Absenteeism among council staff becoming an issue

by Gráinne Connolly

There's an ongoing issue with Fermanagh and Omagh Council staff, regarding the level of absenteeism. 

The council's chief executive Brendan Hegarty has described it as a "significant concern".

He recently wrote a letter to employees highlighting the issue, and reminding them that it is the people who live in the district that suffer due to their long term absence. 

Mr Hegarty also explained how the quality of service will be impacted due to the number of staff taking sick leave. 

Last year, a performance target was set, allowing 10.5 absence days per employee. 

This target was not met. 

The latest data on absenteeism shows on average, 12.85 days are lost per employee. 

This equates to 4.7 per-cent of "lost time". 

Reported in the Ulster Herald, Mr Hegarty said:

"Absenteeism is costly for the council not only in terms of the payment of sick pay but also the lost productivity and the impact on other employees who trying to maintain service levels with less people."

He also stated that it affects the high quality service delivery to the public who live in the district. 

Mr Hegarty urges staff to once again commit to the target that has been set initially.