Sickness and Absence Policy

Absence and lateness can disrupt the business and affect the standards and service that customers and the business expect.

Gelateria Danieli Ltd (the Company) aims to set clear expectations and procedures around absence and lateness and, as a business, will seek to:

  • encourage employees to attend work regularly and on time
  • encourage employees to inform the Company using the correct procedures if they are unable to attend work
  • monitor levels of sickness absence and make every reasonable effort to reduce such levels of absence
  • identify employees whose absence record is unsatisfactory and investigate the circumstances to ensure that all possible steps are taken to assist them to improve their attendance record
  • inform and warn employees when an improvement in attendance is necessary
  • offer help and assistance in supporting staff on long-term sickness absence back to work
  • initiate appropriate procedures where an employee, after a reasonable opportunity to do so, does not meet attendance requirements.

Employees who are ill will be treated with consideration and respect, and every effort will be made to assist their recovery and safeguard their employment.

The Company requires its managers to ensure the consistent and equitable implementation of this policy and at all times to exercise a duty of care to all employees.

Employees are also expected to look after their general health and wellbeing and, as far as possible, to minimise absence from work. Managers can advise on good practice, procedures, and possible support available.

Lateness

Lateness is treated as part of attendance management and can be disruptive to the business.

If an employee believes they are going to be late, they must tell the Company as soon as possible before their normal start time, giving the reason for the lateness and their expected arrival time.

Persistent lateness, or lateness which forms an identifiable pattern, may result in the Company’s disciplinary procedure being applied.

The Company may require the employee to make up the lost time at the end of their shift, or at another reasonable time.

Reporting Absence

Employees must notify the Company at the earliest possible opportunity, ideally no later than four hours before the start of their shift, that they are unable to attend work.

Employees are expected to make personal contact themselves unless they are genuinely physically incapable of doing so.

Employees should call their line manager in the first instance. Text messages, emails or other written messages will not normally be accepted unless this has been agreed in advance or there are exceptional circumstances.

Employees must explain the nature of the illness and the expected length of time they will be away from work.

Except in exceptional circumstances, failure to comply with the notification procedure may be treated as unauthorised absence and may result in loss of pay or disciplinary action.

Certification

Any absence of seven calendar days or less will be recorded on a self-certification form, which will normally be completed on the employee’s return to work.

In cases of continuous absence exceeding seven calendar days, the employee will be required to provide appropriate medical evidence, usually in the form of a fit note.

Where further medical evidence is required to support a return to work, the Company may ask the employee to provide an updated fit note or other appropriate medical confirmation.

Failure to notify absence or produce certification

If an employee fails to attend work and has no good reason, they may be in breach of their contract of employment.

If this is the case, the Company may use the following procedure:

  1. Initially, the Company will make reasonable efforts to contact the employee by telephone to establish the reason for the non-attendance.
  2. If the Company is unable to make direct contact and an answering service is in operation, a message may be left requesting that the employee make contact immediately on receipt.
  3. If, by the start of the third day of absence, there has been no response, the Company may send a recorded delivery letter requesting the employee to attend a meeting to explain the non-attendance. If there is still no response, the matter may be progressed under the disciplinary procedure, and a hearing may take place in the employee’s absence where appropriate.

Returning to Work

When an employee returns to work after a period of absence, the Company will usually hold a return-to-work interview.

These meetings are intended to confirm the reason for the absence, ensure records are accurate, consider whether any support is required, and check whether the employee is fit to resume their duties.

As employees work around food and drink, the Company must also be satisfied that they are fit to return in line with food safety and hygiene requirements.

At this meeting, the Company will usually complete the relevant self-certification and return-to-work documentation with the employee.

The Company monitors absence levels by reference to the previous 12 months on a rolling basis and will keep employees informed where attendance levels are becoming a concern.

If an employee’s absence becomes a problem for the business, they will be informed of what steps may be considered if further absence occurs. Short-term sporadic absence issues where there is no underlying cause may be dealt with under the Company’s disciplinary procedure if there is no improvement in attendance.

Throughout the process, the employee will be kept informed and given a reasonable opportunity to explain before any decision is reached.

Long-Term Sickness Absence

Any employee who has been absent from work through illness for two consecutive weeks may be contacted by the Company and may be invited to attend a review meeting. If the employee is unable to attend because of incapacity, the Company may arrange an alternative format, including a home visit where appropriate.

At this meeting, the Company will seek to understand the nature of the illness and establish the likely return-to-work date, if known. The Company may also discuss any interventions, adjustments or support that can be offered to assist the employee’s return to work. The meeting also enables the Company to update the employee on relevant workplace matters during their absence.

After the initial review meeting, further review meetings may be scheduled so that both parties can be kept informed.

The Company reserves the right to ask an employee to attend an independent medical examination or occupational health assessment, where appropriate, to better understand their fitness for work and any support or adjustments that may be required.

Where appropriate, the Company may also request the employee’s permission to obtain a medical report from their GP or treating practitioner. This will be requested in writing, and the employee will be advised of their rights under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988.

If an employee refuses to permit the Company to obtain a report, the Company will explain that decisions about employment may need to be made based on the information available.

Information acquired by the Company about an employee’s health will be treated as confidential and handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

Upon receipt of medical information, the Company will review matters with the employee, including:

  • any suitable alternative employment that may be available
  • any workplace adjustments that may assist the employee’s return to their contractual role or to another suitable role if available.

However, if there are no suitable options and all reasonable adjustments have been considered and exhausted, the employee’s future employment may need to be reviewed and may, in appropriate circumstances, be terminated on grounds of capability or incapacity. No such action will be taken without consultation and until all reasonable options have been considered.

If an employee believes that their absence is caused by work-related issues, or is stress-related, they should discuss these concerns at the earliest opportunity with their manager so that the causes can be considered and, where possible, reduced. The fact that an illness is, or is alleged to be, work-related does not prevent the Company from managing the absence under this policy.

During periods of long-term absence, holiday entitlement will accrue in line with statutory requirements and any applicable contractual entitlement.

Disability

Where an employee is disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, the Company will act in accordance with its obligations under that Act, including consideration of reasonable adjustments where appropriate.

Sickness Pay

There is no contractual entitlement to company sick pay unless otherwise stated in the employee’s contract of employment.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Eligible employees may qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which is paid by the Company in accordance with current legislation and is subject to PAYE tax and National Insurance deductions where applicable.

From 6 April 2026, SSP is payable from the first full day of sickness absence for eligible employees.

SSP entitlement is governed by current law. As at the date of this policy, key points include the following:

  1. SSP is normally payable from the first full qualifying day of sickness absence.
  2. Eligibility is not restricted by the previous Lower Earnings Limit rule in the way it was before 6 April 2026, and entitlement will be assessed under the rules in force at the time.
  3. Proper notification of absence through sickness is required.
  4. Appropriate medical evidence must be provided when required, including self-certification for the first seven calendar days and a fit note thereafter where applicable.
  5. The amount of SSP is determined by current legislation and may change from time to time. From 6 April 2026, the amount payable is based on the lower of the applicable statutory weekly rate or 80% of average weekly earnings, subject to the statutory rules in force at the relevant time.

If employees have a long-term illness and SSP entitlement is exhausted, the Company will provide the appropriate form so that the employee can apply for any state benefits for which they may be eligible.

The Company may advise employees of their SSP entitlement on request.

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner where required by changes in legislation or business circumstances.  

last updated 16th july 2026

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