‘No silver bullet’ as council sick days increase

ARGYLL and Bute Council faces a challenge in meeting its target to reduce absence due to sick leave, as new figures reveal a rise in the number of sick days by staff in the spring of this year. The council has a target of reducing absence by six per cent this year, but between April and June the average number of days lost per full-time worker was 2.57, compared to 2.48 days lost in the same period last year. In a report to Argyll and Bute Council’s performance review and scrutiny committee, Jane Fowler, head of HR at the authority, said the main reason for absence was stress or related issues, involved in 29 per cent of cases. In pure cash terms, the cost of sick pay over this quarter was £771,814, representing a £19,000 fall in comparison to the previous year.

Addressing the committee, Ms Fowler acknowledged that while stress continues to be a major factor, staff are trained in stress management. She went on to say that while shortterm absences linked to stress are going up, there has been a reduction in long-term stress absence.

Outlining a range of initiatives run by the council to help staff deal with the issue, Ms Fowler added: ‘We are very aware of need for early referral for occupational health support and we are doing a lot to tackle stress; we take it very seriously and are always looking to best practice elsewhere.’

Asked by Councillor Gordon Blair why ‘it was not working’, she replied: ‘There is no silver bullet, and we need a greater focus on wellbeing and to have better conversations and increased confidence to discuss these issues.’