Bradford Factor Calculator
Work out an employee’s Bradford Factor score from the number of absence spells and total days absent. Free, instant, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Bradford Factor Calculator
Weights short, frequent absences more heavily than a single long one. Used to decide when an absence conversation is due.
How this is calculated
About The Bradford Factor Calculator
The Bradford Factor scores absence so that frequent short absences weigh more than one long one. The score is S² × D: the number of separate absence spells, squared, multiplied by the total days absent in the period — usually a rolling 12 months.
Squaring the spell count is the whole point. One absence of ten days scores 1 × 1 × 10 = 10. Five separate two-day absences — the same ten days — score 5 × 5 × 10 = 250.
Treat the score as a prompt for a conversation, not a verdict. A disability or long-term condition can cause frequent short absences, so acting on the score alone carries a discrimination risk.
Questions, Answered
Square the number of separate absence spells (S) and multiply by the total days absent (D): S² × D. Four spells totalling seven days gives 4 × 4 × 7 = 112.
Trigger points are set by each employer’s absence policy. Common thresholds are 150, 450 and 900, but they should prompt a conversation rather than an automatic sanction.
Each unbroken period of absence counts as one spell, however many days it lasts.
It can be if used without judgement. A disability or health condition may cause frequent short absences and a high score, so the score alone should never be grounds for action.
Other HR Calculators
See NHR Solution In Action
A short walkthrough with someone who knows the product. Bring your own process and we will show you how it maps.
Smart Tools for Smarter Businesses