Agenda item

The Council had implemented an Employee Health and Wellbeing Framework 2019, with themes and activities for each quarter.  It also included national campaigns, for example, Cervical Screening Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day. 

A number of health and wellbeing initiatives had been undertaken including access to an Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 confidential telephone and on-line support over a number of topics (this support was also available to relatives of employees); Committee considered a report which provided an update on progress with regard to the Council’s Employee Health and Wellbeing Framework 2017-2020.

The Framework had been agreed in October/November 2017 and set out how employees would be supported to ensure a healthy, motivated and high performing workforce to achieve the Council’s aims and priorities. 

An action plan which formed part of the Framework, detailed 3 key aims;

·         Create a Healthy Work Environment

·         Develop a supportive Workplace Culture

·         Encourage employee engagement in healthy lifestyles

Work continued with Senior Management Team, Service Managers, trade union representatives and external partners such as Public Health and Derbyshire County Council, to ensure employees were receiving the right information and access to the information that they needed.

health checks; nutrition/healthy eating workshops and facilitating access to Council Leisure facilities.

A key indicator of employee health and wellbeing was attendance at work.  During 2018/19 the sickness absence out-turn figure was 8.7 days per employee - this was a slight reduction on 2017/18 of 9.3 days but marginally higher than the target of 8.5 days per employee.  Actions were being taken to address sickness absence and these included; HR link officers working directly with service managers and providing monthly sickness analysis reports; action plans produced for service areas to assist Managers in awareness of actions required and support needed for employees concerned; regular sickness absence management training each quarter; regular review of Occupational Health Provision.

Organisational Development (OD) covered a range of work streams that contributed to employee health & wellbeing.  The Work Well Group had proven successful in generating ideas and implementing activities, yet more could be done to support this group and link actions into the wider corporate agenda.  A strategic group led by the HR & OD Manager had been formed to ensure a holistic and corporate approach to Organisational Development. 

An Employee Survey had been recently carried out and the Human Resources and OD Manager would provide the results to Committee at a future meeting.

As Members could see from the report, significant work had been undertaken in the last twelve months to develop and positively progress employee health and wellbeing and more work was still work to be done.  The importance of health and wellbeing was growing across both councils with all employees recognising that they had a responsibility for their own wellbeing and that they could play a key role in supporting the wellbeing of others.

In response to Member’s questions, the Human Resources and OD Manager noted the following;

·         The cost of sickness absence to the Authority would soon be included in quarterly performance reports and this information could be provided to the Committee in future. 

·         In relation to the Employee Survey, mixed responses had been received from staff regarding their working environment and individual action plans had been produced for Managers. 

·         The suitability of an outside eating area for staff at lunchtime would need to be looked at. 

·         In most of the sickness absence cases regarding stress, these were related to incidents outside of work. 

·         Cost would need to be taken into account regarding team building exercises.

Moved by Councillor Tom Munro and seconded by Councillor Anne Clarke

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Human Resources and OD Manager left the meeting.