Blog

Thoughts on leave management, small business life, and building Absently.

3 September 2026

Can you make staff take annual leave? Christmas shutdowns and enforced leave

Can you make staff take annual leave over Christmas? Here's the legal notice rule for UK employers, what to do if someone's short on leave, and a shutdown notice you can adapt.

20 August 2026

Compassionate leave: letter and policy wording template for small businesses

Ready-to-adapt wording for small UK employers: a compassionate leave policy clause and a compassionate leave letter you can send an employee, plus the legal essentials.

2 August 2026

Calculating holiday entitlement when someone joins or leaves partway through the year

How to work out a fair holiday allowance for mid-year starters, leavers, and anyone who changes their hours during the leave year.

20 July 2026

What happens to unused holiday when someone leaves your business

A plain-English guide to working out and paying unused holiday entitlement when an employee leaves your business.

15 June 2026

How to calculate holiday pay for your employees

Holiday pay sounds simple, but the rules catch a lot of small employers out. Here is a plain-English guide to getting it right.

8 June 2026

How to manage employee absence without it taking over your week

Practical steps for small business owners to manage employee absence consistently, without spending hours on admin.

1 June 2026

How to manage long-term sickness absence

Long-term sickness absence is one of the harder things a small employer has to deal with. Here's how to handle it fairly, legally, and without losing your mind.

25 May 2026

The Bradford Factor: what it is and whether you should use it

The Bradford Factor is a formula for measuring the disruptive impact of short-term absence. Here's how it works and what small businesses should consider before using it.

18 May 2026

What is a TOIL policy and what should it include?

If your team works extra hours, you need a clear TOIL policy. Here's what to include and how to keep it simple.

14 May 2026

Annual leave and maternity leave: what UK employers need to know

Employees continue to accrue annual leave throughout maternity leave. Here is what that means in practice for small employers, and how to handle it fairly.

8 May 2026

Annual leave for part-time workers: how to calculate it correctly

Part-time employees are entitled to the same annual leave as full-time staff, but on a pro-rata basis. Here is how to calculate it correctly and avoid common mistakes.

5 May 2026

The simplest way to manage leave for a small team in 2026

If you are still managing leave in a spreadsheet or a WhatsApp group, there is a better way. Here is what to look for, and why simple usually wins.

4 May 2026

Annual leave carry-over: what the rules are and how to manage it

Most unused annual leave is lost at the end of the leave year. But there are important exceptions, and the rules changed in 2024. Here's what small employers need to know.

30 April 2026

Bank holidays and part-time workers: getting it right

Part-time workers are entitled to bank holidays on a pro-rata basis, but the calculation trips up a lot of small employers. Here's how to get it right.

27 April 2026

The origins of UK bank holidays (and why your business needs a policy for them)

UK bank holidays have a surprisingly interesting history. But for small employers, the more pressing question is how to handle them fairly for your team.

22 April 2026

Time off in lieu (TOIL): how it works and how to track it

TOIL lets employees take time off instead of being paid for extra hours worked. Here's how to manage it fairly and keep track of it without the headaches.

20 April 2026

Compassionate leave: what it is and how to handle it well

Compassionate leave isn't legally defined in the UK, but handling it well matters more than most HR decisions. Here's what small employers need to know.

16 April 2026

How to write a leave policy for your small business (free template included)

A practical guide to writing a leave policy that's clear, fair, and actually usable - plus a free template you can download and adapt.

14 April 2026

Free staff holiday planner template for UK small businesses (Excel download)

A free Excel staff holiday planner template for UK small businesses, with public holidays pre-filled and all common leave types included.

9 April 2026

Parental leave in the UK: a plain-English guide for small businesses

Maternity, paternity, shared parental leave - here is what every small UK employer needs to know, without the legal jargon.

6 April 2026

Sick leave vs annual leave: what's the difference and why it matters

Sick leave and annual leave are two very different things - here's what every small UK employer needs to know.

2 April 2026

How to handle holiday requests fairly (without the headaches)

A practical guide to managing leave requests in a small team - fairly, consistently, and without the back-and-forth.

30 March 2026

What types of leave do UK employees get? A plain-English guide for small businesses

Annual leave, sick leave, parental leave and more - here's what every UK small business owner needs to know about the different types of employee leave.

28 March 2026

Still managing leave on a spreadsheet? Here's what it's costing you

Spreadsheets are fine for a lot of things. Managing staff leave for a growing team is not one of them.

26 March 2026

Why we built Absently (and who it's for)

Absently is a simple leave management tool built for small UK businesses tired of tracking holidays in spreadsheets. Here's the story behind it.