Elected Member Briefing - Sickness absence update

About this briefing note

Report by: Pauline Johnstone, Corporate HR Manager

Date: 28 July 2023

Subject: Employee sickness

Responsible Officer: Fiona Thomson, HR Manager

Details

Purpose

Further to discussion and questions at Scrutiny and Performance Committee on 7 June 2023 when reviewing the Corporate & Democratic Service Annual Performance Report and specifically the LGBF indicator for sickness absence, this briefing has been prepared to respond to questions regarding employee sickness absence trends and reasons.  

LGBF comparative data on sickness absence levels in other Councils will be available via the LGBF Dashboard prepared by the Improvement Service later in 2023.  

Briefing information 

Question 1 - How do the latest figures compare with pre-Covid absence levels? 

Teacher absence (average number of days/employee per year) has increased from 8 days in 2018/19 to 8.9 in 2022/23.  

The figure for all other staff has increased from an average of 10.9 days to 13 days/employee over the same period. 

Question 2 - What type of roles are off sick and adding to the increase in short term absence, is there any link to hybrid working? 

The change in sickness absence over the 12 months to March 2023 has been experienced across all areas of the organisation and across all roles. 

There has been a significant increase in short and medium term absence due to infections in 2022/23 (6082 days lost) from 2021/22 (3074 days lost). This has contributed to the reduction in the proportion of absence categorised as long term from 55% in March 2022 to 50% in March 2023. Anecdotally the pandemic appears to have heightened awareness of infection leading to a more cautious approach to attendance when unwell due to an infection. 

There is no statistical evidence to suggest any direct link to work styles. Managers provide support to address issues on an individual basis.   

Question 3 - The total days per teacher is 8.9 working days but how many teachers are actually off sick? 

On 31 March 2023 there were 63 teacher absences (4%) recorded with an open ended absence indicating that they continued to be absent. 

This is a snapshot and it should be noted that the number will change daily and, even if the number is relatively consistent, it may be made up of absence recorded by different employees. 

Question 4 - Is the absence in teaching linked to increase in violence and aggression? 

The relevant EJCC Report (June 2023) states that there were 10 incidents related to violence and aggression against teachers resulting in absence in term 3 of 2022/23. This figure represents a small proportion of the total number of absences and therefore will not have any material impact on overall teacher absence figures.