Sick days at Argyll and Bute Council have cost the local authority more than £1.5 million in six months this year.

Council employees Attendance has improved over the last quarter, but £1,540,946 was lost due to the cost of sick leave from April to September this year.

The local authority is currently facing major budget cuts, with between £21m-£26m savings million needing to be identified for cuts over the next three years.

On average, employees had nearly two-and-a-half days off each from April to June this year, with the figure dropping to 2.23 average from July to September.

There has been a slight decrease from the same time period last year, from 2.29 to 2.23 average days lost per full time employee.

The cost to the taxpayer was £791,154 from April to June this year, which decreased to £749,792 in the second quarter of the financial year from July to September. 

Top reasons given for staff being absent in the first quarter were stress, depression, mental health and fatigue. 

Councillors at last week’s meeting of the performance and scrutiny committee meeting were given the update into current sick leave statistics, and ways the Argyll and Bute council is working to minimise sick days.

A return to work interview scheme has not been meeting the 100 per cent completion target, with only 87 per cent completed in July, 91 per cent in August, and 79 per cent in September. This is one of several measures in place at the council to help maximise attendance.

The council currently has just over 5,100 employees.

The report given to members also said the council is going through a time of “potential job losses” which is known to cause stress, and the council will try to minimise this by communicating effectively with affected staff.

A council spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council said: “The council greatly values its employees and, to reinforce its commitment to be an employer of choice, is taking forward a number of initiatives to improve attendance.

“These include specific actions to support staff who have reported stress-related absence. The council also has information and advice available to all staff on staying healthy and has a Healthy Working Lives Bronze Award accreditation. We are currently running a poster campaign on seasonal viruses. 

“The council’s absence rates are below the Scottish average. The council has a dedicated telephone line for employees to report absence and again when they return to work. 

“This is to record absence accurately in a central system and to ensure they receive the correct sick pay. The caller may also be offered support services such as employee counselling if appropriate.”

The Healthy Working lives group are working on a number of initiatives, including a reminder going to staff to take their lunch breaks, and research into the role of mental health first aiders within organisations and whether or not this is something Argyll and Bute Council could incorporate or promote.