Evident Workplace Intelligence

The Bradford Factor: how it works, what it misses, and how to use it responsibly

The Bradford Factor (S² × D) scores frequent short absences more heavily than fewer long ones. This guide covers the calculation with a worked example, what it is useful for, its limits (including Equality Act, pregnancy and dependants considerations), why it is a lagging indicator, and how to pair it with anonymised team-level psychosocial signals and sound governance.