Spinning the yarn

[for fawkes sake]

A nice bit of HBC spin in The Mail tonight about how the council has 'slashed' its absentee rate. It's true the rate has come down markedly over the last few years and we should all be thankful for that. I can remember reading on here how at one time the rate was running at double the rate that you would typically find in the private sector.

The spin comes into it when HBC claims credit for the decrease for I strongly suspect the real reason is that, for once, HBC has found itself operating in an atmosphere of job cuts and the same vulnerability which has been experienced in the private sector for donkey's years.

Even so, the main reasons for absence continue to be 'stress', 'depression' and 'fatigue' despite the council's elaborate facilities for counselling and free health facilities.  Who knows how low the absentee rate could be if the council ever really did do something about its easy-going attitude to absenteeism.

That's not to say that all council employees are lead-swingers; far from it. As is often the case, absenteeism within HBC is concentrated amongst very few shirkers who cause problems and more work for their colleagues through their frequent and persistent absences. It's classic Pareto with 80% of absence caused by 20% of the workforce. Tackle those and HBC really will have something to celebrate.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/sick-days-slashed-at-hartlepool-council-but-stress-depression-and-fatigue-make-up-21-per-cent-of-absence-1-5823452

[stokoe]

more work in a f***i*g iron lung.

just received a letter this week that i will
have to retire at 66,i think these people think we all work in a office.

[steveL]

Talking of absenteeism, I'd love to hear CAB's view on it. Apparently his own absence record was so bad when he worked as a 'jumped up benefits clerk' (Chris Simmons description, not mine) that no one thought it worth bothering to ask him to join the office lottery syndicate.