Stressed and depressed: Mental health problems are the number one reason for sick leave at Wirral Council (From Wirral Globe)
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Stressed and depressed: Mental health problems are the number one reason for sick leave at Wirral Council
10:54am Wednesday 21st November 2012 in News Exclusive By Leigh Marles
Stressed and depressed: Mental health problems are the number one reason for sick leave at Wirral Council - library picture
WIRRAL Council employees will have taken an average of nearly ten days’ sick leave this year – with the majority of absences caused by stress, anxiety and depression.
A new report highlights “an increasing trend in levels of absence across the authority” with a projected end of year figure of 10.28 sick days per person against a target of 9.5.
And that number spirals for staff in social services and technical services to more than 16 days.
The review shows mental health issues continue to be the most frequent cause of absence across the council - anxiety, stress and depression are all cited.
Council leader Cllr Phil Davies said: "It is a real cause for concern and we are taking this report very seriously.
"I know HR are helping a lot of our people who are off with stress and resources have been increased to help them do that.
"Stress is the biggest cause of sickness absence across the public sector; police, NHS staff, social services, all are affected.
"It's no real surprise given that public sector workers are under the cosh so much these days from Government 'austerity' measures.
"The stress levels among our workers - who do a tremendous job day in and day out - are the sort of thing that needs to be played-back to Government to show them that people are finding it extremely difficult to cope.
"Austerity is wrong, and this is one of its byproducts."
Projected levels show 34% of council employees reporting sick will do so due to mental health problems.
The average time taken off work due to illness across the public sector in England is around seven days, with stress being the number-one reason.
Wirral’s teachers take the fewest sick days, with around 3.8 per person projected by the end of the year.
Staffing has been increased in the local authority's human resources department to review all long-term absence cases.
Officers will work alongside managers to "ensure there is an action plan in place and that cases are managed appropriately in accordance with policy."
There are currently 127 "live" cases on the system.
The report by HR manager Tony Williams is to the authority’s employment committee, and states: “Failure to pro-actively manage sickness absence through early intervention, improved management information and health and wellbeing initiatives could leave the council open to legal challenge and increased costs.”
The document says a number of measures have been put in place to try to reduce sickness absence including health advice, free flu jabs to key workers and “stress management tools” being made available for managers and staff.
Comments(22)
ArdalMcFardle
says...
1:05pm Wed 21 Nov 12
You really need to look at some of the managers in HR Phil old bean, it's enough to make you "shred" your hair
WirralAl
says...
3:30pm Wed 21 Nov 12
I bet the sickness levels for all government departments are massively higher than in the commercial world. In state employment it is an accepted norm but in the real world people just have to work under pressure.
Dazzydog76
says...
3:33pm Wed 21 Nov 12
PaulCa
says...
7:28pm Wed 21 Nov 12
There is SO much wrong with this article and so many lies that are readily taken apart. Full marks for disingenuity.
Senior Directors have responsibilities and obligations written into the Health & Safety at Work Act requiring them to take concerted and positive action where stress has been pinpointed as a problem.
Given the experiences I had, and those of others, I doubt that Wirral's Directors have EVER heard of these, let alone implemented them.
The last Chief Executive himself, Jim Wilkie, was off for a good few months himself - but I suspect for self-induced stress after sweating on whether he would be dobbed in it for what he knew about abuses and improprieties - which luckily for him didn't happen because everybody got paid off in our money to the tune of several £100,000s.
You reap what you sow and it is hypocrisy of the highest order for this bullying crowd of wasters to try and land the blame on external influences like 'austerity'.
It is nothing to do with austerity and everything to do with grinding, churning, abnormal machinations that chew people up and spit them out broken at the other end.
What an utter, utter disgrace these hoodwinking officers and deluded councillors are.
Spiffy
says...
11:11am Thu 22 Nov 12
...
"Government cuts"...is there *anything* they can't be blamed for.
Svenson
says...
11:14am Thu 22 Nov 12
The WBC Self Preservation Society will always blame anyone except themselves for decades of greed and woeful mismanagement as they are spineless pseudo polititions at best and TOTALLY UNFIT FOR PURPOSE at worst.
Spiffy
says...
11:17am Thu 22 Nov 12
montague1
says...
11:32am Thu 22 Nov 12
Get rid of the Bullies and watch the sickness absence figures plummet.
More effective, less costly,and a wholly
better way to have staff helped back to good health and in work, which is where most prefer to be.
montague1
says...
11:33am Thu 22 Nov 12
Get rid of the Bullies and watch the sickness absence figures plummet.
More effective, less costly,and a wholly
better way to have staff helped back to good health and in work, which is where most prefer to be.
montague1
says...
11:33am Thu 22 Nov 12
Get rid of the Bullies and watch the sickness absence figures plummet.
More effective, less costly,and a wholly
better way to have staff helped back to good health and in work, which is where most prefer to be.
montague1
says...
11:33am Thu 22 Nov 12
Get rid of the Bullies and watch the sickness absence figures plummet.
More effective, less costly,and a wholly
better way to have staff helped back to good health and in work, which is where most prefer to be.
montague1
says...
11:33am Thu 22 Nov 12
Get rid of the Bullies and watch the sickness absence figures plummet.
More effective, less costly,and a wholly
better way to have staff helped back to good health and in work, which is where most prefer to be.
tigerclaw
says...
12:26pm Thu 22 Nov 12
Positive thinker
says...
7:07pm Mon 26 Nov 12
spamfiend
says...
9:06pm Mon 26 Nov 12
montague1
says...
12:12am Tue 27 Nov 12
if indeed the have not done so already !!
montague1
says...
12:29am Tue 27 Nov 12
montague1
says...
12:44am Tue 27 Nov 12
They are cowards of the worst kind.
Get it? Got it? Good !!.
MrAngryBebington
says...
3:36pm Tue 27 Nov 12
montague1
says...
5:31pm Tue 27 Nov 12
c among staff, believe me, it is a major contributor.
I know this for a fact!.
I also agree with your "maritime analogies".
None of the senior managers would ever make the rank of Captain. either in industry or on a ship. Unless of course we are referring to something like the Titanic!!
PaulCa
says...
12:16pm Fri 30 Nov 12
http://easyvirtualas
sistance.wordpress.c
om/2011/09/24/in-tro
uble-at-work-hit-you
r-employer-with-some
-well-chosen-words-t
o-keep-them-on-task/
bigfoot says...
11:23am Wed 21 Nov 12
Sickness management delivered is just a string of threats made by so called 'managers'