Free tool
Bradford Factor calculator
Absence spells and total days in, and out comes the Bradford Factor score, the spells squared times the days. It sets no trigger point; the policy is yours.
The link carries your figures in the address itself. Nothing is stored on our side.
The working
| Measure | Value | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| The working appears here once your figures are in. | ||
How the answer is worked out
Every step, in the open, so you can rebuild it in a few spreadsheet cells and disagree with it if you want to. A calculator you cannot check is an ad.
The formula
The Bradford Factor is the number of separate absence spells, squared, multiplied by the total days absent over a period. In symbols it is S times S times D. Four spells over eight days is four squared, sixteen, times eight, which is a score of 128. The tool shows each part, so the number is never a black box.
Why the spells are squared
Squaring the spells is the whole point of the measure: it makes broken-up absence score far higher than the same days taken in one stretch. Eight days as one spell scores eight; eight separate single days score five hundred and twelve. The formula is built to surface frequency, on the argument that scattered absence disrupts a team more than a single planned block.
Reading the score
A score only means something against a fixed period, usually a rolling year, and for one person at a time. The tool states no level at which a score should prompt anything, because that is a policy choice that differs by workforce and by shift pattern. Use it to apply your own action levels consistently, not to import a threshold from elsewhere.
What this tool does not know
What a score should trigger. It asserts no action level, because there is no universal one: a threshold that fits one workforce misfits another, and the right response to a pattern is a policy decision, not a number a web page can hand you. The tool gives you the score and stops there.
It also does not know why the absence happened, and that matters. Some absence is legally protected or ought to be excluded, and the rules differ by country, so a raw score is a prompt to look, never a decision. This is not legal advice; confirm what may be counted before you act. To read absence at the team level, use the absenteeism rate calculator, and for the wider picture see the guide to HR metrics for small teams.
Questions with complete answers
What is the Bradford Factor?
A way of scoring absence that weights how often someone is away more heavily than how long. The score is the number of separate absence spells, squared, multiplied by the total days absent over a period. It is used to surface a pattern of frequent short absences that a simple day count would hide, not to decide anything on its own.
Why are the spells squared?
Squaring the spells is what makes frequent, broken-up absence score far higher than the same number of days taken in one block. Ten days in one spell scores 10, while ten single days score 1000. The formula is deliberately built to draw attention to frequency, on the view that scattered absence is more disruptive to a team than a single planned stretch.
What score is too high?
This tool asserts no trigger point, because there is no universal one. Organisations that use the Bradford Factor set their own action levels, and a level that fits one workforce or shift pattern misfits another. The tool gives you the score so you can apply your own policy to it, consistently, rather than borrowing a threshold from a web page.
Should the reason for the absence matter?
Yes. A raw score treats every absence the same, but some absences are legally protected or otherwise ought to be excluded, such as disability-related absence, pregnancy and some statutory leave, and the rules on this differ by country. This tool does the arithmetic only. It is not legal advice, and you should confirm what may be counted before acting on any score.
Is anything I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. It computes in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. There is no email wall, no account and no storage. The link button carries your figures in the address itself if you want to send them to someone.
A score is a prompt to look, not a verdict. The context around it is a record worth keeping.