Issue - meetings

(a)       That having considered the Workforce Information report for Quarter two, the Committee appreciates the work which has been done, especially to reduce sickness absence;

(b)       That the Senior Manager Human Resources & Organisational Development produce a more detailed analysis for a future meeting, recognising that such a level of detail would be impractical for each quarter; and

(c)       That the Senior Manager and Democratic Services Manager liaise on a suitable meeting to which to put the detailed report.

The Senior Manager, Human Resources & Organisational Development presented the workforce information update for the second quarter of 2017/18.  There had been a continued improvement in attendance since the introduction of the new policy and the rise in days lost due to stress and depression was being tackled through various initiatives.  An increase in the completion of performance appraisals, alongside accurate reporting, was welcomed.  A positive trend was also reported on agency worker spend, which represented less than 1% of the pay bill, and a reminder was given of the forthcoming review of that contract.

In thanking the Senior Manager and her team for the report, Councillor Mullin said that the improvement in attendance reflected increased levels of control and ownership being taken by managers.

Councillor Jones welcomed the findings and gave a reminder of the overall target to achieve 100% completion of appraisals for eligible employees.

Councillor Woolley questioned the difference between days lost by school employees as opposed to non-schools and the reasons for stress-related absences.  The Senior Manager agreed to look into this although it was likely to be due to the shorter period of term time worked in schools.  On the latter point, employees were actively encouraged to come forward and take advantage of the support available, including ‘Care First’ which offered help in dealing with a broad range of personal problems.  Councillor Woolley requested more information on this.

The Chairman asked whether the ‘days lost by portfolio’ could indicate portfolio sizes to provide better context and whether the ‘Top 4 reasons’ could indicate the variance between each category.  The Senior Manager agreed to look into whether a more detailed report could be provided for a future meeting, noting the need for confidentiality to ensure no individuals could be identified.

Following a request by Councillor Holgate, the Senior Manager agreed to provide a separate response on costs arising from the workforce turnover figure, which was higher than normal mainly due to the transfer of Newydd Catering & Cleaning.  The Chief Officer spoke about the release of posts through redundancy and early retirement which took into consideration the service impact and expectation to recoup leaving costs within a two year period.

In response to comments from Councillor Hughes on the age profile dashboard, the Senior Manager explained that data was reviewed by managers to understand trends and inform workforce planning.

On the Equality and Diversity graphs, Councillor Johnson asked if it was possible to include figures for individuals with disabilities.  The Senior Manager advised that records were held for employees who chose to disclose and that concessions were available, for example in attending appointments.  Councillor Johnson asked if the age profile for teachers could include a breakdown of full and part time posts.  The Senior Manager agreed to look at how this information could be presented for a specific future meeting only.

The Chairman commented on the age profile categories for teachers and was informed that these were standard across the system.  In respect of late attendance, it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54