Issue - meetings

Report of the Policy and Performance Manager (15 mins)

The policy and performance manager introduced his report which had been circulated with the agenda. The report had come to this committee to enable them to review the corporate performance of the organisation at the end of Quarter 3 – April to December 2010 and to make any comments and observations in order that Cabinet can agree the report at its meeting on 15 March 2011.

Members had requested a shorter document but he also circulated copies of the complete performance report for members to refer to.

The chair acknowledged that some targets in the report may have been affected by the bad weather, for example attendance at leisure@.

Councillor Cooper referred to the number of FTE days absence per employee where a performance below target was indicated in the report and questioned whether the new system announced by the Cabinet Member Corporate Services at a recent Council meeting was having any impact.

In response the Assistant Chief Executive explained that the Senior Leadership Team played an important role in monitoring sickness absence and reporting procedures had been improved. She advised that the system referred to had not been implemented. Managers had been concerned that if their staff spoke to a third party when reporting sickness absence, there would be a lost opportunity for the manager to discuss any items of work which needed to be picked up in their absence. The management of sickness absence had been tightened up and all staff now received a return to work interview and improvements were being noted.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services advised that it had been too costly for the council to introduce the system  but CBH had implemented it and were beginning to see positive results.  The figures for the council were slightly skewed by the sickness absence at the depot due to musculo-skeletal problems. It was thought that the lifting of the green garden waste sacks could be a factor which may be improved with the introduction of the green waste bins. Training for staff was also a key factor in preventing these types of injuries. The Staff and Support Services Committee had been receiving regular reports on sickness monitoring and he suggested that this committee might want to take up that responsibility.

RESOLVED THAT:

1. The Q2 performance be noted
2. A sickness absence report be received at the next meeting