Staff at Swansea Council took an average of more than 12 days off sick during the 2023-24 period, it was revealed during a recent meeting. The average of 12.6 days per full-time employee excluded school staff and work-related accidents, and was slightly lower than the previous year. If school staff were included, the average absence would have been 10.7 days. A significant portion of sickness absence was attributable to employees off for 28 days or more. Notably, many staff took fewer than the average 12.6 days off. Sickness rates were particularly high in social services and the council’s education department.
In comparison, employees at Bridgend Council took an average of 12.3 days off sick last year, while those at Carmarthenshire Council took 11.06 days off. According to the Office for National Statistics, public and private sector workers across the UK took an average of 5.7 days off due to sickness and injury in 2022.
A report presented to Swansea’s governance and audit committee indicated that the council’s sickness absence levels remained relatively stable. The report recommended aiming for an average of 10 days of absence per employee and proposed a new policy for managing absences, emphasising a case-by-case approach. Managers would not be required to automatically refer staff off for 28 days to occupational health colleagues.
Councillor Lesley Walton praised the personalised approach, expressing optimism that treating staff as individuals would lead to speedier returns to work, ultimately benefiting the council. The committee also discussed the potential for deploying staff in alternative roles if they were unable to return to their original positions. Additionally, there was interest in evaluating the cost benefits to the council of improved sickness rates.
Other updates from the meeting included the council’s decision to award a contract to a new agency worker recruitment company, ALS People. The council currently employs 133 agency workers, with approximately one-third working in waste collection. Furthermore, the report highlighted that 34 agency workers were offered permanent positions during the 2023-24 period.