39 Establishment 6 Month Update (00.45.31) PDF 82 KB
To receive an update report from the Group Manager for Human Resources on the Establishment.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Committee NOTED the Establishment update presented by the Group Manager for Human Resources who outlined the contents of the *report and stated that sickness absence was at 7.92 days lost per FTE employee and a target of 7 days per FTE employee had been set for the financial year 2019/20. In the first quarter of 2019/20 the Council had recorded a total of 1.59 days being lost per FTE employee which, if repeated, would see us hit 6.36 days lost per FTE employee. He explained that with winter coming this figure was likely to become more of a challenge in terms of the target being hit (e.g. levels of sickness would be likely to increase).
Members felt that the sickness absence figures were unacceptably high and asked what the Council would do to get this down.
The Group Manager for Human resources explained that all local authorities were dealing with high sickness rates and that officers were currently looking at how this was reported. He explained that supporting genuine absence but also reducing it across the board (particularly in light of long term absence) was a very real challenge. In addition to the measures that had been implemented in the last six months (new return to work interview practice, monthly workforce data reports) he stated that he wished to have new guidance around how sickness was reported, certified and the guideline for where the amount of sickness should become a matter of concern.
The Leader stated that the sickness rates usually reflected the happiness of the staff and that this should be being looked at.
The Group Manager for Human Resources agreed that ensuring the Council had best practice in terms of its supervision and wellbeing support was a very real priority and would be looked at in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Members felt that the Council should not just be benchmarking itself against other local council’s but be looking at the lower sickness rates in the private sector as well to see how this was maintained.
The Chief Executive explained to Members that this was about understanding what was ‘genuine’ sickness and looking to address any areas of concern. He highlighted that while the report and subsequent discussion was focusing on the number of days being taken as sick leave, the Council should be remember that the health and wellbeing of staff is the focus of much of the HR policy and that it’s not just a statistical discussion about minimising time off when it comes to supporting those staff who were genuinely sick.
Members felt that the Council should introduce more robust exit questionnaires and interviews to understand why staff chose to leave.
Note: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes.