New data shows 100,000 sick days taken by WNC employees since 2021 – with many off due to stress and anxiety
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
These figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information request submitted by this newspaper.
The figures are as follows:
- In the fiscal year 2021/22: 31,747 sick days
- 2022/23: 29,024 sick days
- 2023/24: 26,861 sick days
- Current year (to date): 13,259 sick days
- Total: 100,891 sick days.
Sick days attributed to stress and anxiety:
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Hide Ad- 2021/22: 11,197 days
- 2022/23: 9,984 days
- 2023/24: 10,011 days
- Current year: 4,947 days lost to these issues (to August 2024)
- Total: 36,139 days.
Currently, the council employs 2,823 staff, equating to 2,563 full-time workers, some of whom work part-time.
The council stated that it does not hold information on the total cost associated with these sickness absences. However, it does have a structured policy for paying employees during sick leave, which varies based on length of service.
Councillor Mike Hallam, Cabinet Member for HR and Corporate Services, said: "All absence in any organisation, whether it’s WNC or elsewhere, needs to be managed—whether this relates to sickness, maternity, annual leave, or other reasons. This means that, where necessary, resources are reallocated or activities prioritized or readjusted to ensure that statutory services are delivered.
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Hide Ad"The council monitors sickness absence, and it’s part of the corporate reports that go to council. The council’s sickness absence for 2023-24 tracked at 9.9 FTE sick days; this is below figures reported by the majority of our neighbouring councils for 2022-23 (there was no comparator for 2023-24) and is also below the figure reported for all unitaries, sourced from the LGA.”
Asked what support there is for sick workers, councillor Hallam said: “The council published its People Strategy in 2022, and under this, we also published our Wellbeing Strategy. We know that when our staff are healthy and well, they bring their best selves to work, which helps us deliver excellent services. Our Strategy also recognises that wellbeing does not start and end in the workplace; a whole range of factors come together to determine our overall health and wellbeing as individuals.”
He added: "We have an extensive workplace wellbeing offer here at WNC. Our intranet provides a hub for information and tools to help colleagues manage their mental health and support others. This includes trained Mental Health First Aiders across the organisation, Health Assured (our employee assistance programme), access to the Work Mental Health Support Service (funded by the DWP), and Changing Minds. We offer regular wellbeing initiatives, such as Walking Challenges and other fitness programs. We also have excellent policies that support colleagues in managing their work-life balance."
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