The
Head of HR Shared Services explained that the primary reason for
long-term sick
leave in recent years was mental health. The figure had substantially reduced and was
comparable to other factors such as cancer and hospital
treatment/surgery. In 2018/19, 30
employees had been trained to support staff through Mental Health
First Aid training. Work had also been
undertaken to communicate the total employment package received by
employees at the council. This included
monetary and non-monetary benefits. A Total Rewards Video had been
developed to communicate this information as part of the Total
Reward Statements roadshows. This video
was shown to the Committee.
In
response to questions from the Committee, the Head of HR Shared
Services replied that:
·
Staff turnover percentages were consistent with
previous years.
·
MBC was on track to achieve the target of having
2.3% of the workforce on apprenticeships by 2021.
The
Committee commented that:
·
It would be positive for MBC to meet, or exceed, the
2.3% apprentice headcount target.
·
It was beneficial for Councillors to receive further
information on Mental Health First Aid.
·
Staff turnover figures could be broken down into
percentages and categories, including benchmarks.
RESOLVED: That the progress of the actions set
out in the Workforce Strategy be noted.