Issue - meetings

The HR Business Partner provided Members with an update on the current operation of the HR and Payroll Service following a recent restructure.  It was noted that the Service had previously been delivered jointly with NE Derbyshire District Council but had now been brought in-house with a lead HR Business Partner covering strategic development and a separate HR & Payroll Manager.

The officer provided an overview of the last twelve months and noted that the service was adapting where required to the new structure and changes in operational delivery.  This included reviewing the existing Health & Wellbeing Strategy to ensure it still met the Council’s requirements.  The officer also noted a programme currently operating via the Leader’s Executive & Partnerships team – Treacle.me.  The website was free and easy to use, helping local people to find help and support whenever and wherever it was needed.  The site was also available to staff to access.

A Member commented on the Council’s employee sickness figures over the last few years, particularly during the pandemic, and noted that it was a testament to Council staff and their commitment to service delivery.  The officer noted that the figures for 2021/22 did include some Covid absence, which was typically a couple of days per employee.

A Member questioned if external benchmark data was available in relation to sickness absence.  The officer noted that there was local government benchmark data available but this was historic as benchmarking by its nature was always looking back at past years.  Previous local government averages were around 9 days per annum.  They noted it was better to use a specific local government benchmark rather than a more generalised national figure which could reflect the situation in the private sector as this would not give an accurate benchmark for comparison.  This type of data could be included in future reports.

A Member queried if the Streetscene service was particularly affected by high instances of muscular/skeletal absences due to the nature of the work carried out.  The officer noted that whilst that service had more risks to mitigate within the work undertaken, the Council as a whole had an ageing workforce and that this was a standard feature within absence figures across organisations.

A Member commented that desk set-up was key to reducing potential muscular/skeletal injury, especially for staff working at home.

A Member queried whether the Council had a number of staff that were due to retire at a similar time creating additional workforce pressures.  The officer noted that analysis work was taking place of each service area to try and plan for future expected retirements, and managers were being given guidance on succession planning.

Moved by Councillor David Dixon and seconded by Councillor Jen Wilson

RESOLVED that the monitoring update be noted.