Who it’s for: Advanced roles (Managers/Approvers) and Administrators
Platform: Sense HR
Available on: Team / Professional / Elite / Enterprise
Before you begin:
☑️ An open-ended Sickness event has a Start Date but no End date. It is used when the employee’s return date isn’t known when their Sickness is first recorded.
☑️ To record a return for someone else, you must have access to their Planner and the required permissions to update their Sickness event.
☑️ End date means the final date included in the Sickness event. If the employee is sick for the whole End date, they return on their next working day.
For more information about open-ended Sickness and how it fits into the Sickness process, see:
Overview
An open-ended Sickness event records an ongoing sickness absence when the employee’s return date isn’t yet known. It has a Start Date but no End date and remains open until the employee returns.
Open-ended Sickness means you don’t need to estimate a return date or create separate bookings as the same illness continues. Keeping a continuous period of sickness in one event also allows the Fit note duration threshold to continue against the same booking.
When the employee returns, an authorised user can use Record return to close the open Sickness event and record its final date and duration.
This article explains how to:
identify and review an open-ended Sickness event
record when the employee’s sickness ends
record a full-day or partial-day end to the Sickness
understand what happens after the return is recorded
For information about initially recording Sickness as open-ended, see:
Identify an open-ended Sickness event
Open-ended Sickness continues to display in the employee’s profile Planner until it is closed.
Go to:
People > [select profile] > Planner
or
Calendar
In Calendar view, an open-ended Sickness event has an arrow (→), showing that no end to the absence has yet been recorded.
Click the Sickness event to check its status. An open-ended Sickness shows:
Status: Open⚠️ No return date has been recorded. This event is open-ended and will continue to show on the planner until closed.
If you have the required permissions, you’ll also see Record return.
Open an ongoing Sickness event and click Record return when the employee’s sickness ends.
Record the employee’s return
When the employee’s sickness ends:
Open the employee’s profile Planner or company Calendar.
Click the open-ended Sickness event.
Click Record return.
Under End date, select the final date that should be included in the Sickness event.
Select the appropriate Duration mode from the options available for the End date:
• Full day(s) — the employee was sick for the complete End date.
• Part of day — the employee was sick for part of the End date.
• Time-based — record the specific times covered by Sickness on the End date.Complete the additional fields shown for the selected Duration mode.
Check the updated booking information.
Click Record return.
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For an explanation of Full day(s), Part of day, Time-based, half-day and quarter-day bookings, see:
Choose the correct End date
The End date is the final date included in the Sickness event, not necessarily the date the employee returns to work.
📖 Example: Alice is sick up to and including Monday 28 September and returns to work on Tuesday. Select 28 September as the End date and Full day(s). Monday is recorded as a full day of Sickness.
If Alice instead returns partway through Monday, use Monday as the End date and select the appropriate Part of day or Time-based option to record the portion of Monday covered by Sickness.
🖊️ Note: With Full day(s), the employee is recorded as sick for the whole End date. If Monday is the End date, for example, they return on their next working day after Monday.
Record a partial final day
An employee doesn’t have to return only at the beginning of a working day.
If their Sickness ends partway through the End date, select:
Part of day where the Sickness is recorded as a predefined portion of the working day.
Time-based where you need to record specific times.
Complete the fields shown for the selected option.
🖊️ Note: Open-ended Sickness is different from a booking where the Start Date and End date are entered together. The Duration mode used when the Sickness started doesn’t restrict the Duration mode you can select when recording the final date.
For example, an open-ended Sickness that started using Time-based can be closed using any of the Duration modes available for that employee, such as Full day(s), Part of day or Time-based.
What happens after you record the return?
Recording the return adds the End date and final-day duration to the existing Sickness event and closes it.
The employee’s Planner then shows the complete Sickness period rather than an open-ended event.
The Sickness is no longer shown with Status: Open, and Record return is no longer required for that event.
If the employee uses the Dashboard sickness widget, their Dashboard no longer shows them as currently recorded off sick once the open-ended absence has ended.
Return to Work
If the applicable Sickness reason requires Return to Work, the configured Return to Work process applies when required.
For more information about Return to Work, see:
Fit note and continuous sickness
A Fit note can become required from the 8th calendar day of a Sickness booking. Calendar days include weekends and other non-working days.
The Fit note duration threshold is calculated separately for each Sickness booking.
An open-ended Sickness remains the same booking as it continues, so its calendar-day duration can continue towards the Fit note threshold until the Event is closed.
If a Fit note becomes required, Sense HR creates a Fit note required To Do for the employee.
Sense HR doesn’t currently provide a way to upload or store the Fit note through the Sickness process. The employee should provide it using your organisation’s usual process, such as by email or in person. Once the Fit note has been provided, check that the To Do has been marked as complete.
Close open-ended Sickness by editing the event
If you have permission to edit the Sickness event, you can also close an open-ended Sickness by adding an End date.
Open the employee’s profile Planner (or company Calendar).
Click the open-ended Sickness event.
Click Edit
.Add the End date.
Complete the booking details for the final date.
Click Add to save your changes.
The End date is the final date included in the Sickness event.
For more information about editing booked events, see:
FAQs
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Q: How do I record an employee’s return from open-ended Sickness in Sense HR?
A: To record an employee’s return from open-ended Sickness in Sense HR, go to their profile Planner or company Calendar and open the Sickness event.
You can then:
click Record return, select the End date and choose the appropriate Duration mode for the final date; or
if you have permission to edit the event, click Edit, add the End date and complete the booking details for the final date.
In both cases, the End date is the final date included in the Sickness event.
Q: What date should I enter as the End date when recording a return from Sickness in Sense HR?
A: When recording a return from Sickness in Sense HR, enter the final date that should be included in the Sickness event.
For example, if Alice is sick for all of Monday and returns to work on Tuesday, enter Monday as the End date and select Full day(s).
Q: Can I record that an employee returned partway through the final day of Sickness in Sense HR?
A: If partial-day bookings are available for the employee, you can record Sickness ending partway through the End date.
The options available depend on the employee’s Sickness configuration. Use Part of day for the available predefined portions of the working day, or Time-based to record specific times.
Q: Does an open-ended Sickness event have to use the same Duration mode when I record the return?
A: No. When closing an open-ended Sickness event, you can select the Duration mode that describes the final date. It doesn’t have to match the Duration mode used when the Sickness originally started.
This is different from a booking where the Start Date and End date are entered together.
Q: Why can’t I see Record return on an open-ended Sickness event in an employee’s Planner?
A: Record return is only available where you have the required permission to manage the employee’s Sickness event. If you can view the open-ended Sickness but Record return isn’t available, contact your system administrator. Ask them to check your Access Role permissions and the applicable Sickness rule in Event Manager.
Q: Does recording a return create a new Sickness event in Sense HR?
A: No. Record return closes the existing open-ended Sickness event by adding its End date and final-day information. It doesn’t create a separate Sickness event.
Q: Does the Fit note threshold continue while a Sickness event is open-ended in Sense HR?
A: Yes. An open-ended Sickness remains the same Sickness booking while it continues. The Fit note duration threshold uses calendar days and can therefore continue towards the 8th calendar day until the booking is closed.
The Fit note threshold is calculated separately for each Sickness booking.
Q: Is the End date the day the employee returns to work from Sickness in Sense HR?
A: Not necessarily. The End date is the final date included in the Sickness event.
If the employee is sick for the whole End date using Full day(s), they return on their next working day. If their Sickness ends partway through the End date, use an available Part of day or Time-based option to record the portion of that date covered by Sickness.