Painters and Decorators

Sickness Absence for Painters and Decorators

Plain-English guidance on sickness absence for UK painters and decorators and small business owners — what the law requires and how to handle it without making costly mistakes.

Real situations painters and decorators face

—a painter calling in sick at the start of every new contract, with a pattern spread across two years.
—a decorator certified as sick then seen on social media completing a private decorating job.
—a painter on two weeks' absence with no return-to-work meeting held or contact made by the employer.

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 painting and decorating employer

As a painting and decorating 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 painting and decorating businesses include: a painter calling in sick at the start of every new contract, with a pattern spread across two years, a decorator certified as sick then seen on social media completing a private decorating job, a painter on two weeks' absence with no return-to-work meeting held or contact made by the employer. Each of these requires a correct and documented process to protect your business.

This guide covers what you need to do as a painting and decorating 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 painters and decorators

Gross Misconduct for painters and decorators →Redundancy Process for painters and decorators →Zero Hours Contracts for painters and decorators →Disciplinary Process for painters and decorators →Unfair Dismissal for painters and decorators →Employment Contracts for painters and decorators →Probation Periods for painters and decorators →Final Written Warning for painters and decorators →Verbal Warning for painters and decorators →

Not sure if you're handling this correctly?

Take the free 5-minute risk assessment. We'll tell you where your gaps are before a situation turns into a tribunal claim.

Take the free assessment