Workers take on average 16 days per year off on sick leave

Workers take on average 16 days per year off on sick leave

23 September 2020

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council staff sickness levels increased to almost 14,600 days across the organisation last year, new figures have revealed.

An average of 15.77 days per employee were lost, with the total number of days lost to illness increasing by 1,564 from the previous year.

Figures made public at last week’s meeting of the local authority’s influential Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee revealed that year on year staff sickness levels increased across a number of directorates including active and healthy communities, corporate services and the chief executive’s and neighbourhood services directorates.

However, the number of days lost to sickness at the enterprise, regeneration and tourism directorate decreased, with all directorates showing an increase in short-term absences with the number of staff on long term sickness decreasing.

The council report reveals that while the figures show an increase in average days lost per employee for the year ending last March, there has been an overall reduction over a three-year period of 1.36 days per employee.

In addition, the new report confirms that the number of council staff with no sickness has decreased from 543 in 2019 to 527 last year.

Politicians were  told last week that a new procedure for managing staff attendance was introduced at the start of the new financial year for all council employees.

Council officials, who recognise that staff welfare must be protected, along with the efficient effective delivery of of frontline services to the public, say the new procedure will ensure a more consistent approach to staff absence management.

They say sickness absence figures and the effectiveness of the new procedures and associated absence management interventions will continue to be monitored.

A council spokesman said that as an employer, the organisation was concerned about the health, safety and well-being of all of its employees.

He said the local authority was also committed to promoting good health and best practice throughout the organisation. 

“The council is committed to providing best value services for the local community and, within this context, recognises that high levels of attendance at work make a significant contribution to the planning and provision of effective local authority services,” the spokesman continued.

“The council recognises that it is inevitable that employees will experience periods of ill health which prevent them from attending work.”

The spokesman added: “The council will ensure that all such sickness absences are treated fairly and sympathetically and will take all reasonable steps to assist employees to return to work.”

Last year, Newry, Mourne and Down Council recorded the highest staff sickness rate of any of the province’s 11 district councils.