According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development the term was first coined due to its supposed connection with research undertaken by the Bradford University School of Management in the 1980s.
In May 2001, HM Prison Service began using the Bradford Formula to identify staff with high absenteeism due to illness.
In contrast, if used as part of a very limited approach to address absence or by setting unrealistically low trigger scores it was considered short-sighted, unlikely to be successful and could lead to staff disaffection and grievances.
The formula does not consider certain disabilities which may result in short term absences, such as epilepsy and asthma, or serious but recoverable illnesses such as cancer.
[7] The British trade union Unison argues that the Bradford Factor tends to encourage presenteeism, with workers fearing disciplinary action coming to work with transmissible illnesses and risking spreading disease to others.