Bradford Factor
===============

The **Bradford Factor** is a widely-used HR metric that measures the disruptive impact of employee absence. It specifically highlights patterns of frequent, short absences — which are often more disruptive to the business than a single extended absence of the same total duration.

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Why It Matters
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A single two-week absence is usually easier to plan around than ten separate one-day absences. The Bradford Factor captures this distinction by penalising frequency more heavily than duration. It is used across industries in the UK, South Africa, and internationally as an objective basis for absence management conversations.

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The Formula
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.. code-block:: text

   BF = S² × D

Where:

* **S** — the number of separate sick leave **spells** (individual instances) in the rolling 52-week window
* **D** — the total number of sick leave **days** taken in the same window

For example, an employee with **3 spells** totalling **10 days** scores:

.. code-block:: text

   3² × 10 = 9 × 10 = 90

Whereas an employee with **1 spell** of **10 days** scores:

.. code-block:: text

   1² × 10 = 1 × 10 = 10

Both employees were absent for the same number of days, but the first has a much higher Bradford Factor because of the disruption caused by repeated short absences.

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Thresholds
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The following thresholds are widely accepted across HR practice:

+-------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Score             | RAG   | Guidance                                                        |
+===================+=======+=================================================================+
| 0 – 44            | Green | Acceptable. No action normally required.                        |
+-------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| 45 – 99           | Amber | Concern. Consider an informal welfare conversation.             |
+-------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| 100+              | Red   | Action required. A formal absence review meeting is warranted.  |
+-------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

These are guidelines. Context always matters — a high score may reflect a single period of genuine illness. Use the Bradford Factor as a prompt for a conversation, not as a punitive measure.

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How TeamHub Calculates It
--------------------------

TeamHub calculates the Bradford Factor using a **rolling 52-week window** ending today. This is the industry standard and ensures scores remain comparable across employees and over time regardless of the date range selected in the report.

Only **approved** sick leave records are counted.

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Where It Appears
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* **Sick Leave Heatmap** — a BF column is shown for each employee, alongside their total sick days for the selected period.
* **Sick Leave Cycles Report** — BF is shown per employee based on the same rolling 52-week window.

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.. note::
   The Bradford Factor window is always 52 weeks regardless of the date range selected in the heatmap or report filters. The date range controls only which sick leave events are shown in the heatmap cells.