Issue - items at meetings - Attendance Management Procedure

Report of the Strategic Director, Resources (copy attached)

RESOLVED

(1)   That the committee noted the views of all parties who had contributed to the review of this procedure and thanked them for their input.

(2)   That the committee agreed to the current Attendance Management Procedure being amended to remove the mandatory requirement to always hold a formal absence review meeting  when an employee’s sickness reached an attendance concern level.

(3)   That the committee agreed to amend the current procedure to ensure that managers always held a return to work discussion when an employee returned to work after a period of sickness absence.

(4)   That the committee noted that further training for managers would be provided to equip them to determine when it was appropriate to convene a formal Absence Review meeting where an employee’s sickness absence reached an attendance concern level.

(5)   That the committee requested Human Resources to include the Disabled Workers Forum in discussions on the training for managers.

(6)   That the new Attendance Management Procedure be reviewed after six months by the appropriate committee.

(7)   That the committee instruct officers to make the necessary amendments to the Attendance Management Procedure to give effect to recommendations (2) to (6) inclusive to take effect from 1 April 2012.

71.1 The committee considered a report of the Strategic Director Resources on the Attendance Management Procedure.  The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development introduced the report. The Attendance Management Procedure had been introduced in April 2011, with a commitment that the procedure would be reviewed six months later. When the matter was reviewed there had been concerns over the mandatory nature of the formal absence review meetings, and the Head of Human Resources had recommended that the Committee could consider the option of amending the Procedure to remove the mandatory requirement. However, as there had not been an opportunity to seek the views of the Corporate Management Team, members were asked to defer a decision until further consultation had taken place. The report set out the findings of the consultation exercise. It was confirmed that consultation had taken place with the Strategic Leadership Board, Workers Forums and the Unions.

71.2         Councillor Mitchell supported the recommendations in the report and was pleased that further consultation had taken place and believed that the new Procedure had been improved.

71.3         Councillor Theobald felt that the level of sickness was high and was double the level of private sector employees, and asked if relaxing the procedures would help reduce the level of sickness.  The Head of Human Resources suggested that it was not a relaxation of procedures, but rather a different emphasis to the issue. It was hoped that the procedures would improve the sickness level.

71.4         Councillor Powell thanked Human resources for the work they had done, and felt that the suggested changes would particularly help those with a disability. Councillor Powell proposed two additional recommendations to the report, which were seconded by Councillor MaCafferty. The two additional recommendations were:

1. That the committee requested Human Resources to include the Disabled Workers Forum in discussions on the training for managers.

2.      That the new Attendance Management Procedure be reviewed after six months by the appropriate committee.

71.5         Councillor Randall thanked Human Resources for their work on the Procedure and felt that it had been improved.   Councillor Randall stated that he supported the new recommendations.

71.6         Councillor Norman stated that she supported the new recommendations but was concerned that they had only been tabled at the meeting and had not been circulated before. Councillor Littman apologised on behalf of Councillor Powell, but said that information from the Disabled Workers Forum had only been received shortly before the meeting.

71.7         The Committee voted on the new recommendations and agreed that they should be included.

RESOLVED

(1)   That the committee noted the views of all parties who had contributed to the review of this procedure and thanked them for their input.

(2)   That the committee agreed to the current Attendance Management Procedure being amended to remove the mandatory requirement to always hold a formal absence review meeting  when an employee’s sickness reached an attendance concern level.

(3)   That the committee agreed to amend the current procedure to ensure that managers always held a return to work discussion when an employee returned to work after a period of sickness absence.

(4)   That the committee noted that further training for managers would be provided to equip them to determine when it was appropriate to convene a formal Absence Review meeting where an employee’s sickness absence reached an attendance concern level.

(5)   That the committee requested Human Resources to include the Disabled Workers Forum in discussions on the training for managers.

(6)   That the new Attendance Management Procedure be reviewed after six months by the appropriate committee.

(7)   That the committee instruct officers to make the necessary amendments to the Attendance Management Procedure to give effect to recommendations (2) to (6) inclusive to take effect from 1 April 2012.