Sick pay policy

Sick pay Policy

Overview

The purpose of this policy is to cover rules for entitlements to sick pay.

Scope

This policy is applicable to all employees of [company name].

General principles

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Most employees have a right to statutory sick pay (SSP) as long as they earn more than the lower earnings level, and are not over state retirement age. SSP is not however payable for the first three qualifying days of absence. (A qualifying day is a day on which you are normally expected to work under your contract of employment).

There is a limit of 28 weeks SSP in any one period of sickness or linked periods. (Periods of sickness are said to be linked if the second period starts within eight weeks of the end of the first period.)

SSP is paid in the same way as ordinary pay and is liable to tax and National Insurance contributions.

Company Sick Pay

[Company sick pay is entirely at the discretion of the Company but will not be unreasonably withheld as long as you have complied with the notification requirements and have produced any necessary medical certificates, including self-certificates. ]

[The amount of sick pay you receive will depend on the length of your service with [Company] as follows:]

When assessing an employees eligibility for sick pay, the amount of time they have had off over the previous 12 months will be taken into account.

[Company] reserves the right to refuse to pay sick pay if it has reasonable cause to think that an employee is not genuinely sick, if it has cause to believe that an employee is abusing the sick pay scheme, if an employee has failed to comply with the notification requirements, or has not supplied the appropriate certification. If the sick pay scheme has been abused, disciplinary action may follow.

Payments of sick pay may be terminated, suspended or reduced if an employee fails to notify the Company of relevant facts, or if their absence or continued absence is due to their taking an unwarranted risk (in or out of work), conducting themselves in a way that prejudices their recovery, abusing alcohol or drugs or other substances, or recklessly endangering the health and safety at work of themselves and others.

This policy [does not] form[s] part of your terms and conditions of employment.

Version: [1.0]

Issue date: [date]

Author: [name, job title]