Bradford Factor Calculator | Measure Employee Absenteeism

Employees’ unexpected absences can negatively impact the performance of a business. In the 1980s the Bradford University School of Management came up with what is now known as the Bradford Factor.

Use this Bradford Score calculator

The factor is a number showing the impact of an employee absenteeism on the business. The higher the score, the more negative the impact is. Try it out for yourself:

What is the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford Factor, also known as the Bradford formula or Bradford index, is a common HR formula used for measuring unplanned employee absences. By monitoring your employee absenteeism, it helps to measure the potential impact on your business. With the high score, the impact will be high on the business.

How the Bradford Factor is calculated

B = C x C x D

B is the Bradford Factor.

C is the absence count. This is the number of times an employee was absent from work continuously due to unplanned circumstances.

D is the total number of days an employee was absent from work due to unplanned circumstances.

Unplanned circumstances include the following:

• Sick leave
• Doctor appointments
• Emergencies
• Unauthorised absences

The Bradford Factor main concept is that short-term, frequent unplanned leaves are more detrimental to organizations’ performance than long-term, infrequent ones. This can be seen in the formula as the square of the absence count is taken into consideration.

What are examples of Bradford Factor calculations?

For example, if Mark was absent from 1 February to 5 February and again from 3 March to 5 March, the absence count is 2 (C=2) and the days off are 8 (D=8). It follows that the Bradford score is B = 2 x 2 x 8 = 32.

Now let’s suppose that John has an absence count equal to 4 (C = 4) and he was absent from work for a total of 8 days (D = 8). In this case the Bradford score is B = 4 x 4 x 8 = 128

According to the Bradford Factor, John’s absences had a more negative impact on the business than Mark’s ones as the former has a higher absence count even if the total number of days off is the same for both employees.

Why use the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford factor is used in companies to check how often someone is taking time off from work, and by using patterns, the HR department or employer can see its impact on business. By using a calculator like the Bradford factor, you can easily take a deep look into the data and check where there is a need for improvements.

For example, you can reduce the sudden leaves, and your business won’t be affected much if you give different hours to the worker, which he needs for taking care of children. Also, an important thing to note is that you should not include any absences related to legal leaves, like statutory leave and others, that may cause problems if included in the Bradford factor.

Bradford Factor trigger points

Companies can set up their thresholds, which may depend on the industry and nature of the organisation, when investigating employees absenteeism. However, as a general guideline, the following scores may be a good starting point

• 51 points = potential verbal warning
• 201 points = potential written warning
• 401 points = potential final written warning
• 501 points = enough cause for dismissal

What is a high Bradford score?

A high Bradford factor shows that a person is missing a lot of work but in short periods. Short, frequent absences affect more than a few long breaks. Many businesses consider a score ranging between 50 and 100 a high score. For instance:

• A score of 50 is considered acceptable and shows a person is regular and took a few days off.
• Bradford Factor scores over 200 may cause red flags and show a person is often absent, and the company has to look into it.

What is an acceptable Bradford score?

Every organization has its own absence management policies, but here is a general idea:

• Score 0–50: This is a low score, which means a person is not missing work much, and it is quite okay.
• Score 51–200: It is considered a little high and might be worrying.
• Score 201–500: This may cause red flags and show a person is often absent, and the company has to look into it.
• Score 500 and above: This is very high. It could lead to formal talks or action.

A “good” Bradford score is usually under 50, which shows low absence, while a “bad” Bradford score is considered over 200, reflecting a lot of absence. HR departments and employees should know the reason behind the absence before making decisions solely on this score.

While Bradford Factor calculator is useful, One disadvantage of the Bradford Factor is that they may unfairly penalize employees who have genuine health issues and need frequent short-term leave

How to use the Bradford Factor in your company

The Bradford Factor can be useful for companies that want to have fast analytics on their employees’ absences. You can then investigate any issue regarding an employee’s absences directly with your employees and/or with their supervisor.

While the Bradford factor is an intuitive metric, it lacks precision. As shown above, employees with more frequent leaves may be over penalised.

For example, Mark was continuously absent from work 2 times, each time for 6 days, for a total of 12 days (Bradford Score = 48) while John has an absence count equal to 7, for a total of 7 days off work (Bradford Score = 343). John could get a written warning according to the above thresholds while Mark would receive no disciplinary action even if Mark was absent from work for 5 days more than John. It follows that you should always have a look at how the score was obtained.

It must be noted that the Bradford Score cannot be the sole factor on which you should evaluate the dismissal of an employee. You should take into consideration various circumstances which may have contributed to a high Bradford Score. This is especially true for employees with medical conditions which may require frequent check-ups and evaluating their absenteeism against the Bradford Score may be discriminatory.

The Bradford Factor and HR Software

Today, modern HR software like Zelt also includes a built-in Bradford Factor calculator, which makes it easier to track employee absences. These tools can automatically flag high scores, send alerts to HR, and generate reports for team managers, making absence tracking seamless and consistent.