Vertigo, malaria and circumcision are among the myriad of reasons North Lincolnshire Council staff have taken sick leave in the past five years.
Over 27,000 days were lost to staff sickness leave in April 2022 to March 2023 for the council, Freedom of Information (FOI) figures show.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) requested data on the number of days lost due to council staff sick leave, estimated costs, and reasons for absence. Specific information was also successfully requested on sickness in children’s social care.
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A North Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said it was committed to a healthy working environment and more than 70 per cent of its workforce have zero absence.
While case numbers per reason were not given, there have been a huge range of reasons in the last five years for council staff sick leave. In all years, vertigo has featured as an absence reason. In April 2018 to March 2019, malaria was one reason for staff sick leave. In 2022/23, sick leave was taken for circumcision.
Other staff sick leave reasons in the past five years include:
- Concussion
- Food poisoning
- Gall bladder removal
- Heart attack
- Knee surgery
- Miscarriage
- Paranoid Schizophrenia
- Shingles
- Scabies
- Stress and anxiety
- Sunburn
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
Council staff days lost to sickness fell during the pandemic-affected 2020, but have risen since to the highest number in the last five years. An average of 11.45 full time equivalent (FTE) days were lost for each member of staff in 2022/23.
It employed about 3,000 staff in 2022/23. Full details are below.
- 2018/19 – days lost due to sick leave: 25,570.61; FTE days lost on average per council staff member: 10.45
- 2019/2020 – days lost: 24,531.36; FTE days lost per council staff member: 10.33
- 2020/21 – days lost: 21,126.54; FTE days lost per council staff member: 8.75
- 2021/22 – days lost: 25,232.57; FTE days lost per council staff member: 10.27
- 2022/23 – days lost: 27,567.94; FTE days lost per council staff member: 11.25
The average number of the council’s children’s social care staff FTE days lost to sick leave has always been lower than the overall council staff average. Except in 2019/20, when 11.47 days were on average lost. In 2022/23, 9.18 FTE days were lost on average for each children’s social care staff member.
Unlike neighbouring North East Lincolnshire Council, estimated costs were not provided. “The amount of sick pay for employees is dependent on their length of service and previous absence within the last 12 months, therefore we are unable to provide estimated costs,” the FOI response explained.
A North Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “The council is committed to providing a healthy and supportive working environment and has a robust attendance management policy that is designed to support employees who are absent from work.
“Unfortunately, major health issues and long-term conditions, such as cancer and heart problems, can impact on our average sickness figures but year on year more than 70 per cent of the workforce have zero absence.”
(Image: David Haber/scunthorpelive)
In a separate FOI request, it was confirmed the council has not entered into any non-disclosure agreements in the past five years with staff. It has, however, entered into 44 settlement agreements between 2018/19 and 2022/23.
Formerly known as compromise agreements, these are legally binding agreements between staff and their employer. Typically, it provides for a severance payment by the employer in return for the staff member’s agreement not to pursue any claims in an employment tribunal or court, and to keep the agreement confidential.
In the last five years, North Lincolnshire Council has spent just over £480,000 on such agreements. The most expensive year was 2022/23, where almost £150,000 was paid out in total, across nine settlement agreements.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
