{"id":14345,"date":"2008-03-23T12:56:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-23T12:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=14345"},"modified":"2026-07-22T15:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T15:21:23","slug":"managing-cover-for-long-term-sickness-absence","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/uk\/resources\/hr-compliance\/absence-management\/managing-cover-for-long-term-sickness-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing cover for long-term sickness absence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f85887e8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-929090b5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <strong>Kathy Daniels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Managing long\u2011term sickness absence is a challenge for any organisation, and ensuring effective workload cover is essential to maintaining continuity and supporting team morale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Employers may need to redistribute tasks among colleagues, bring in agency support or recruit temporary cover \u2014 and the right approach will depend on how long the absence is expected to last. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our guide helps HR teams make informed, compliant decisions by outlining the key options, considerations and best\u2011practice steps for managing cover during extended periods of employee illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-this-guide-learn-about\">In this guide, learn about:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Likely length of the sickness absence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Covering the absence with existing employees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Covering the absence with agency workers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Covering the absence with a fixed-term employee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">The absent employee&#8217;s return to work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-want-to-see-more\">Want to see more?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For full access to How to manage cover for long-term sickness absence, sign up to a HR and Compliance Centre subscription today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" 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strategies, implement best practices and set your organisation up for a brighter future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how our tools, resources and automation can empower you and your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/uk\/solutions\/?intcmp=cta|blog|solutions|learn-more\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-64c039dc wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-gray-background-color has-background\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p 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practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":14353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-new-resources","categories":[12],"tags":[],"topic":[30],"class_list":["post-14345","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides-how-to","topic-absence-management"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Managing cover for long-term sickness absence | Brightmine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Practical HR guidance on managing cover for long\u2011term sickness absence, including staffing options, legal considerations and maintaining continuity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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