Hello and welcome back to Buzzing About HR. I'm Kate and Hazel is here too. She's doing that thing where she's pretending she's asleep, but one wrapper crinkles and she's suddenly the world's fastest moving animal. Right, today we're talking statutory sick pay because it's changing in April 2026. And for small businesses, this is one of those topics that sounds simple but can get messy. Quickly if you don't tighten your basics. And I want to say this up front. The goal is not to become the sickness police. The goal is to be supportive, be consistent, and stop absence from becoming chaos, resentment, or whatsapp drama. So, kettle on, standards up, let's do it. The hive brief. Here's what's changing from the 6th of April 2026. First, SSP becomes payable from day one of sickness absence. That means the old waiting days are gone. Second, the lower earnings limit is removed, so more people qualify, including many part-timers and lower-paid staff who may not have qualified before. And the rate is being calculated as 80% of average weekly earnings or the flat weekly rate, whichever is lower. So what does that mean in real life? It means Sickness Admin will touch more of your workforce. If you've got part-timers, casual hours, weekend staff, and people with short shifts, you'll feel this more than an office with 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. And it means you need a simple, fair process that managers can actually follow. Not a 12-page policy. Not a spreadsheet from 2014, not just text me. A simple process. Fair, clear, repeatable. Let me paint a familiar picture. It's 7 58 a.m. You open your phone. Message says, not feeling great, won't be in. No name, no shift mentioned, no idea if it's food poisoning or they just cannot face Susan from accounts today. The manager panics, forwards it to three people, starts begging for cover. And by 9:10, the team group chat has turned into a debate about who was off last week and why they always get away with it. That is what we are trying to avoid. Because the biggest problem with sickness in SMEAs usually isn't sickness, it's an inconsistency. If one manager is warm and sensible and another manager is blunt and suspicious, your culture becomes a lottery. Staff feel treated differently, the team gets resentful, and your good people start thinking, why do I bother? The sting. Here's the bit you need to hear. Supportive does not mean vague. Supportive means clear. Clear rules protect the business, protect the team, and protect the person who is ill. When the rules are vague, managers freestyle. When managers freestyle, they say daft things. When they say daft things, it becomes personal. When it becomes personal, it becomes conflict. So being human and having standards at the same time is not only possible, it's the best way to do it. And Hazel agrees, she has very strong views about routine. If you feed her at 701 instead of seven oh, she looks at you like you've ruined her whole year. The honeycomb. Right, practical steps. This is your simple, calm system. I call it the four C's. Clear, consistent, calm captured. One. Clear reporting route. Pick one way people report sickness. One. If you let it come through WhatsApp to whoever they like, you'll spend your life arguing about whether they told the right person. So decide it. Call the manager or call the duty phone or email a set address. And if you do allow a text or email option, make it clear what happens next. Someone will call you to confirm you are not fit for work and to get the basics logged properly. Usually that's your manager, but if they're off, another manager will call you. That way you stay rehuman, but you also stay consistent and you're not relying on a one-line message to run your whole day. Whatever you choose, write it down and repeat it. 2. Clear-cut off time. Set a time by which they must report sickness for that day's shift unless it's an emergency. For example, at least one hour before the shift starts, or by 8 a.m. for dayworkers. This is not about punishing illness. It's about giving you a chance to cover safely. 3. Clear minimum info. Keep it simple. You do not need their medical life story. Minimum. They are unwell and cannot attend. Expected return date if they can estimate. Whether it's linked to something ongoing you already know about. That's it. 4. Clear expectations while off. Do they need to check in daily or only if they are off for more than a set period? Who they contact. What happens with sick pay? Again, not harsh, just clear. 5. Return to work chat every time. This one is gold. Even if they were off one day. Even if they were fine now. Even if you're busy. A quick return to work. Chat stops patterns from becoming habits, and it helps you support genuine issues early. Keep it short. How are you now? Anything we need to know? Any adjustments needed? Anything that caused or worsened it at work. Reminder of expectations if needed. It's not an interrogation. It's a reset. 6. Fit notes and deadlines. People often get this wrong. Set a clear deadline for when a fit note must be provided. If the absence reaches that point, and be consistent. Not I chased one person three times, but I didn't bother with the other one. 7. Capture it properly. This is the boring bit, but it saves you. You need a basic record, dates, reason category, fit note received. Return to work completed. Not in the team WhatsApp. Not in a manager's head. Not scribbled on a post-it. And be careful about what you write down. Health information is sensitive, so keep it minimal and relevant. 8. Trigger points that are fair. You need a sensible trigger, so you're not ignoring patterns, but you're also not jumping on someone who had a genuine run of bad luck. For example, a set number of occasions in a rolling period, or a pattern like repeated Mondays. When a trigger is hit, you have a conversation, not a telling off. You say, I've noticed a pattern. Is everything okay? Is there anything we can do to support you? And I also need to be clear on attendance expectations. That balance matters. How to keep it human. Now the tone makes all the difference. If a manager sounds suspicious from the first sentence, your staff will hide information, not share it. If a manager is overly casual and says, no worries, do whatever, your good staff will get fed up and your weaker ones will take the mick. So here's the sweet spot. Try this script. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you feel better soon. Can you confirm you're not fit to work today? When do you think you'll be back? Please keep me updated and follow the sickness reporting steps. We'll do a quick return to work chat when you're back. It's warm. It's clear. It sets the standard. And if you need to challenge a pattern, you can do it without being cruel. Try this. I'm checking in because I've noticed a few short absences. I want to make sure you're okay. I also, if you need to be clear that we need reliable attendance. Let's talk about what's going on and what support might help. Support first, standard second, always both. Right, quick questions I know you'll be thinking. FAQ1, will this mean more people go off sick? Maybe. But the bigger risk is your lack of process. A clear system reduces nonsense and supports genuine sickness. FAQ2. What about part-timers? This is a big one. With the lower earnings limit removed, more part-time staff will qualify. So make sure your managers do not treat part-time sickness as less important. Their admin still matters. FAQ3, can someone just text in sick? You can allow a text as an emergency option, but pick a standard route. If you allow anything and everything, you'll never be consistent. FAQ4. You can ask if they are fit for work and when they expect to return. You do not need the full diagnosis. Keep it respectful and minimal. FAQ5. What if they keep doing one-day absences? Use your trigger points. Do a return to work chat every time. Patterns are easier to challenge when you've been consistent from the start. What if the team gets resentful? Communicate your approach. We support sickness. We expect reliable attendance. We handle it consistently. Resentment grows in silence and inconsistency. So here's your takeaway. The SSP changes are real and they matter. From April 6, 2026, it's day one SSP, more people qualify and the rate calculation changes. But your values don't have to change. You can be human and have standards at the same time. You do that by being clear, being consistent, keeping it calm, and capturing it properly. And if you want help putting the system in place, not just nodding along to it, come and join us. In cake, coffee and compliance. It's where we uncover the Employment Rights Act 2025, one bite-sized chunk at a time, without the legal waffle. You get a clear understanding of what's changing and what it means in real life. And every session comes with three practical actions and templates to take away with you so you can actually implement it, instead of just adding it to your mental load. We've also been developing simple online return-to-work forms that your team can complete properly. We review them and then they can be added to your HRIS system so it's all captured consistently. No more buzzing around trying to find who said what, when, and whether anyone actually did a return to work chat. One process, one record, less stress. If you want to sort it fairly and easily, why not book a call with us and we'll talk you through what good looks like for your business and how we can help? Or have a look at cake, coffee and compliance here. wwwr.katieunderwoodhr.co.uk slash training slash cake dash coffee dash compliance. And if Hazel can stick to her treat routine like it's a legal requirement, you can stick to weekly check ins and return to work chats. Kettle on, standards up, and if you want help getting your hive in order, book a call and we'll get it sorted fairly and easily. See you next time.