team of experts to be able to manage people problems quickly and compliantly.
To find out more about our Employment Law support call us on 0345 226 8393 or complete the request a callback form opposite and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.
Watch on-demand
In this recent live Q&A, James Tamm offers practical advice, offering much-needed clarity and guidance around managing COVID related sickness and absence within your workforce.
During registration, we invited registrants to submit questions for the Q&A session. We have since collated all the questions and responses in an easy to read format. The full list of Q&A’s will be made available below the on-demand video in the coming days.
Related resources
Absence Management Guidance Note
The current coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has seen a rise in the number of instances of absence across the UK workforce and has caused the government to change sick pay legislation on at least three occasions.
This note sets out the current position with regards to sickness absence and offers practical guidance on how to deal with attendance issues. It should be read in conjunction with your current policy on absence management, which will take precedence over this general guidance.
Absence and Refusals to Work During COVID-19 FAQ
A full list of frequently asked questions around absence from the workplace and refusals to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, complete with answers from our legal experts.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): When is it Payable?
To be entitled to SSP, subject to other qualifying conditions, an employee would normally have to be absent from work because of incapacity by reason of disease or physical/mental disablement which stops them from being able to perform their duties.
However, there are some circumstances where someone will be deemed incapacitated for SSP purposes. The SSP Regulations have been amended on numerous occasions during the pandemic to cover various scenarios where someone will be deemed to be incapacitated and, therefore, entitled to SSP.
Staff Self isolation Memo Template
As you may be aware, new regulations were introduced on 28 September 2020 in England by the UK government making it a legal obligation to self-isolate if an individual tests positive for COVID-19, is contacted by Test and Trace because they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, or is living (or in a support bubble) with someone who has tested positive.
More details for you and your employees can be found in the download below.
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Further reading
Privacy vs practicality | Are you entitled to know the reason for an employee’s sickness absence?
BLOG Written on 14 July 2025 When an employee calls in sick, it’s natural for employers to want to understand the situation. However, questions around
Managing a long term sickness absence
Blog Long-term sickness absence can have a significant impact on any organisation – from increased pressure on colleagues who are picking up the slack, to
When annual leave and sickness coincide
BLOG Employees typically look forward to their annual leave as a time to rest and recharge. However, there are times when sickness and holiday overlap,
