Absence Recording
Manual
Human Resources
22/01/15
1
Table of contents
Table of contents ....................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3
University policies...................................................................................................................... 3
Using SAP ................................................................................................................................... 4
Important Payroll Information .................................................................................................. 5
Recording absences ................................................................................................................... 6
Inputting Annual Leave.............................................................................................................. 7
Inputting a half day Annual Leave ............................................................................................. 8
Recording sicknesses ................................................................................................................. 9
Absences for 1 – 7 consecutive days ....................................................................................... 10
To extend an absence record .................................................................................................. 12
Absences for 8 or more consecutive days (Fit Note)............................................................... 13
To enter additional information for fit notes .......................................................................... 15
How to enter details of more than three fit notes for one sickness ....................................... 17
See below for the procedure to assist with the solutions...................................................... 17
PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................... 18
To record half day sicknesses on SAP ...................................................................................... 21
To view absence records ......................................................................................................... 23
Reasons for Sickness Absence (with effect from 1 August 2009) ........................................... 24
Examples of Sickness Absence ................................................................................................ 26
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Introduction
This manual is not a summary of the University’s policies on absence (see www.
salford.ac.uk/hr) but is better designed to tell a SAP absence recorder what he/she needs to
know to be able to record accurately absences in his/her college/division of the University.
If you have any questions on the input of absence (sickness, leave or other) then please
contact the SAP Helpdesk on 52121 or saphelpdesk@salford.ac.uk and they should be able
to advise further on what you can do. Otherwise, it may be possible for you to set up some
training with the SAP Helpdesk team to run through the process.
University policies
Managers will nominate a person who should be contacted in the event of an absence
(absence recorder). This person should record the details on SAP, where possible on the day
the absence occurs (or if possible in advance). Again, if there is any discrepancy on who
does the input or what the process is, please contact the SAP Helpdesk.
The most common reasons for absence from work will be annual leave or sickness. Flexi
time off should also be recorded, as should various other less common reasons such as
compassionate leave. Please notify your specific Business Partner for any maternity,
paternity, adoption or other “special” leave.
For all sickness absences, the member of staff should complete a University Sickness Self
Certification /Incapacity for Work form (these can be found online through the HR website),
which should be recorded on SAP. If a sickness absence lasts for more than seven
consecutive days (including weekends and Bank Holidays), the member of staff must obtain
a medical statement and forward it to the absence recorder who should enter the details on
to SAP. When entered on to SAP, all medical statements (fit notes) should be signed to show
they have been entered on to SAP and then forwarded to Payroll Department where they
are held to check if sick pay is necessary.
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From the 6th April 2010 there will be changes to the medical certificate or “sick note” that
employees obtain from their GP to certify sickness absence.
The new sick note called a ‘Statement of fitness to work’ or ‘fit note’ will either indicate
that an employee is “not fit for work” or that they “may be fit for work taking into
account…advice”. If the latter is selected by the GP, he/she has the option to suggest ways
in which an employee may be supported back into the workplace i.e. a phased return to
work or workplace adaptations.
As with the previous medical sick note, the new fit note is only required after the 7th
consecutive day of sickness
Using SAP
Absence recorders will only be able to view the records on SAP for members of staff within
their own departments of the University. Please notify the SAP Helpdesk if you do not have
access to the SAP records of a staff member for whom you are the absence recorder.
SAP is a fully-automated absence recording system and so sick pay is awarded automatically
and reduced to half pay/no pay when the entitlement to full sick pay has been exhausted.
Absence recorders should be aware of the sick pay regulations as errors are not likely to be
recognized immediately. It is most likely that errors will go unnoticed until the wages are
incorrect and as such it is strongly recommended that before entries are saved on SAP, the
dates are checked carefully.
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Important Payroll Information
SAP is used by the University to pay all its employees. Therefore, when the Payroll
Department is using SAP to run a payroll, no other users should use SAP to enter data for
employees attached to that payroll. If you try to use Maintain Master Data to change the
record of a member of staff whilst their payroll is being run, SAP will automatically redirect
you to Display Master Data, where you can view (but not change) the record.
It is therefore very difficult to amend/create anything during Payroll lock but please be
vigilant just in case
The University has various payrolls: for example, academic and manual employees are paid
at the end of the month (05 payroll). From 1 June 2014, new support employees are also
paid on the month end (05 payroll) and support staff who commenced employment before
this date are paid in the middle of the month (02 payroll).
It causes no problems to enter absences for a payroll that is not locked while another is
locked. For example, absences can be recorded for academic staff (end-of-month payroll)
while the mid-month payroll (for support staff) is locked.
All Self certs and Fit notes, must be scanned in and emailed to payrollmailbox@salford.ac.uk once they have been input on SAP.
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Recording absences
Absences of any type are recorded on the Absences infotype. Typical absences will be due to
sickness, annual leave, maternity leave and time off in lieu, as well as other less common
reasons for absence. Different “subtypes” of absence records are created for the different
types of absence. The table below shows all the subtypes of absence that can be used on
SAP, with those which you are authorised to enter in bold. Any type of leave which is not
highlighted MUST be referred to your HR Link Team, using the Leave of Absence form
(available for download from the HR website) for authorisation and recording.
Code/Identifier
615
620
AB00
AB01
AB02
AD01
AL01
CD01
CL01
CL02
CL03
FL01
HL01
JS01
KITA
KITM
KITT
ML01
PL02
PT02
SA01
SB01
SB02
SH01
SK01
SP01
SP02
ST01
ST02
TL01
UD01
UD02
UPH1
WH01
Absence Subtype text
Add.Paternity Leave
Adoption Leave
Auth Part Day Absence UP
Authorised Absence UP
Unauthorised Absence UP
Adoption leave OAP/SAP
Annual Leave FP
Civic Duties FP
Compassionate Leave FP
Compassionate Leave UP
Compassionate Part Day UP
Flexi Leave FP
Annual Leave FP - Hours
Jury Service FP
Keep In Touch Day (SAP)
Keep In Touch Day (SMP)
ASPP leave
Maternity OMP/SMP
Parental Leave UP
Paternity leave OPP/SPP
Strike Action UP
Sabbatical (Paid)
Sabbatical (unpaid)
Half Day Sickness FP
Sickness OSP/SSP
Special Leave FP
Special Leave UP
Study Leave FP
Study Leave UP
Time Off In Lieu FP
Union Duties FP
Union Duties UP
Unpaid absence hourly
Working From Home
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Note: “UP” stands for unpaid, “FP” stands for full pay. Entering absences on SAP can affect
a person’s pay for that month. Care must be taken to select the correct subtype of absence.
SAP automatically calculates absence quotas, not allowing leave to be entered if the quota
has been used and automatically adjusting sick pay to half pay at the correct time.
Inputting Annual Leave
Firstly, you will need to find the record you are searching for (either through the collective
search help or you should have the personnel number to hand) in order to input the annual
leave.

Go to the Working Time tab

Select Absences

Choose Period and enter the dates of the annual leave (weekends should also be
included but they will not be taken into consideration for the quota used)

Click on Choose
o
The Infotype should be populated with Absences as per your above selection

Choose AL01 for annual leave in the STy box

Click on Create to enter the selection you have chosen
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o

You will then be presented with a ‘summary’ screen which will display all the
information which you have just input, including dates, hours and days lost
to annual leave.
So long as the Quota used is what it should be, click on Save to complete the action.
Inputting a half day Annual Leave
Follow the same steps as above, but when you are presented with the ‘summary’ screen,
simply overtype the Absence hours to half the total. For example, a full time member of
staff will usually work 7.25 hours per day so simply change this to 3.62 and press enter to
confirm the selection.
If a member of staff is on reduced hours and as such does not work 7.25 hours per day just
half the Absence hours to fit. There may be a process of trial and error until you confirm the
selection, but so long as the Quota used changes to 0.5 then this will pull through a half day
annual leave.
Save your selection after inputting.
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Recording sicknesses
The SAP HR system has been configured to automatically identify an employee’s entitlement
to receive payments of OSP (Occupational Sick Pay) and SSP (Statutory Sick Pay). Where the
employee’s entitlement increases with their ‘seniority’ (i.e. the length of their service), this is
also automatically been taken into account.
The system will automatically control the employee’s entitlement to receive OSP/SSP at the
appropriate rate and will change their sick pay rate from Full Rate to Half Rate or to Zero
Rate as those entitlements are exhausted by sickness absence.
A similar procedure is used for entering sickness as for recording other absence types. To
record details of fit notes, SAP automatically displays an additional infotype (screen) after
the normal Absences infotype has been used.
The following pages will show you how to enter leaves of absence on SAP, but as with any
SAP-related information, please contact the SAP Helpdesk if you have any other specific
queries.
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Absences for 1 – 7 consecutive days
To record a University Sickness Self Certification/Incapacity for Work form:
1. Select Maintain HR Master Data
2. Enter Personnel number,
3. Press Enter, check that you have selected the correct employee record
4. Select the Working Time tab
5. Select the Absences infotype
6. Enter the absence subtype code into the Sty field (‘SK01’ for sickness, ‘AL01’ for annual
leave)
7. Enter the dates of the absence into the Fr. and To fields
8. Click the Create button
4
5
7
6
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Check carefully the details of the absence have been entered correctly
9. Click Save. An information message is displayed at the bottom of the screen, informing
you that some of the employee’s entitlement to sick pay has been used.
10. Click Enter to acknowledge this message (the Create Additional Abs. Data infotype is
displayed).
11. Enter a brief description of the illness in the Description field. This is best taken from the
actual self-cert in order to accurately record the absence which is being requested.
12. If the sickness is a result of an Industrial Accident, the Claim for Ind Accident field should
be highlighted. This will alert the University’s Occupational Health & Safety Services of
the problem.
11
12
Please note that all absence dates on SAP are inclusive. Therefore, if an employee
returned to work on a Monday, the Sunday date should be entered as the end date of the
absence/fit note.

Click on the “Create” Icon

Check details, and if correct, click on SAVE

An information message is displayed at the bottom of the screen, telling you that
some of the employee’s entitlement to sick pay has been used.
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To extend an absence record
If an entire absence record needs deleting, you will have to contact the SAP Helpdesk
(extension 52121). Please have details of the absence and the relevant Personnel number
available when you ring the helpdesk.
However, if you want to amend an existing record to extend the absence, then follow the
below instructions:
1. Select Maintain HR Master Data
2. Enter Personnel number, or search for Personnel number
3. Press Enter, check the details of the employee are correct
4. Select the Working Time tab
5. Select the Absences infotype
6. Select the absence record that needs to be updated
7. Change the End date of the record to show the NEW end date of the second sickness
 This screen is updateable and so the dates can be extended.
 Save your changes
7
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Absences for 8 or more consecutive days (Fit Note)
Create the absence as previously noted and then
1. Click on the Variable data button (on the second menu bar).
2. Enter the dates for which the fit note is valid in the From and To fields on line 01
3. Enter the type of fit note from the drop down list in the field to the right of the To
date field on line 01
4. Enter the date the fit note was signed in the Comments field on line 02
5. Enter the name of the doctor in the Comments field on line 03
6. Enter the type of illness, from the drop down list, in the field to the right of the To
date, on line 04
7. Enter the description of the illness from the fit note in the Comments field on line 05
2
3
4
5
6
7

If you have a second fit note, this must be entered separately. Complete the following
steps and then return to the Additional Abs. Data screen and choose Change to add the
next fit note.
 Click Save. Do not miss this stage out even if there is no fit note. It is not possible to
enter fit note details in the future if this record is not created at the same time as the
absence record.
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
Click Back to exit
 When a fit note has been entered it should be signed to show it has been entered onto
SAP and then sent to Payroll Department.
It is only possible to record details of the fit note if a record is created on the Create
Additional Abs. Data infotype. Even if no fit note has yet been received, the Save button
must always be clicked to create this record so that, if a note is received in the future, it can
be recorded.
Often, when sicknesses are entered on to SAP, no fit note will have been received. But if the
absence is extended, a fit note might be received after the record has been created or a
second fit note might be received for the same absence. In both of these cases, the original
sickness record must be updated.
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To enter additional information for fit notes
If an additional fit note is received after the first fit note has been entered, use the
procedure described below.
* Do not create a new Absence *
Firstly, the main absence record should be updated. Usually this will involve changing the
end date of the absence. Secondly, the Additional Absence Data record should be updated.
Usually this will involve adding a further five lines of details about the fit note, directly after
the details of the previous fit note.

First change the absence record as described in the previous section.
1.
Select Maintain HR Master Data
2.
Enter Personnel number, or search for Personnel number
3.
Press Enter, check the details of the employee are correct
4.
Select the Working Time tab
5.
Select the Additional Abs. Data infotype
6.
Select the record that needs to be updated (see previous section)
7.
To view all records, click the Maintain overview button. Use a radio button from the
Period panel to limit the date range of displayed records or specify the date range in
the Fr. and To fields

This screen is updateable. Scroll down past the details of the previous fit note, then
use the next 5 lines to record details of this fit note.
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Details of first Fit Note
Use these 5 lines for the
next Fit Note

Save your changes

When a fit note has been entered it should be signed to show it has been entered on to
SAP and then sent to Payroll Department.
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How to enter details of more than three fit notes for one sickness
Situation
An employee has been off sick for a considerable time. This has been recorded on SAP as
one record on the Absences screen (i.e. the sickness shows as just one line on the Overview
Absences screen) and one record on the Additional Abs. Data screen. This latter screen
contains details of the three fit notes that have been entered so far.
Problem
SAP will not allow more than three fit notes to be recorded on one record on the Additional
Abs. Data screen.
Solution
Create an extra record on the Additional Abs. Data screen that is linked to the original
absence record.
See below for the procedure to assist with the solutions
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PROCEDURE

First change the absence record as described previously
 Make a note of the start date of the sickness
 Click Back to return to the Maintain HR Master Data screen
Now create a new record on the Additional Abs Data screen
1. Highlight the Additional Abs.Data screen
2. Enter the original start date of the sickness absence in the Fr. Field
3. Enter “9100” into the STy field
4. Click Create
1
2
3
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5. Enter the Description of the illness
6. Enter the start date of the original sickness (as noted earlier) in the Date of illness field
(when sicknesses are first created, SAP completes this field automatically)
7. Click the Variable data button
5
6
8. Enter the details of the fit note (as carried out for previous Fitnotes ) on the five lines
that are displayed
9. Click Save
8
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It should look like this:
Note:
If a fifth fit note is received, it should be recorded on the same screen as the fourth fit note
just entered:
 Firstly update the end date of the sickness that is held on the Absences screen
 Highlight the Additional Abs. Data screen
 Click Maintain Overview
 Highlight the required record (the second record for the sickness)
 Click the Change button
 Click the Variable data button
10. Enter the details of the fit note on the next five lines that are displayed
11. Click Save
SAP will only allow 3 records per section within the absence section
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To record half day sicknesses on SAP
 Double click on Maintain HR Master Data
Select the Working Time tab
Highlight Absences
Enter the date of the sickness in both date fields
Enter “SH01” in the Sty field
Click Create





Select the Working Time tab
Highlight Absences
Enter the date of the sickness in both of the date fields
Enter “SH01” in the STy field
Click Create
Reduce this value by half (3.62 if the
person normally works a 7¼ hour day)
Click Save
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 Change the value in the “Absence hours” field to reduce it by half.
- For employees who work a 7¼ hour day, enter 3.62
- For employees who work different hours, divide the value shown by two.
 Click Save
Note
To include half day sicknesses when running sickness reports, run the reports for both
SK01 and SH01 using the Multiple Selection button
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To view absence records
1. Select Display HR Master Data
2. Enter Personnel number, or search for Personnel number
3. Press Enter, check the details of the employee are correct
4. Select the Working Time tab
5. Select the Absences infotype
6. To view all absence records, click the Maintain overview button
 Enter an absence sub-type in the STy field to only view records of that type.
 Use a radio button from the Period panel to limit the date range of displayed records
or specify the date range in the Fr. and To fields
 To view the full details for a specific record, highlight that line by clicking the small
button on the lefthand end of that line, then click the Choose button.
 Use the Back button to return to the main menu
Maintain overview
Enter Personnel number
Select dates if required
Select period if required
Select absence type if required
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Reasons for Sickness Absence (with effect from 1 August 2009)
For example :
9A
Allergies
Allergic reaction to medication, food etc; Hayfever
9B
Cardiovascular/Heart
Angina; Blood pressure (high or low) problems; Cardiac surgery;
Heart attack; Myocardial infarct (MI)
9C
Cancer
Breast/bowel/prostate/pancreatic etc surgery; Chemotherapy;
Radiotherapy
9D
Diabetes
Anything diabetes related
9E
ENT/Facial
Dental abscess/extraction; Eye disorders; Facial/throat surgery;
Infection – mouth/ear/nose/throat; Labyrinthitis; Neuralgia;
Sinusitis/ Tonsillitis/Pharyngitis
9F
Musculoskeletal
Carpal tunnel syndrome; Muscular pains or injuries; Sciatica/
Arthritis/Rheumatism/Lumbago/Cervicalgia; Sprains, fractures or
injuries to any part of the skeleton; Surgery to limbs (e.g. Total
Knee Replacement [TKR])
9G
Gynae/Maternity
Hysterectomy/hysteroscopy; Menopause problems; Miscarriage;
Ovarian cyst; Period pains/Dysmenorrhea/Menorrhagia;
Problems related to pregnancy at any stage
9J
Viral illness
Chicken pox; Colds and influenza; Rubella/Measles/German
Measles
9L
Abdominal
Liver/Kidney/Gastric/Bowel problems; Appendicitis; Colitis;
Crohn’s Disease; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Cystitis; Diarrhoea;
Digestive problems; Gastroenteritis; Hepatitis; Jaundice; Kidney
infection; Laparoscopy; Nausea/vomiting; Urinary Tract Infection
(UTI)
9M Mental Health Issues
Bipolar Disorder; Depression (diagnosed); Post-natal Depression
9N
Neurological
Epilepsy; Migraine; Multiple Sclerosis; Transient Ischaemic Attack
(TIA)
9O
Unspecified operative or
post-operative
Absence following unspecified surgery
9P
Anxiety/Stress
Anxiety; Home-related stress; Work-related stress
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9R
Respiratory
Asthma/breathing problems; Bronchitis; Pleurisy; Pneumonia;
Upper or Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI or LRTI)
9S
Skin Disorders
Dermatitis; Impetigo
9U
Non-specific/Unspecified
Used as a last resort for anything unknown
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Examples of Sickness Absence
The start and end dates of all absences on SAP are inclusive
Some users are inputting the date of return as the end date
E.g. 1
Employee absent from Monday 5 August 2013 and returned to work on Thursday 8
August 2013
The absence should be input on infotype 2001 (Absences) on SAP as 05.08.2013 to
07.08.2013 not 05.08.2013 to 08.08.2013
E.g. 2
Fit Note signed by the doctor on 1 August 2013 for ‘4 weeks’
The absence should be input on infotype 2001 (Absences) as 01.08.2013 to
28.08.2013 not 01.08.2013 to 31.08.2013 (this would be four calendar weeks and
three days)
E.g. 3
Fit Note signed by the doctor on 1 August 2013 for ‘1 month’
The absence should be input on infotype 2001 (Absences) as 01.08.2013 to
31.08.2013 not 01.08.2013 to 01.09.2013 (this would be one calendar month and
one day)
E.g. 4
Fit Note signed by the doctor on 1 August 2013 stating ‘fit to return 22 August 2013’
The absence should be input on infotype 2001 (Absences) as 01.08.2013
to21.08.2013 not 01.08.2013 to 22.08.2013
Saturdays and Sundays must be entered as absence days
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If an employee is off sick for a week from Monday, the sickness absence input must include
Saturday and Sunday (unless the employee signs a Self-Certificate of Personal
Sickness/Incapacity for Work form or produces a medical certificate specifically stating their
sickness ended on the Friday)
E.g. 1
Employee absent from Monday 1 July 2013 and returned to work on Monday 8 July
2013
The absence should be input on infotype 2001 (Absences) on SAP as 01.07.2013 to
07.07.2013 not 01.07.2013 to 05.07.2013 (unless a Self-Certificate of Personal
Sickness/Incapacity for Work or medical certificate states otherwise)
Receipt of a further medical certificate
If an employee is already off sick and a (further) medical certificate is received, the original
absence must be extended – some users are creating a new absence on infotype 2001
(Absences).
E.g. 1
Employee has been off sick since 01.07.2013 and the absence on SAP currently
states 01.07.2013 to 07.07.2013. A Fit Note is received dated 08.07.2010 for ‘2
weeks’
The original absence on SAP should be selected and the end date changed to
21.07.2013.
Completing infotype 0082 (Additional Abs. Data)
Once an absence has been created/changed on infotype 2001 (Absences), SAP will
automatically bring up infotype 0082 (Additional Abs. Data). This screen is used to record
the first date of the absence, the reason and the medical certificate information (by clicking
the ‘Variable data’ tab). Please ensure that the following two fields are completed:

‘Description’ (of illness)
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
‘Date of Illness’ - this date should be the first date of the sickness absence, not the
date of the medical certificate.
The ‘Variable data’ screen is used to record the information shown on the medical certificate
or self-certification. Please ensure the following fields are completed:

‘Event Date’ and ‘End Event’ – the start and end dates of the period the medical
certificate covers – this is not necessarily the start and end date of the absence

‘DI’ (Description Indicator) – the type of certificate received (drop down list)

‘Type of Illness’ – the category of illness should be chosen from the drop down list
Under the ‘Comments’ column, the following should be completed:

‘Date Signed’ – the actual date the doctor/employee has signed the medical
certificate/ Self-Certificate of Personal Sickness/Incapacity for Work

‘Name of Doctor’

‘Sick Note Text’ – the diagnosis written by the doctor on the medical certificate
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