Bradford Factor: A Tool to Measure Employee Absenteeism

Bradford Factor: A Tool to Measure Employee Absenteeism

To get insights into employee absenteeism, I'm sharing an interesting HR tool to measure absenteeism. It is known as the "Bradford Factor". The Bradford factor is actually a number that represents the unplanned absences of an employee last year. The equation is as follows:

B = S² * D

Here,
B = Bradford Factor
S = Instances of Absence in a set period
D = Total number of Absent Days in the set period

The measurement period is typically set to the last 52 weeks.

The Bradford factor says that employees frequent short and unplanned absences have drastically more impact on a business than longer absences.

For example, in the past 52 weeks Alison took a total 10 days of absence in 5 instances. On the other hand, his co-worker Lisa took a total 20 days of absence but in 2 occasions. The Bradford score of them will be as follows:

Alison = 5*5 * 10 = 250
Lisa = 2*2 * 20 = 80

Even though Lisa took 2x more days off than Alison, her score is significantly lower (80 versus 250) because her absences were much less frequent (2 versus 5).

This is how the Bradford factor is calculated. A higher score means a greater negative impact on the natural flow of business.

So, what's your opinion regarding this matrix? Is it valuable or is it a biased one?
Should management take disciplinary actions based on a high Bradford score?
Share your opinion in the reaction section. Thanks.