Sick Leave Policy Template (Free)
A free sick leave policy template you can copy today — plus a plain-English guide to reporting absence, fit notes, paid vs unpaid, sick pay, and return-to-work chats.
Sooner or later someone on your team wakes up feeling awful and isn't sure what to do. Do they text their manager or email HR? By when? Do they need a doctor's note? Will they be paid? Without a written policy, every sick day becomes an improvised decision — and improvised decisions are where unfairness and resentment creep in.
A short sick leave policy fixes that. It tells people exactly how to report being unwell, what (if anything) they need to provide, and how pay works — so nobody has to guess while feeling rotten. Here's a free template you can copy, plus a plain-English guide to what each section is for.
Why you need a written sick leave policy
A sick leave policy isn't about distrust — it's about removing friction on a bad day and treating everyone the same. It answers the questions that otherwise land on a manager mid-morning:
- Who do I tell, and how, when I can't come in?
- By what time do I need to let someone know?
- Do I need a doctor's note, and after how many days?
- Will I be paid, and for how long?
Write it once and the awkward case-by-case negotiations stop. It also gives managers a consistent process, which matters the day an absence pattern turns into a harder conversation.
What every sick leave policy should cover
- Reporting absence — who to notify, how (call, message, app), and by what time.
- Evidence — when self-certification is enough and when a doctor's note or "fit note" is required.
- Paid vs unpaid — what you pay during sickness, and at what point statutory or unpaid rules take over.
- Statutory sick pay — the legal minimum, which varies enormously by country (more below).
- Return-to-work chats — a short, supportive check-in after an absence.
- Long-term or recurring absence — how you'll handle it, and the support available.
- How it differs from annual leave — making it crystal clear the two are separate.
The template (copy this)
You can adapt this as a starting point. It's a template, not legal advice — fill in the brackets to match the rules where you operate.
Sick Leave Policy — [Company Name]
1. Reporting an absence. If you're unable to work due to illness, notify [your manager] by [phone or message before 9:30am] on the first day, and each subsequent day unless told otherwise. Tell us the reason and, if you can, your expected return date.
2. Self-certification. Absences of [up to 7 days] can be self-certified — no doctor's note needed. You may be asked to complete a short self-certification form on your return.
3. Medical evidence. For absences longer than [7 days], please provide a [doctor's note / fit note] covering the period. Send it to [your manager / HR] as soon as you have it.
4. Sick pay. You will receive [company sick pay of full pay for up to X weeks], after which [statutory sick pay / unpaid leave] applies in line with local law. Sick pay is separate from your annual leave.
5. Return-to-work chat. After any absence, your manager will have a brief, informal chat to check you're ready to return and to agree any support or adjustments.
6. Recurring or long-term absence. If absences become frequent or prolonged, we'll arrange a supportive conversation to understand the situation and discuss options.
7. Annual leave. Sick leave is not deducted from your annual leave. If you fall ill during booked holiday, that time may be reclassified as sick leave at our discretion.
Swap the bracketed values for your own and you have a usable policy in minutes. Pair it with an annual leave policy so the two sit side by side and nobody confuses them.
Reporting absence: keep it simple
The single most important line in any sick policy is who to tell and by when. Make it one named manager and one clear deadline. Vague rules ("let someone know as soon as possible") produce vague behaviour — a message in a group chat that nobody owns. A morning cut-off removes the ambiguity.
Evidence and fit notes
Most absences are short and obvious — a cold, a stomach bug — and don't need paperwork. That's what self-certification is for: the employee confirms the reason themselves, with no doctor involved. For longer absences, many countries expect a medical note (in the UK this is a fit note, which can say someone is "not fit" or "may be fit" for work with adjustments). Set your evidence threshold in the policy and apply it consistently to everyone.
Paid vs unpaid, and statutory sick pay
This is the part that varies most, so frame it carefully. Broadly there are three layers:
- Company sick pay — what you choose to pay above the legal minimum (e.g. full pay for the first few weeks).
- Statutory sick pay — the legal minimum many countries require employers to pay during sickness, often after a short waiting period and up to a maximum number of weeks.
- Unpaid — once paid entitlements run out.
A note on the law. Statutory sick pay rules differ enormously between countries — the amount, the qualifying period, who pays it, and how long it lasts. For example, in the UK there's Statutory Sick Pay with a weekly rate and a maximum duration; other countries run very different systems, and some have none at all. This article is general guidance, not legal advice — check the rules in your jurisdiction before writing the pay section.
Return-to-work chats
A return-to-work chat sounds formal but should be the opposite: a two-minute, friendly check-in when someone comes back. "Good to have you back — all okay? Anything you need?" It does three quiet but useful things: it confirms the person is genuinely ready, it signals that absences are noticed (which gently discourages casual ones), and it surfaces any adjustments early. Done supportively, it's care, not surveillance.
How sick leave differs from annual leave
| Sick leave | Annual leave | |
|---|---|---|
| Planned? | No — unexpected | Yes — booked ahead |
| Approval | Notified, not pre-approved | Requested and approved |
| Evidence | Sometimes (fit note) | None |
| Pay | Company + statutory rules | Full pay |
| Tracked as | A separate leave type | Vacation balance |
Keeping them separate matters. If sick days quietly eat into someone's holiday allowance, you'll lose visibility of genuine absence patterns — and people will be reluctant to report illness honestly. Track them as two distinct leave types. Watching absence trends fairly (rather than punishing the odd cold) is its own discipline; the Bradford Factor is one common way to spot frequent short absences, and there's more on the bigger picture in how to reduce absenteeism at work.
How Absenca handles sick leave
Absenca tracks sick leave as its own leave type, fully separate from vacation — so a week off ill never touches someone's holiday balance. Staff report absence through the app (or your Slack/Teams bot), managers get notified, and every absence is logged with a date and reason for a clean audit trail. Because each absence is recorded properly, you can see patterns at a glance and the system calculates Bradford Factor scores automatically, with risk levels, when you want them.
It's free for up to 15 people (a real free tier, not a trial), then $0.75/user/month after that — so you can stop tracking sick days in your head today.
Frequently asked questions
How long can someone self-certify before a doctor's note is needed? That's a policy choice within the limits of your local law. A common threshold is up to 7 days self-certified, with a medical note required beyond that — but check your jurisdiction, because the rules differ by country.
Should sick days come out of annual leave? No — they should be tracked separately. Mixing them hides genuine absence and discourages people from reporting illness honestly. Keep sick leave as its own leave type with its own pay rules.
What happens if someone is ill during their booked holiday? Many policies let the employee reclassify those days as sick leave (with the usual evidence) so they don't lose the holiday. State your stance clearly in the policy so it isn't decided ad hoc.
Do we have to pay sick leave? It depends entirely on where you operate. Many countries mandate a statutory minimum (such as the UK's Statutory Sick Pay), often after a waiting period; others don't. This is general guidance, not legal advice — confirm the legal minimum in your jurisdiction and decide what, if anything, you pay on top.
Track sick leave separately from holiday, automatically — Absenca records every absence and keeps balances clean, free for up to 15 people. Next: grab the free annual leave policy template.