Cleaners
Sickness Absence for Cleaners
Plain-English guidance on sickness absence for UK cleaners and small business owners — what the law requires and how to handle it without making costly mistakes.
Real situations cleaners face
- —a cleaner calling in sick every school half-term holiday without a medical certificate.
- —a worker certified as sick then seen working for a private cleaning client during the absence period.
- —a cleaner on long-term absence with no occupational health referral and no agreed return-to-work date.
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 cleaning employer
As a cleaning 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 cleaning businesses include: a cleaner calling in sick every school half-term holiday without a medical certificate, a worker certified as sick then seen working for a private cleaning client during the absence period, a cleaner on long-term absence with no occupational health referral and no agreed return-to-work date. Each of these requires a correct and documented process to protect your business.
This guide covers what you need to do as a cleaning 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 cleaners
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