I don’t have a sick pay policy, do I have to pay someone who is off sick?

Well, that depends.

You need to comply with the law, relevant at the time. At the time of writing, this is the link you need https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay

Assuming the employee meets the criteria, then you need to pay SSP (Statutory Sick Pay) at least.

What if I want to pay someone more than SSP because I want to be a good employer?

Well firstly, that’s pretty awesome of you to want to look after your staff.

So you pay them whatever you decide. But what you need to consider is this:

• What happens the next time they are sick?

• How does it affect cash flow?

• What if others are off sick?

Whatever sick pay scheme you decide to offer, you need to provide it to everyone. Otherwise you could find yourself facing a tribunal claim.

Not sure what to offer?

Give me a call and let’s have a chat about it. It won’t take long and I can guide your through scenarios, give you an idea of what other companies do and we can run some cost exercises if you like.

I would also strongly recommend a policy. Increasing the length of time you offer sick pay based on length of service is often a great way to support staff retention. But it might also be worth considering insurance, which provides great assurance to employees should the worst occur.