Absence Policy

How do I report in sick or if I can't make it to work/need to be absent?

Reliability matters to schools

If you’re feeling ill and can’t make your booking, you must let us know by recording the absence in the app.

🏫 Schools rely on us to connect them with dependable and high-quality teaching staff like yourself. We strive to fulfil all bookings, as cancellations can cause huge disruptions to schools – most importantly to children.

❗️It's crucial to consider the impact of cancellations on the schools we work with and the reputation of our service. We are DFE accredited and as such expect all of our staff to follow our Code of Conduct.

Repeated absences/unreliability shows an inadequate adherence to these guidelines and therefore we reserve the right to adjust the opportunities offered to you or reconsider our collaboration.

🤝 By informing us as soon as possible in the Zen App, we can make alternative arrangements for the school, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted experience.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to providing a reliable service to the schools we serve. Together, we can uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

How to record an absence

If you can't make your confirmed booking, please notify us as soon as possible so we can try and avoid leaving schools without cover.

We acknowledge that unforeseen circumstances may arise. The latest you should record an absence is 24 hours prior to the booking. Absences after this time will be considered a late-reported absence.

🗓️ To record an absence in the app, follow the steps below.

• Log into the app
• Find your booking in upcoming work
• Click the record and absence button and follow the instructions and form
• Please note this information is shared with headteachers so please give us as much information as possible

Late-reported absences

When you report a late absence (within 24hrs before the booking start time) and are booked in for the following day, we will ask you to confirm you’re going to be in.

We need to ensure that we don’t leave schools without cover, therefore you must confirm that the school can expect you. Failure to do so will result in being marked as absent and means you will forfeit pay.

What happens if you are absent multiple times?

As reliability and our service is so important to schools and children we track the number of your absences. If you are absent multiple times then this will affect your ability to work with Zen. Specifically see below the numbers we track on an ongoing basis.

• If you have more than 3 absences within an 8 week period, this could affect your ability to continue working with Zen.

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• You may not be able to continue working with Zen if, within an 8 week period:
  • (1) You have 3 or more instances where you have called in absent with less than 24 hours notice

  • (2) You have two or more instances where you have called in absent with less than 2 hours of the role starting

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• If you have 3 absences, you will need to speak to a member of the Zen team in a phone conversation to better understand the reasons and causes of these absences.

Contact us

The quickest (and best) way to record an absence is through the Zen app – recording absences elsewhere will count as a breach of our policy.

However if your sickness is long term, or have extenuating circumstances and would like to talk to someone about your absences, please contact us.