Council managers urged to back improved attendance
Fewer than half of Argyll and Bute Council’s managers responded to a consultation on supporting attendance at work, a report has revealed.
The authority has put together a revised policy on attendance which aims to ensure staff are supported to improve attendance where necessary rather than focusing on punishing absence.
But only 182 managers within the authority gave their feedback as part of the consultation process – a figure of 45 per cent.
SNP group leader Councillor Jim Lynch, and his party colleague Councillor Jim Findlay, voiced their disappointment at the figure at a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee on May 13.
A report to the meeting by council executive director Kirsty Flanagan said: ‘Engagement with managers began with an anonymous survey to employees with line management responsibility (salary graded at local government employee nine and above) to gather their views on managing attendance for their teams. This survey will be repeated after implementation of the new policy to assess improvement. Feedback was provided by 182 managers - a response rate of 45 per cent.’
Councillor Lynch, who represents the Oban South and the Isles ward, said: ‘I must confess I am disappointed to have only a 45 per cent return rate on the survey.
‘We are talking about reviewing a policy. How can we move the figure up and ensure we get all managers contributing?’
Jane Fowler, head of improvement and HR with the council, responded: ‘We would have loved to have had a greater response to that. These things come with conflicting pressures on managers’ time, which is why we offer the opportunity to be part of a working group.
‘The performance in getting responses to surveys is something we want to improve.’
Councillor Findlay, one of three members for the Isle of Bute ward, asked: ‘Should it be compulsory for managers to complete the survey?
‘It is vital that managers lead and lead well, so I am quite disappointed by the response.’
Ms Fowler replied: ‘We try to avoid compulsion because we are trying to work collaboratively with our colleagues. We look to get as wide a representation as we can. ’Feedback to the nature of the policy itself was more positive, with SNP Helensburgh and Lomond South councillor Richard Trail saying: ‘I welcome this change of emphasis, changing the policy from talking about absence to supporting attendance.
‘This, we hope, will improve attendance, but how will we measure that in the months and years ahead? Have you any kind of measures you will be able to bring to us?’
‘We have detailed information on what our absences have been like during Covid,’ responded Ms Fowler. ‘We had a requirement to report on it on a weekly basis.
‘We will see levels of absence reported on scorecards so members can see what our rates of absence are.’