From April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be payable from day one of absence — removing the current three-day waiting period and fundamentally changing how short-term sickness shows up in hospitality businesses.
At the current SSP rate of £116.75 per week (around £16.68 per day), a single missed shift will now carry an automatic cost. Multiply that across weekend call-ins, high-pressure services and already stretched rotas, and the financial impact quickly adds up. And it’s not just the payment itself: employers will also face a heavier administrative burden, with accurate reporting, self-certification and return-to-work processes becoming non-negotiable.
That extra admin cuts both ways. Done properly, it can reduce absence by forcing better visibility, earlier conversations and clearer patterns. But equally, guaranteeing day-one pay may encourage more short, casual absences — particularly in an industry where one missed shift can cause outsized disruption.
Written by employment and HR specialist Ella de Beer of Electric Mayonnaise, this long read looks beyond the headline change to explore what SSP from day one will actually mean on real shifts, in real businesses — and why how you manage sickness may matter just as much as how much you pay for it.
SSP from Day One What's Happening, and Why Hospitality Should Pay Attention Now
It’s 4pm on a Saturday and your phone rings. Another team member is sick. Again. You already know the drill: scramble for cover, reshuffle the rota, step onto the floor yourself. The service will go on — but it will cost you.
From April 2026, that cost becomes unavoidable. Statutory Sick Pay will be payable from day one, turning short-term absence from an inconvenience into another financial reality that hospitality can’t afford to ignore.
On the surface, this feels like a minor change. But for our hospo businesses already operating under pressure — tight margins, increased costs – business rates, cost of goods etc and the daily reality of covering shifts at short notice — it has the potential to significantly change how sickness absence shows up on the rota.
This isn’t about legal detail. It’s about what this change will mean in real life, on real shifts, and why it is important to change the way the way absence is managed day to day.
What Is Changing?
SSP is the legal minimum sick pay that employers must provide to eligible employees who are too unwell to work. Until now, it has only been payable from the fourth consecutive day of sickness, with employees self-certifying for the 7 days and providing a doctor’s fit note if the absence lasts longer (8 days plus).
From April 2026, that waiting period disappears. SSP will be payable from day one.
In hospitality, where many absences last a single day or cover one key shift, that change is significant. A team member calling in sick for a Saturday night service will now automatically create a cost, even if they return the very next day. When that happens repeatedly across a team, the impact adds up quickly — not just financially, but operationally.
The intention behind the legislation is positive. Removing financial pressure on genuinely unwell employees is the right thing to do. But it also removes a barrier that previously discouraged casual or poorly managed short-term absence, team members will think twice about a whole day unpaid. For employers, that means the risk has shifted from the team members to you.
What Are the Challenges?
The biggest challenge won’t be long-term sickness. Those absences are usually supported by medical evidence and we are able to plan better for those.
The real pressure point in hospitality is frequent, short-term absence. These are the call-ins that land just before a busy service, on a bank holiday, or at the weekend when cover is hardest to find. One person off can mean managers stepping back onto the floor, stretching the rest of the team, or a messy, pressured service.
Under the new rules, each of those absences also carries a direct cost. SSP from day one, combined with overtime, agency cover, or a difficult service, quickly turns a “small” absence into a significant problem.
It’s worth being clear about one thing: SSP is a pay entitlement, not an attendance entitlement. The law has changed how sick pay is triggered, but it hasn’t removed an employer’s responsibility — or right — to manage absence properly.
Why Proactive Sickness Management Matters
Good absence management doesn’t start on day eight with a fit note. It starts on day one, with consistent reporting, clear expectations, and proper follow-up.
Self-certification in hospitality is often treated as an after thought, how many times do you really ask an employee to fill in a self-certification form? In reality, it’s one of the most valuable tools managers have. When completed properly, it creates an accurate record, helps identify emerging patterns, and supports fair conversations later on. When it’s rushed or ignored, managers lose visibility, and absence issues tend to surface only once they’re already disruptive.
How many times have I heard, ‘he calls in sick all the time’ but when we look for concrete evidence, we have to scramble through rotas to try and figure out days and times.
Return-to-work interviews are even more important. In hospitality, these don’t need to be formal meetings in an office. A short, private conversation at the start of a shift with a mutual form completed will check in with how someone is feeling, confirm they’re fit to be back, and open the door to any wider issues whilst still sending a clear message: absence is noticed, but people are supported.
When these conversations happen consistently after every absence — even a single day — they quietly discourage casual absence and encourage honesty. When they don’t happen, absence tends to increase, especially when sick pay is guaranteed from day one.
Managing Patterns, Not Punishing People
Most absence problems in hospitality aren’t about someone being ill once. They’re about patterns developing over time.
Repeated weekend sickness, absences clustered around holidays, or regular call-ins after payday all place pressure on teams and service delivery. Addressing these patterns early isn’t about accusation or punishment. It’s about recognising when absence is becoming disruptive and having an adult to adult conversation before frustration builds on both sides.
These conversations (when well handled) often lead to practical solutions — whether that’s support, adjustments, or clearer expectations. Left unaddressed, patterns harden, costs rise, and trust erodes in the team.
A Word on Disability and Mental Health
Absence management needs consistency, but it also needs care.
Some patterns of absence are linked to disability, long-term health conditions, or mental health issues. In hospitality, mental health challenges often show up as short, repeated absences rather than long periods away from work, particularly in high-pressure environments with long hours and unpredictable shifts.
So not only do the return to work interviews support the proactive management of sickness but they also give us the opportunity to spot early warning signs. Asking whether something is ongoing or whether work is contributing to the problem can make the difference between supporting someone effectively and managing absence unfairly.
Someone on your team has called in sick three times over the last few weeks. It’s always a short absence — a shift here, a day there — but it’s starting to cause problems. Cover is harder to find, the rest of the team are feeling it, and you’re beginning to wonder whether it’s turning into a pattern.
I just wanted to check in. You’ve been off a few times recently and I wanted to make sure you’re okay. Is everything alright, or is there anything that’s making things harder at the moment?
This opens the door to things managers don’t otherwise see.
The team member might explain that they’re struggling with back pain after long shifts on their feet, or that the pressure of busy weekend services is triggering anxiety. They may not have mentioned it before because they didn’t want to make a fuss — or because they didn’t think it would change anything.
Now the conversation shifts. Instead of talking about absence, you’re talking about how to keep someone well enough to come to work. That might mean adjusting shifts for a short period, building in proper breaks, or being more consistent with rotas so people can recover properly between services.
None of this ignores the impact of absence on the business, it has still been addressed but in way that helps the team member feel seen, supported, and treated like adults.
And it helps you manage absence fairly. If there is something ongoing — physical or mental — addressing it early is far safer, and far more effective, than letting frustration build until formal processes feel like the only option.
Where disability or long-term health issues are involved, employers have a duty to pause formal processes, explore reasonable adjustments, and manage absence lawfully and compassionately. Getting this right protects the business — and the people within it.
Final Thoughts
SSP from day one isn’t just a payroll change. It’s a management test.
Hospitality businesses that focus on clear reporting, proper self-certification (even just for one day), consistent return-to-work conversations (even just for one day), early intervention on patterns, and thoughtful handling of health issues will adapt without drama.
Those that don’t may find absence rising, costs increasing, and pressure mounting on already stretched teams.
The legislation may be new. The solution isn’t.
Good absence management has always been about clarity, consistency, and human conversations — and from April 2026, that matters more than ever.
