Quantify the impact of employee absences. Short, frequent absences score higher than longer, infrequent ones.
The Bradford Factor is a formula used by HR departments to measure the disruptive impact of employee absences. It weights frequent short absences more heavily than infrequent longer ones because short-notice absences are typically harder to cover.
Consider: Employee A takes 1 absence of 10 days (B = 1² × 10 = 10). Employee B takes 10 absences of 1 day (B = 10² × 10 = 1,000). Same days off, but Employee B's score is 100× higher because each separate absence disrupts operations.
| Score | Level | Typical Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 49 | Low | No action needed |
| 50 – 124 | Medium | Verbal warning / monitoring |
| 125 – 399 | High | Written warning / attendance meeting |
| 400+ | Critical | Final warning / disciplinary review |