Bradford Factor Calculator
Legal, HR & PayrollCalculate an employee's Bradford Factor score, used by HR to flag concerning absence patterns.
Bradford Factor Score
The Bradford Factor score (S² × D), where S is the number of separate absence instances and D is total days absent.
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Creators
Odeh AhwalBased on 3 sources
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Calculator Stats
Creators
Odeh AhwalBased on 3 sources
0people find this calculator helpful
Views
Helpful
Saved
Embeds
Legal, HR & Payroll calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the formula square the number of instances?
The Bradford Factor is designed to flag frequent short absences as more disruptive to a workplace than one long absence — squaring the instance count means many short, separate absences produce a dramatically higher score than the same total days taken as one continuous absence.
What Bradford score is considered concerning?
Trigger points vary by employer policy, but scores above 50-100 commonly prompt an informal conversation, while scores in the hundreds or higher often trigger formal HR review — check your specific organization's policy thresholds.
Is the Bradford Factor controversial?
Yes — critics argue it can unfairly penalize employees with legitimate recurring health conditions, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities that cause frequent short absences, so many organizations pair it with discretion and individual review rather than automatic action.
Sources
- Absence Measurement & Management Factsheet, CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)
- Absence management tools, CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)
- Recording absence - Managing sickness absence, Acas
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