The Bradford Factor explained (with worked examples)
What the Bradford Factor is, how to calculate it, what the scores mean, and how to use it fairly — a practical guide for UK managers.
By The TeamZap Team · · 2 min read
The Bradford Factor is a simple formula that answers one question: is this person's absence pattern frequent, or just long? It matters because frequent short absences disrupt a shift business far more than one long, planned one — every single-day absence is another rota scramble.
The formula
B = S² × D
- S — the number of separate spells of absence in a rolling period (usually the last 52 weeks)
- D — the total days absent in that period
Squaring S is the whole point: frequency is punished much harder than duration.
Worked examples
Three employees, each absent 10 days in the year:
| Pattern | S | D | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| One 10-day spell (flu) | 1 | 10 | 1 × 1 × 10 = 10 |
| Five 2-day spells | 5 | 10 | 5 × 5 × 10 = 250 |
| Ten single days | 10 | 10 | 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000 |
Same days lost; wildly different scores. The employee with ten Mondays off disrupted the rota ten times — the formula makes that visible.
What the bands typically mean
There are no statutory thresholds; common practice looks like:
- 0–50 — no concern
- 51–200 — worth an informal check-in ("everything OK?")
- 201–500 — formal review conversation
- 500+ — structured absence management process
Set your own bands in policy, tell staff what they are, and apply them the same way to everyone.
Using it fairly (this part matters)
The Bradford Factor is a smoke detector, not a judge. Used well, it starts conversations early and evenly. Used badly, it punishes people for being ill.
- It's a trigger, not a verdict. A high score means "talk to this person", not "discipline this person". The conversation might reveal a rota problem, a health issue or a caring responsibility — each with a different right answer.
- Handle protected situations separately. Disability-related and pregnancy-related absences need careful, individual treatment — folding them into a raw score can be discriminatory. Take advice before acting on scores that include them.
- Consistency is the defence. The metric's value is that it treats everyone identically. The moment scores are enforced for some and waived for others, it becomes a liability instead.
- Pair it with return-to-work chats. A two-minute conversation after every absence does more for attendance than any threshold.
Calculating it without a spreadsheet ritual
Manually, you need every absence spell per person over a rolling year — tedious and error-prone. Any decent absence system computes it continuously. TeamZap tracks absence spells as they happen and calculates Bradford scores automatically, so patterns are visible early — while the right response is still a friendly conversation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Bradford Factor score?
Lower is better. Many organisations treat under 50 as no concern, 50–200 as worth an informal conversation, and higher bands as triggers for formal review — but thresholds are policy choices, not law.
Is the Bradford Factor a legal requirement in the UK?
No. It’s a widely used management metric, not legislation. If you use it, apply it consistently, allow for context, and be careful with absences related to disability or pregnancy, which need separate, careful handling.
How is the Bradford Factor calculated?
S × S × D, where S is the number of separate absence spells in a rolling period (usually 52 weeks) and D is the total days absent. Frequency is squared, so many short absences score far higher than one long one.