Agenda item

This report sets out a response to a Member’s item raised by Councillor Tejan in relation to sickness absence for Medway Council and provides an overview of sickness absence rates and the support in place to address this.

Discussion:

The Chief Organisational Culture Officer introduced the report which provided a response to the Member’s item regarding employee sickness absence and welfare. In the last year 22,000 working days had been lost due to sickness in the council which averaged 10.44 days per FTE, 25% of which was due to mental health issues. In the most recent staff survey, 13% of staff and 12% of managers stated that they felt there was not enough support in relation to mental health.

The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer added the sickness absence policy was scheduled for review by the Employment Matters Committee in May with the aim of simplifying procedures.

The following issues were discussed:

Wellbeing – Members welcomed measures to enhance staff wellbeing and mental health training sessions for managers walking meetings, it was asked whether walking meetings might constitute a hazard risk for staff. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer undertook to consult with Health and Safety regarding any potential risks.

The Committee discussed the importance of mental health and wellbeing of staff, it was asked if there were any technological resources the council could utilise to benefit from early identification. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer stated that as part of the contract with Care First, staff had access to an app which provided information for people who may be struggling and HR ran a number of events and highlighted the issue of stress in its regular newsletter. HR worked closely with Public Health colleagues to consider ways to promote positive mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Absence – the Committee commented that there was a disparity in sickness levels between the three departments. In response to a question why there was over 2,000 absences without a reason stated, the Chief Organisational Cultural Officer explained that there may be occasions where the reason has been kept private for medical reasons or that that a diagnosis was made after a sickness absence form had been submitted, however, she was confident managers were undertaking absence reviews and were aware of the reasons for sickness. She agreed the number was too high and HR were considering this as part of the policy review.

It was asked if the median and mode sickness absence could be provided to the Committee in addition to the 10.44 days mean figure provided. The Chief Organisational Officer undertook to provide that information following the meeting.

Disability – it was asked whether the Council made appropriate reasonable adjustments for its disabled staff when they were absent through sickness. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer stated that the Council had positive contracts with Occupational Health and Care First, the Council had a healthy mind and wellbeing group which provided support for staff and there was flexibility in the Council’s policies to take account of difficult cases. Contracts with Care First and occupational health were due for renewal soon and the council were keen to explore further options for supporting staff.

Union involvement – further information was requested regarding consultation with the councils’ recognised unions. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer explained that the council regularly consulted with staff and unions and the press pause campaign was an initiative which followed as a result of consultation with unions.

Working from home – the Committee discussed the impact working from home on staff. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer stated that working from home was a positive for many staff but the Council needed to mindful of social isolation and other potential issues such as staff having a suitable home working environment.

She added that the majority of staff had a hybrid contract and prior to the partial closure of Gun Wharf there had been a return to a positive vibrant working atmosphere in Council offices.

Comparative data – it was asked how the Council compared to other authorities and the private sector. The Chief Organisational Cultural Officer stated that sickness absence was higher than many other authorities across Kent, she undertook to provide a briefing note with further detailed comparative data.

A Member commented that in other Committee meetings, services had reported one of the reasons for a higher sickness absence had been the additional capacity within the NHS and staff as a consequence of having received long awaited hospital appointments.

Decision

a.     The Committee noted the report.

b.     The Committee asked the Council to work with its recognised Trade Unions to further develop staff wellbeing strategies to reduce sickness and increase wellbeing as the Council moves towards the goal of being an employer of choice.

c.     The Committee requested The Chief Organisational Officer to provide a briefing note on sickness absences with additional data on the median and mode sickness absence levels and the some comparative data with other employers.