The Bradford Factor is a formula used to measure the disruption caused by employee absence. It works on the principle that frequent, short, unplanned absences are more disruptive to a business than a single long one. The score is calculated as S × S × D, where S is the number of separate absence spells and D is the total days absent over a set period.

A worked example shows the effect: ten one-day absences score 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000, while one ten-day absence scores 1 × 1 × 10 = 10 — the same number of days, a very different score. Many employers set thresholds that trigger a review or a return-to-work conversation once a score is reached.

The Bradford Factor is widely used across the UK, EU, and APAC, but it works only with accurate data. Calamari's Time Off module records every absence spell, making it straightforward to calculate scores and spot patterns fairly and consistently.