This functionality eliminates the need to manually select policies when adding sickness schedules by allowing you to set a default policy code for each employee. When a sickness schedule is created, either manually or through import, the system automatically applies the correct occupational policy based on the employee's assigned code.
Set up policy codes
Before you can link policies to employees, you need to add a unique code to each occupational sickness policy. To add a policy code, follow the steps below.
Click HR, then click Sickness policies.
Select the policy you want to add a code to.
In the Policy code field, enter a unique identifier (up to 50 characters).
Click Save.
📌 Note: Policy code requirements are as follows:
Maximum 50 characters
Can include letters, numbers, and the characters: & _ -
Must be unique within your company
Optional but recommended for easier policy management
Link a policy code to an employee
Once your policies have codes, you can assign them to employees in their company details. To assign a policy code to an employee, follow the steps below.
Click Team, then click on the employee's name.
Locate the Company Details section.
In the Occupational Sickness Code field, select the appropriate policy code.
Click Save.
📌 Note: The Occupational Sickness Code field only appears on the employee's main post. If an employee has multiple posts, the policy applies only to their primary employment.
How automatic policy application works
Add sickness manually
To add sickness manually, follow the steps below.
Click Team, then click on the employee's name.
Click Add sickness.
The system automatically selects the occupational policy linked to the employee's policy code.
Select the appropriate entitlement band for this period of sickness.
Complete the remaining fields, then click Save.
Import sickness schedules
When importing sickness schedules, the system uses the policy code stored in the employee's record to automatically apply the correct occupational policy. To import sickness schedules with occupational policies, follow the steps below.
Click Team, then click Import.
Click the CSV file, and drag and drop the file into the importer. Alternatively, click select it from your computer and click on the file you wish to import.
Validate the file.
Click the Sick Pay Schedules block.
Map the required fields, including:
Sickness Start Date
Sickness End Date
Entitlement Band (required for employees with occupational policies)
Entitlement Used In Current Sickness Year (optional)
Click Import, then click Go to team area to view the schedule or Import with same file to continue importing.
Import employees with policy codes
You can assign policy codes to employees during the initial setup or when importing new starters. To import employees with policy codes, follow the steps below.
Click Team, then click Import.
Click the CSV file, and drag and drop the file into the importer. Alternatively, click select it from your computer and click on the file you wish to import.
Validate the file.
Click the Team Members block.
Map the Occupational Sickness Code field to the relevant column in your file.
Click Import, then click Go to team area to view the employees or Import with same file to continue importing.
This allows you to set up new employees with their occupational policy in a single import, rather than having to add the policy code to each employee's record individually.
Understand entitlement bands
Occupational sickness policies can contain multiple entitlement bands that define different levels of sick pay based on length of service or other criteria. When adding a sickness schedule:
The policy is automatically selected based on the employee's policy code.
You must still select which entitlement band applies to this particular sickness period.
During import, include the entitlement band field to specify which band applies.
Example: An occupational policy called "Teachers" might have three bands:
Band 1: 0-1 years service
Band 2: 1-5 years service
Band 3: 5+ years service
The employee's policy code links them to the "Teachers" policy, but you need to specify which band applies based on their length of service.
Track entitlement used
The system now allows you to record how many days of occupational sick pay an employee has already used in the current sickness year. This is particularly useful when:
Migrating data from another system.
Importing historical sickness records.
Manually tracking entitlement usage.
To record entitlement used during import, follow the steps below.
Include the entitlement used in the current sickness year field in your import file.
Enter the number of days already used. This must be between 0 and 365 with no decimals.
This value is stored with the sickness record but is not automatically calculated or tracked by the system.
⚠️ Important: The system currently stores this value but does not automatically calculate or track occupational sick pay usage. Future enhancements will include automatic tracking of entitlement.
Troubleshoot common issues
Policy code not appearing in employee record
Check that HR is enabled for the company.
Verify that at least one occupational sickness policy exists with a code.
Ensure the policy code has been saved in the sickness policy setup.
Import ignoring policy codes
Confirm the codes in your import file exactly match the codes in your policies and check for extra spaces.
Verify employees have HR enabled.
Check that the codes meet validation requirements. This is 50 characters maximum, with valid characters only.
Sickness schedule not importing
If the employee has an occupational policy, ensure the entitlement band field is included in your import.
Check that the specified band exists within the policy.
Verify the employee has a valid policy code assigned.
Multiple posts showing different policies
Policy codes can only be assigned to an employee's main post.
The same policy applies regardless of which post the sickness relates to.
Future enhancements may support different policies per post.