BYTETOOLS

Bradford Factor Calculator

Calculate the Bradford Factor for each employee from a dated absence table, with a rolling window, editable trigger points and a ranked CSV export.

Absence spells — one row per separate period of absence
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4
People with absence
12
Spells in the window
32
Days lost in the window
150
Highest score

Set a window end date to apply the rolling window. Until then every dated absence is counted, whenever it happened.

#EmployeeSpells (S)Days (D)Longest spellS² × DTrigger reached
1A. Whitfield562150First
2D. Marchetti44164First
3B. Osei210840None
4C. Lindqvist1121212None
—Team total1232—266average 66.5
2
At or above 51
0
At or above 201
0
At or above 401

Bradford Factor B = S² × D

S is the number of separate absence spells in the window and D the total days absent. The squaring is the whole point: ten days off in one spell scores 1² × 10 = 10, the same ten days split into three spells scores 3² × 10 = 90, split into five scores 5² × 10 = 250, and taken as ten single days scores 10² × 10 = 1,000 — the standard worked example.

The window here runs over every dated absence to —.

Everything is calculated in your browser — no names, dates or absence data are uploaded. The trigger points of 51, 201 and 401 are the values most commonly written into UK absence policies, but they are not law and not universal, so set your own. Used carelessly the score penalises people with disabilities, chronic conditions or pregnancy-related absence, which is why most policies discount protected absence before scoring and require a conversation rather than an automatic sanction. Treat the number as a prompt to look, never as a decision.

What is the Bradford Factor Calculator?

The Bradford Factor scores short, frequent absence more heavily than a single long one. The formula is S squared times D, where S is the number of separate absence spells in the period and D the total days lost.

  • Bradford score per employee from a dated absence table
  • Rolling window of any length, with out-of-window spells flagged rather than deleted
  • Three editable trigger points with colour-banded rows
  • Ranked list plus team totals for spells, days and score
  • Counts of how many people sit at or above each trigger
  • CSV export of the ranked list

How to use the Bradford Factor Calculator

  1. 1

    Set the rolling window in weeks and the date it ends on — usually today.

  2. 2

    Adjust the three trigger scores if your policy uses something other than 51, 201 and 401.

  3. 3

    Add one row per absence spell with the employee name, start date and days absent.

  4. 4

    Read the ranked table: spells, days, the Bradford score and which trigger each person has reached.

  5. 5

    Click Download the ranked list as CSV to take the results into a spreadsheet.

About the Bradford Factor Calculator

The Bradford Factor scores short, frequent absence more heavily than a single long one. The formula is S squared times D, where S is the number of separate absence spells in the period and D the total days lost. Ten days off in one go scores 10; the same ten days taken as ten single days scores 1,000. That squaring is the entire point of the measure.

Enter one row per absence spell with the employee's name, the start date and the days lost. The tool filters everything to a rolling window — 52 weeks by default, ending on a date you choose — then groups by employee, computes each score, ranks them and colour-bands each row against three trigger points you can edit. There is a team total and a CSV export of the ranked list.

Everything is calculated in your browser and no names, dates or absence data are uploaded. Used carelessly this score penalises people with disabilities, chronic conditions or pregnancy-related absence, so most policies discount protected absence before scoring. Treat the number as a prompt to have a conversation, never as an automatic decision.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate the Bradford Factor?

Square the number of separate absence spells and multiply by the total days absent: B = S squared times D. Ten days in a single spell scores 1 times 10 = 10, three spells totalling ten days score 9 times 10 = 90, and ten one-day absences score 100 times 10 = 1,000.

What is a bad Bradford Factor score?

Most UK policies use trigger points of 51, 201 and 401, escalating from an informal conversation to a formal warning. Those numbers are convention, not law, and vary between employers — which is why all three are editable here rather than fixed.

What period does the Bradford Factor cover?

Typically a rolling 52 weeks measured back from today, so an absence drops out of the score a year after it happened. This tool defaults to that but lets you set any window length and end date, which is useful for checking what a score looked like at a past review date.

Is the Bradford Factor legal to use?

Using it is generally lawful, but applying it mechanically is risky. Absence related to a disability or to pregnancy is protected in many jurisdictions, and triggering a sanction on the raw score can amount to discrimination. Most defensible policies discount protected absence first and require a manager's judgement at every trigger.

Should a long-term sickness absence count as one spell?

Yes — one continuous absence is one spell, however long. That is deliberate: the measure is designed to surface disruptive patterns of short absence, not to penalise someone who is seriously ill. Long-term absence is normally managed under a separate part of the policy.

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