Sickness Absenteeism (Hansard, 14 March 1995)

§ Mr. Heseltine

[holding answer 9 March 1995]: I have asked the chief executives of the agencies to write to the hon. member. As far as my Department is concerned the management of sickness absence has been identified as a priority for line managers, with an overall target of reducing this absence to the current level of similar organisations in the private sector.

Letter from John Hobday to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 9 March 1995:

I refer to your question of 28 February to the President of the Board of Trade about the measures he is taking to combat sickness absenteeism. I am answering in respect of the Accounts Services Agency (ASA).ASA employs approximately 100 staff. In recent years the Agency's sickness absence rate has been exacerbated by the breakdown in health of, or injury to, a number of them. Alcoholism, burns, cancer, fractures, myocardial infarction, pregnancy complications and stress were involved. Over the period one officer died, three others were medically retired and one short term contract was not renewed, the officer concerned accounting for a significant amount of sick leave. Additionally, two officers are in the process of being medically retired and another has been given notice of dismissal on the grounds of poor attendance.ASA fully recognises the problems generated by absenteeism and is addressing them.485W

Letter from David Durham to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 14 March 1995:

In his response to your recent PQ, the President of the Board of Trade asked me as Chief Executive of Companies House, to write to you outlining the measures taken by this Agency to combat sickness absenteeism.Our sickness absence at Companies House for the last twelve months has been 4.41%. In considering this figure you should be aware that some 30% of our employees work part-time, and some 10% work on a shift basis. Traditionally in both private and public sectors, absenteeism rates are higher within these employment systems.Our actual sickness absence record over the last few years has been as follows.

1994: 4.4%
1993: 4.6%
1992: 5.3%

As you will see there has been a gradual improvement but this should not indicate that we are either satisfied or complacent with the latest figure.We implement a comprehensive management framework to address the problem of absenteeism which includes the following measures:

1. All absenteeism is monitored on a regular basis and monthly league tables on sickness absenteeism are presented to managers of every section throughout Companies House. Managers of sections which are regularly above the average for our organisation are asked to explain the reasons for that discrepancy and to report on the actions they will be taking to improve their record.
2. All new managers attend a training programme in developing skills and expertise in "Managing Sickness Absence".
3. Follow up or refresher sessions are available for more experienced managers.
4. Our Personnel Section regularly monitors absence trends, long-term sickness and any dubious attendance patterns. During the last twelve months we have dismissed four people from our organisation as a result of unacceptable sickness absence.
5. For cases of genuine sickness absence, we offer advice to employees either through our Personnel Section, the staff counselling service or a locally based Civil Service doctor.
6. We encourage staff to take advantage of a variety of Health Screening opportunities and the Civil Service Sanatorium Society.
7. We have an on-site gymnasium and our social club offers a range of fitness classes throughout the year.
8. During the longer school holidays we operate play school facilities to ensure absence levels are not influenced by young family commitments.
9. We have set ourselves a target to reduce absenteeism below 4% by the beginning of 1996 and at least maintain, and hopefully improve, that record throughout the year.

I hope this information is what you require.

Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 7 March 1995:

In the absence of Peter Joyce, the Chief Executive, the President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question which asked what measures The Insolvency Service is taking to combat sickness absenteeism.In recent years The Service has run Wellperson clinics which have helped to promote an understanding of health issues amongst our staff. At the same time we have been actively seeking to reduce the level of sick leave absences. We have clearly defined threshold points at which action by personnel managers is taken with regard to sick leave including, where appropriate, the involvement of staff counsellors. In more extreme cases such action has culminated in termination of services or medical retirement.The active management of sick leave absences and the reduction of sick leave to the current level of The Service's private sector have been identified as priorities for all our line managers.486W

Letter from W. Edgar to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 14 March 1995:

I would refer to your Parliamentary Question to the President of the Board of Trade on the subject of sickness absenteeism. I would confirm that NEL's policy is in line with that of the DTI and that the management of sickness absence has been identified as a priority of all line managers in NEL with the objective of reducing this form of absence to a level similar to that found in well run organisations in the private sector. To assist Managers in the task of affecting this reduction the frequency of information provided to each Manager showing the recorded sickness levels within his command has been increased and a quarterly review of the position is made at the Directorate and Divisional Managers meetings.

Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 14 March 1995:

The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your Parliamentary Question about the management of sickness absenteeism.This Agency had one of the lowest absenteeism rates in DTI until the last two years, when the average figure has been distorted by the inclusion of one member of staff (of a complement of 48) who was on long-term sickness absence leading to eventual retirement on medical grounds. His absence accounts for the greater part of the increase seen in the average figure for NWML.Nevertheless, I have identified the management of sickness absence as a priority for line managers within this Agency in line with the action to be taken in the rest of DTI. Other proactive steps are being taken here to ensure that sickness absence is maintained below the level of similar organisations elsewhere.

Letter from P. R. S. Hartnack to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 14 March 1995:

The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to respond on behalf of the Patent Office to your Parliamentary Question about sickness absence.The management of sickness absence is a priority for line managers within the Patent Office and we have a manual to help managers deal with unsatisfactory attendance. In addition we have a sickness counselling scheme which is effective in addressing short term absences and we also use staff counselling to help staff with long-term health difficulties.