Builders
Sickness Absence for Builders
Plain-English guidance on sickness absence for UK builders and small business owners — what the law requires and how to handle it without making costly mistakes.
Real situations builders face
- —a labourer certified as sick but then seen working on a neighbouring site by a colleague.
- —a site worker with a consistent pattern of calling in sick on Fridays throughout the summer.
- —a bricklayer on long-term sick leave following a back injury with no return-to-work plan in place.
These are exactly the kinds of situations where getting the sickness absence process wrong can lead to an employment tribunal claim.
What you need to know as a building employer
As a building employer, handling sickness absence correctly is essential to avoid employment tribunal claims. UK employment law applies to all employers regardless of business size, and the consequences of getting the process wrong can be costly.
The situations that most commonly arise for building businesses include: a labourer certified as sick but then seen working on a neighbouring site by a colleague, a site worker with a consistent pattern of calling in sick on Fridays throughout the summer, a bricklayer on long-term sick leave following a back injury with no return-to-work plan in place. Each of these requires a correct and documented process to protect your business.
This guide covers what you need to do as a building employer. For the complete step-by-step process, read the full guide linked below.
Read the full guide
We have a detailed article covering sickness absence that walks you through every step of the process.
Read: Sickness Absence — the complete guide →More guides for builders
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