Sick days costing council millions, says report
Getty ImagesStaff on the sick are costing a council about £2m a year in lost time, according to a new report.
The number of days lost per full-time equivalent employees at Redcar and Cleveland Council peaked at 9.66 days in 2023/24, a "significant increase" on just over seven days in 2015.
Report authors suggested the findings were due to "the impact of consecutive years of austerity and recruitment freezes", with staff "being stretched ever further".
The Labour-led council, which has won a better health at work award, has been contacted for comment.
The financial losses were revealed in a report to members of the council's resources scrutiny committee, which added the days lost per full-time equivalent had recently dropped slightly.
In the 12 months to February the figure was 8.8 days, while the council's current, shifting target is 8.5 days lost per full-time equivalent member of staff.
The report said: "The trajectory of sickness absence steadily increased from 2015/16, with the exception of 2020/21 when staff were shielding - the trajectory then steepened post-Covid."
The top three reasons for sickness were given as stress, depression, anxiety and fatigue, along with hospital procedures, time-off required post-op, and chest and respiratory issues.
Below other councils
In the 12 months to February, 78% of council staff were off between one and 20 days, with 22% deemed to be long-term absent having taken more than three weeks.
Over the past year, just under 140 staff were off ill from a workforce of approximately 2,200.
The council committee report, said last year's peak of 9.66 days was in fact below two other neighbouring councils – Stockton (10.8 days) and Hartlepool (10.31 days).
The report said the council was working to bring down the figures, with a new managing health, attendance and wellbeing policy agreed last year and training provided for all managers.
It added staff also had access to occupational health, physiotherapy and counselling services.
In 2023, a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed the average rate of employee absence across the UK was 7.8 days per employee per year, which was even higher in the public sector at 10.6 days.