South Northamptonshire Council Review Data Period January to November 2008

Agenda Executive Summary Absence Analysis – 2008 NCC Statistics Recommendations

Executive Summary 45% reduction in absence rate YoY (2007/2008) Net cost savings of £116,992 YoY (2007/2008) Absence reduction has given you an additional 1239 working days available in YTD for 2008 Number of spells has decreased by 28% YoY and the average spell length has reduced by 38%

Absence Trend South Northants absence rate has decreased year on year with a significant absence reduction year on year for 2007 and 2008.

Absence Rate Year on Year Your average absence rate for 2008 was 2.52%. Comparing this to your absence rate in 2007 at 4.59%, there has been an absence reduction of 45%. Your absence trend is also bucking seasonal trends. A sharp increase in September can be attributed to an increase in gastro absences. November’s increase is mainly attributed to infection and musculoskeletal absence spells.

Cost Savings Your reduction in absence rate has resulted in savings of £116,992. Another way of considering this is the reduction in absence has given you an additional 1239 working days in 2008 to date. This will have direct effect on your productivity and delivery of services to your customers.

Annualised Spells YearNumber of Spells YearAverage length of spell The number of annualised spells per employee sits at 2.04 per employee for 2008 The number of spells year on year has decreased by 28% The average length of spell has dropped significantly from 4.7 days to 2.9 days – a 38% decrease Your short term long term ratio sits at 67%:33% Length of Spell5+ to 7 days7+ to 15 days15+ to 28 days28+ days 2008 vs % Reduction21% Reduction40% Reduction60% Reduction

Absence Spells across the Week This table illustrates how employees absence spells are distributed across the week. A clear pattern emerges when employees start their absence based on spell length. Absence Spells MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday 1 Day Day Day Day Day

Top Ten Reasons for Spells by Category Gastro and Infection are your top two reasons for spells. Non medical absences sit significantly higher than the sector. The primary reasons employees are giving for taking non-medical spells are childcare and family care.

Annualised Working Days Lost Your annualised working days lost per employee equates to This is below the CIPD Local Government sector rate which sits at 8.5 WDL per employee. If you consider your manual workers separately, annualised working days lost sits at The top three reasons for working days lost for this group are mental health, gastro and neurological. CIPD Local Govt Sector Rate

Working Days Lost by Category Mental Health, Infection and Gastro are your top thee reasons for working days lost. Focus should be placed on the areas where South Northants is higher than the AHP sector average. There was a sharp increase in September for Gastro with over 40 WDL recorded. Mental Health accounts for the largest number of working days lost. There were 10 spells recorded due to Mental Health in One spell was for over 200 days which explains the high number of WDL.

NCC Statistics 84% of calls to the NCC are answered within 60 seconds Average call to answer speed is 29 seconds Average talk time is 3.21 seconds

Recommendations Key Recommendations for 2009 to continue absence reduction: Complete Return to Work Interviews and manage triggers online within AHP-Today. Research shows that return to work interviews and triggers are one of the most effective ways to manage absence. Managing these online ensures all absence management information is held in one secure location and provides a robust audit trail. Reports usage for managers. Managers should review the employees individual absence record before completing a Return to Work Interview. This will allow managers to better understand trends and absence behaviour patterns in their areas. Integrate AHP with your OH provider to enable early intervention by Occupational Health. Early intervention can typically reduce the likelihood of an absence becoming long term.