Statutory Sick Pay Reforms – April 2026

We now know that in the UK, from next April, we will potentially see an additional 1.3 million workers being entitled to SSP for the first time!

Currently workers earning below the lower earnings limited are not entitled to SSP and for those workers who are entitled to SSP, it is only paid from the fourth day of absence onwards.

What are the changes regarding SSP?

From April 2026, all workers will be entitled to a payment, from the first day of sickness absence, regardless of their earnings.  Workers earning below the SSP rate will now be entitled to be paid 80% of their wage whilst off sick!

Who will be affected?

All sectors will feel the hit, particularly businesses who currently employ staff on NMW/NLW for just a few hours a week, such as cleaners, bar staff and carers. 

It’s never been more important for employers to proactively manage absenteeism.

We all know the impact absence can have on a business, particularly SMEs.  Staff drop shifts for a variety of reasons and often at short notice, making it difficult to get cover, especially for night and weekend shifts. Not only is this costly, and soon to become increasingly so, absenteeism can affect the service you provide and have a detrimental impact on the rest of the team, with managers and business owners often finding themselves having to pick up shifts to remain compliant!

How can I prepare my business to minimise the impact of absenteeism?

Absenteeism doesn’t need to be difficult to manage if you have a robust absence management policy in place and your managers have been trained.  A good policy must include:

• Trigger points, to highlight your expectations around absence levels.
• The rules for reporting absences.
• The procedure for managing poor attendance and ill health.  

Why do I need an absence management policy?

A robust policy shows your commitment to taking a proactive approach to managing absence in a fair and consistent manner, therefore not only supporting workers who are genuinely ill, but improving attendance levels, reducing costs and avoiding grievances and claims of discrimination.

It’s also just as important to ensure that other workers, the ones you rely on to pick up the slack are not in danger of burn out.  It’s important to monitor the shifts they are working and ensure that they are getting adequate rest, and taking their annual leave, in line with the Working Time Regulations (1998.)

Spectra case study

We have recently supported a Nursing Home to manage a particularly challenging absence situation, where absence was because of a combination of ad-hoc sickness, sickness due to an underlying health issue, childcare and family issues.   The result was a winner for both the employer and the employee.  With our support, due process was followed, and we were able to agree a flexible working request from the employee, which suited the Home and has now seen a significant and sustained improvement in the employee’s attendance and overall engagement.   In addition to which, the change in hours and providing the employee with a fixed rota was a reasonable adjustment that the Home was able to make, considering their employees chronic underlying health issue this change avoided a potential costly disability discrimination claim.

For further information and support on managing ALL types of absence please, check our website for free guides and resources. 

Or, contact us  and find out how our HR experts can support you either remotely or on site.  We can advise you on the best approach, coach you on how to have that difficult conversation with your employee or even have that conversation on your behalf.  We can also provide training for you and your managers.