Spreadsheets can't calculate sick leave entitlement for you
Most businesses start out tracking sick leave in a spreadsheet. It works for recording that someone was off - but it can't tell you whether they're entitled to SSP, contractual sick pay, or nothing at all, and it definitely won't catch a pattern before it's a serious issue.
Entitlement calculated by hand, every time
Working out whether an employee qualifies for Statutory Sick Pay, where they sit on a length-of-service sliding scale, or how many sick days they have left is a manual job most HR teams don't have time to do properly.
Applications lost in email and paper
A paid sick leave application submitted by phone call, email, or a scrawled note rarely makes it into the spreadsheet accurately or on time - leaving HR working from incomplete or outdated information.
Patterns go unnoticed
A spreadsheet records that someone was off sick - it doesn't help identify that this is their third single-day absence this quarter. Spotting a pattern manually rarely happens until it's already a serious issue.
Inconsistent application of policy
Without a system enforcing your sick pay policy, different managers apply it differently - creating inconsistency, unfairness, and risk if a case is ever challenged.
- George H, Managing Director at Hammerton Barbados
There's no statutory limit on how much sick leave a UK employee can take, but Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) applies once someone has been off sick for 4 or more consecutive days, payable for up to 28 weeks. Many employers offer enhanced contractual sick pay on top - WhosOff allows you to track both in alignment with your policy.
Every sick leave application logged
accurately, calculated automatically
WhosOff gives HR and managers a reliable, consistent way to record and manage sick leave - so entitlement is always calculated correctly and nothing depends on memory or a forgotten spreadsheet update.
Simple sick leave applications
Employees or managers submit a paid sick leave application in seconds - recording dates, type, and notes. No paper forms, no forgotten phone calls left unrecorded.
Entitlement calculation
WhosOff allows you to record leave limits against each employee - Statutory Sick Pay, contractual sick pay, or a blend of both - based on your configured policy.
Fit note & self-certification tracking
Record whether an absence is self-certified or not, with the relevant dates and details logged against the employee's record automatically as part of the application.
Trigger point identification
See absence trends, frequency, total days, or Bradford Factor score - allowing managers to be alerted the moment an employee crosses them, so patterns are caught early rather than discovered months later.
Sick leave reporting
Run reports on sick leave taken, entitlement remaining, by employee, team, or department. Export instantly for payroll, HR audits, or board-level absence reporting.
Apply for sick leave from anywhere
Employees or managers can log sick leave from the free WhosOff mobile app first thing in the morning - so the application and the record are created in real time, not reconstructed from memory later.
See sick leave and booked holiday together - and avoid staff gaps
Because sick leave and holiday live in the same WhosOff system, you get a true picture of team availability at all times - helping you avoid the staffing gaps that happen when unplanned sickness lands on top of already-approved holiday.
Frequent short-term sickness flagged
WhosOff allows managers to identify patterns like repeated single-day sick leave, absence around weekends, or recurring episodes - patterns that are almost impossible to spot reliably from a spreadsheet alone.
Sick leave and holiday shown together
Because both absence types share one calendar, you can immediately see if unplanned sickness has dropped a team below cover on top of already-approved holiday - rather than discovering it on the day.
Minimum staffing
If sick leave combined with booked holiday drops a team below safe staffing levels, managers will be alerted - giving them time to arrange cover rather than discovering the gap when it's already causing problems.
Fair, consistent, documented process
Every employee's sick leave is measured against the same trigger points and process, with a complete record behind every decision. That consistency protects both the employee and the business if a case is ever challenged.
The sick leave management software UK teams have trusted since 2005
Built for UK suck leave rules
Statutory Sick Pay limits, self-certification and fit note tracking, and contractual sick pay limits are all built in - designed around how UK HR teams actually manage sick leave.
Cloud-based - nothing to install
WhosOff runs entirely in the cloud. No software to install, no server to maintain. Your sick leave management system is live within the hour, accessible from any browser or device.
One system for sick leave and holiday
Sick leave, holiday, compassionate leave, and every other absence type live in the same shared system - giving HR and managers one complete view of staff availability, rather than juggling separate trackers.
Real UK-based support
Our Canterbury-based team answers calls and emails Monday to Friday, 9am–5.30pm. No bots, no offshore queues - real people who understand sick leave management and the product inside out.
WhosOff at a glance
2,500+
companies using WhosOff800k+
employees managed4.4★
average review score20 yrs
in business since 2005- Up to 8 weeks FREE trial
- No credit card required
- No setup fee or long-term contract
- Bradford Factor scoring built in
- UK-based support included
- Cyber Essentials certified
- G-Cloud Crown Commercial Services supplier
One calendar for sick leave and holiday - always current
Sick leave, holiday, compassionate leave, and every other absence type appear on a single shared calendar. Managers see the full picture of who's off and why - no separate sickness tracker, no second system to check.
Sick leave and holiday, colour-coded together
Sickness, holiday, compassionate leave, and other absence categories are clearly distinguished on the calendar - so managers instantly understand the nature of every absence, not just that someone is missing.
Filter by absence type or team
Need to see only sick leave across the whole organisation, or just one department's full absence picture? Filter the shared calendar instantly to focus on exactly the data you need.
Real-time updates from any device
Sick leave logged on the mobile app first thing in the morning appears on the shared calendar immediately - so the whole team has accurate, current information without delay.
Syncs to Google Calendar & Outlook
Approved absence - sick leave or holiday - syncs automatically to external calendars, so the wider team always knows who's available without needing to check a separate absence management system.
Spreadsheet vs WhosOff:
the honest absence management comparison
If your business is still managing staff absence in a spreadsheet, here's exactly what changes when you move to a dedicated absence management system.
| Sick leave management task | Spreadsheet | WhosOff |
| Submit a sick leave application | ✗ Phone call or email, recorded manually | ✓ Logged online or via mobile app in seconds |
| Calculate Bradford Factor scores | ✗ Manual formula - rarely actually done | ✓ Calculated for every employee |
| Spot sickness patterns | ✗ Requires manual review - usually too late | ✓ Identifiable proactively against trigger points |
| See sickness and holiday together | ✗ Usually tracked in separate spreadsheets | ✓ One shared calendar, every absence type |
| Fit note & self-certification records | ✗ Paper forms or scattered notes | ✓ Logged directly against staff using Staff Hub |
| Consistency across managers | ✗ Policy applied differently by each manager | ✓ Same rules, same calculation, every time |
| Sick leave reports for payroll | ✗ Manual pivot tables, hours of preparation | ✓ One-click reports, exportable instantly |
| Audit trail for HR & compliance | ✗ No reliable record of who applied for what | ✓ Full timestamped history, always exportable |
| Mobile access for employees & managers | ✗ Not designed for mobile use | ✓ Free iOS & Android apps for all users |
| HR time spent on absence admin | ~ 2–4 hours per week | ✓ Under 20 minutes per week |
2,500+ teams trust WhosOff to
manage sick leave
"We now have greater accessibility across shifts with increased accuracy and visibility"
HR Manager
"If you’re thinking of moving to an online holiday planner, I’d advise you to do it sooner rather than later!"
Director
"WhosOff was a no-brainer for us, as everyone can easily access the system and see each other’s availability"
Content Manager
2,500+
Companies using WhosOff800,000+
Employees managed4.4★
Average review score20 yrs
in business since 2005Sick leave management
questions, answered
Common questions about monitoring and managing sick leave with WhosOff.
What is sick leave entitlement in the UK?
What is a paid sick leave application and how does it work?
Can WhosOff manage sick leave alongside annual leave and other absence types?
How does WhosOff record self-certification and fit notes?
How can monitoring sick leave be achieved using software?
What sick leave reports does WhosOff produce for HR and payroll?
Is WhosOff suitable for managing sick leave across a large organisation?
Is there a free trial of WhosOff's sick leave management software?
Ready to Simplify Sick Leave Management?
Join over 2,500 companies that have replaced spreadsheets with WhosOff - sick leave management software that manages sick leave correctly and helps identify patterns before they become a problem.
Prefer to talk? Call +44 (0)1227 812932 or email our team - Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm