---
title: Sickness and absence records
canonical_url: https://hrhive.co.uk/product/sickness-absence/
content_type: product
summary: Managers and HR record sickness as leave that needs no approval and does not use the holiday allowance. Sick notes are filed as medical-restricted documents, and a Return to Work form is built in. HRHive does not calculate sick pay.
audiences:
  - employer
  - adviser
  - manager
topic: sickness
jurisdiction: uk
status: published
last_updated: 2026-10-05
---

# Record sickness, keep the sick note private and file the return to work

> Managers and HR record sickness as leave that needs no approval and does not use the holiday allowance. Sick notes are filed as medical-restricted documents, and a Return to Work form is built in. HRHive does not calculate sick pay.

## What problem does this solve?

Sickness records are some of the most sensitive things you hold, and they often sit in the least careful places: a manager's notebook, an email, a spreadsheet everyone can open. The return-to-work conversation happens, or does not, and there is no record either way. When a sick note arrives, nobody is sure who should be able to see it.

## What HRHive does

- Records sickness absence as leave. Owners, admins, HR and managers, for their own team, enter the dates, including half days. By default it needs no approval and does not use the holiday allowance.
- Counts working days from the person's working pattern, leaving out weekends, bank holidays and closure days.
- Files sick notes as documents of the type Sick Note, with an issue date. Sick notes are medical-restricted: only owners, admins and HR can see them, unless you mark one as visible to the employee.
- Includes a Return to Work form. It records the first and last day of absence, the reason, whether a fit note was provided, any adjustments or support needed, and a notes field that only HR fills in. Send it to the employee with a secure link, or print a blank copy.
- Keeps the record on the person's timeline and files a completed form as a PDF on their record.
- Lets HR open an Absence Concern case when an absence needs more than a record. Cases have four confidentiality levels, an access list, notes and evidence.
- Leaves recording to the manager or HR. Employees cannot book sickness in the portal, and they can see their absence once it is recorded.

> **What HRHive does not do with sickness**
>
> HRHive does not calculate Statutory Sick Pay or any other sick pay, and it does not work out the Bradford factor. It does not prompt you to hold a return-to-work conversation or send the form: you decide when to use it. It holds the records, and you or your payroll provider do the calculations.

## How it works

1. **Record the absence.** From Holidays, choose Record leave, pick the person, choose Sickness and enter the dates. Managers can do this for their own team. It is recorded straight away.
2. **File the sick note.** Upload a Sick Note against the person, with its issue date. It is visible to owners, admins and HR only.
3. **Hold the return-to-work conversation.** Send the Return to Work form to the employee as a request, or print a blank copy and complete it on paper.
4. **Follow up if you need to.** Open an Absence Concern case, which has its own confidentiality level and notes.

## What you see

On the Holidays page and on the person's Holidays tab, sickness shows with its own colour beside other leave. A manager sees their own team's absence, and HR sees everyone's. In the document list, a sick note is marked with its type and is hidden from anyone who should not see it.

**Priya Nair** — Quantity surveyor, employee

- Type: Sickness
- Dates: 28 September to 29 September 2026
- Working days: 2
- Needs approval: No
- Uses holiday allowance: No
- Recorded by: Sarah Morgan (manager)

Timeline:
- 30 Sep 2026: Return to Work form submitted
- 28 Sep 2026: Sickness recorded: 28 September to 29 September 2026 (2 days)

## The record it creates

Recording sickness creates a leave record of type Sickness, with its dates and working days, and an entry on the person's timeline. A sick note is filed as a document with its own restricted visibility. A completed Return to Work form is filed on the record as a PDF. The retention schedule has its own entry for sickness records and fit notes.

## Who can do what

Health information is sensitive, so sick notes are kept apart from the rest of the record. Who can record an absence is wider than who can read the medical detail.

| Role | What they can do |
| --- | --- |
| Owner, admin and HR | Record sickness for anyone, file and read sick notes, send the Return to Work form and open an Absence Concern case when one is needed. |
| Manager | Record sickness for the people who report to them, and see the dates and type for their team. They cannot see sick notes or other medical documents. |
| Payroll / Finance | Read everyone's leave, including sickness dates. They cannot see sick notes. |
| Compliance | Has no access to leave or to sick notes. |
| Employee | See their own absence in the portal, and their own sick note only if it has been marked as visible to them. They cannot record sickness there: they tell their manager or HR. |
| Auditor (read only) | Read leave records without changing anything. Medical documents are not shown. |
| Adviser invited into the organisation | Works with whichever role you give them. An HR consultant given the HR role can record sickness and file sick notes as HR can. |

## What happens next

Sickness shows alongside other approved leave in the Holiday calendar report, for the roles that can read it. If an absence is long or recurring, HR can open a case to record what has been discussed and agreed. When someone leaves, their sickness records stay on file under the retention schedule. See [Leave](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/leave/) for how absence and holiday sit together, and [Documents](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/documents/) for how restricted documents are filed.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does HRHive work out sick pay?

No. HRHive does not calculate Statutory Sick Pay or any other sick pay, and it does not work out the Bradford factor. It holds the dates, the sick note and the return-to-work record that you or your payroll provider will need. For guidance on what to record, see :link[Sickness and absence]{to="topic_hub:sickness"}.

### Who can see sick notes?

Owners, admins and HR. Managers, payroll, compliance and auditors cannot see them. An employee sees their own sick note only if HR marks it as visible to them. Managers do see the dates and type of absence for their own team, because they record it.

### Can employees record their own sickness?

Not in the portal, which does not offer sickness as a leave type. They tell their manager or HR, who records it. The employee can then see the absence in their list of requests.

## About this page

- Last updated: 5 October 2026

## Related

**In HRHive**

- [Holiday and leave](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/leave/)
- [Documents, versions and expiry dates](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/documents/)
- [Questionnaires and forms](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/questionnaires/)
- [Incidents and cases](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/incidents/)
- [Employee records and personnel files](https://hrhive.co.uk/product/employee-records/)

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