Agenda item

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer presented the report. He advised that further to performance information being shared with Members at the quarterly CFA Performance Committee, Members had requested that the Service conduct a review of the Staff Absence Key Performance Indicator (KPI) suite to provide options for change given a notable shift in absence levels in the post Covid era. The aim was to ensure that Service KPIs remained fit-for-purpose, appropriate to the operating environment and continued to provide effective methods by which Service performance was reported.

Recent reports to Members had provided both local and national context which drew comparative data from within the sector and from other external data organisations to inform discussions on the matter.

The Measuring Progress report incorporated three measurements for Staff Absence KPIs:

i)        KPI 1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime

ii)       KPI 1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call

iii)     KPI 1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook

Calculations to inform KPI 1.2.1 and 1.2.3 were based around the cumulative number of shifts lost due to sickness divided by the total average workforce strength for that staff, commonly termed the number of days lost per shift/day per full-time equivalent (FTE)/employee.

The calculation for KPI 1.2.2 differed slightly due to the nature of the On Call duty system and measured the percentage of contracted hours lost due to sickness for all on-call contracted staff.

The Wholetime and Greenbook KPIs had both been ‘in exception’ (beyond the standard set) every quarter since quarter 1, 2022/23, so six reported quarters thus far. Prior to quarter 1, 2022/23, the KPI combined Grey Book and Green Book absences (formerly as KPI 4.2.1), and the only time it was not in exception was during June and July 2020, which was within the Covid Period, where different reporting conditions existed. Conversely, the On-Call KPI had not been in exception at any point over the same period and there were no proposed changes to this KPI.

The current standard for both the Wholetime and Greenbook KPI was 5 days/shifts lost per Full Time Employee (FTE). Pre-Covid, the Service reported meeting the target, however, since Covid, there had been a significant rise in absence levels.

An XpertHR report published in 2022 identified that, despite many organisations had introduced and updated hybrid working policies; 50% of organisations reported an increase in total absence rates.

An XpertHR report published in May 2023, reported that whilst there was a decrease in absence rates as the effects of Covid subsided, rates remained high. The same report also identified that whilst many respondents mentioned a lesser impact from Covid on sickness rates, they also noted that the return to work seemed to have brought new challenges – from lower immunity to general sickness such as cold and flu, and an increasingly stressed workforce. Responses to the research were received from 172 organisations, with a combined workforce of 220,204 employees.

The Service had experienced similar issues with an increased number of staff being absent due to respiratory infections than was previously seen, as well as high levels of absence attributed to muscular skeletal conditions and mental health.

The 23^rd Annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey – ‘Health and Wellbeing at Work’ conducted from March to April 2023 found that the average level of employee absence rose to 7.8 days per employee. This was the highest level reported for over a decade. It also marked a considerable increase (two days per employee) compared with the low levels of pre-pandemic absence reported in 2020 (5.8 days from data collected in October/November 2019).

As in previous years, average absence levels were considerably higher in the public sector (10.6 days per employee) than in other sectors, particularly private sector services (5.8 days), although the upsurge in average levels of absence was observed across all sectors.

The Service benchmarked itself against National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) data and pre-Covid, reported top quartile performance in relation to absence levels. During the year ended March 2023, the Service reported top quartile performance in relation to absence levels at an absence rate of 8.29 days lost, across a range of 6.33 to 21.06 days lost in other fire and rescue services. The current trajectory of performance across quarter 1 and quarter 2, 2023/24, indicated that whilst performance was just below top quartile, should current absence rates continued, the out-turn at March 2024 would be 8.32 days lost.

Research indicated that several measures could support attendance at working which included:

-        Having an Absence Management Policy;

-        Training for managers on having difficult conversations with staff in relation to absence;

-        Return-to-work interviews;

-        Employee assistance programmes;

-        Wellbeing initiatives;

-        Mental health training;

-        Availability of Counselling;

-        Referrals to occupational health;

-        A HR Business Partnering Model.

The Service currently had all these measures in place and was exploring what other options were available to assist employees to remain in work and return to work earlier.

Reflective of the position of attendance levels across the country and the sector, it was proposed to amend the Service’s KPI to 8 shifts/days lost per employee/FTE. This would still be top quartile across the sector and reflective of public sector performance whilst at the same time providing challenge and a driver for improvement.

The Chair stated that if the KPI standard was raised to 8 days per annum, staff would believe they could take 8 days sickness absence and asked for the national average number of days taken as sickness absence. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer advised that, as referenced on page 108 of the agenda pack, the national average for absence levels across other fire and rescue services was between 6.33 and 21.06 days lost so LFRS compared favourably with an average of 8.29 days lost.

County Councillor Dad thanked officers for a good report and stated that he concurred with the Chair that if the KPI standard was raised by 3 days, staff would take those days as sickness absence as he felt that some individuals took absence days that weren’t needed. County Councillor Yates agreed with the Chair and County Councillor Dad, and added that he did not agree with the Service dropping its standards. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that, in the case of firefighters, if they experienced a physical injury or a respiratory illness, they could not attend work, however, other roles had the opportunity to work from home. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer further explained that the KPI standard was for performance measuring purposes only and would not be reported to staff as a sickness absence allocation. The current KPI target was unachievable, and it would be reviewed periodically with a view to a gradual return to previous target levels as and when performance improved.

County Councillor Shedwick commented that he was confident that the Service adhered to the measures to support attendance as outlined on Page 109 of the agenda pack.

County Councillor Hennessy thanked the HR team for their work gathering the evidence. She commented that she understood the national position following Covid-19 and agreed with the uplift of the KPI standard to a more realistic target which could be reviewed in future.

County Councillor Singleton agreed to approve the proposed recommendations as outlined, as the revised target would be realistic and achievable. This was supported by Councillor Hugo who recognised the complexities involved with the physical injuries of firefighters.

Resolved: That the Planning Committee noted the content of the report in relation to the three KPIs and approved the proposed changes to two, those being:

i)        Staff Absence Wholetime (KPI 1.2.1) be uplifted from a standard of no more than 5 shifts lost per annum, to a new standard of no more than 8 shifts per annum.

ii)       Staff Absence Greenbook (KPI 1.2.3) be uplifted from a standard of no more than 5 shifts lost per annum, to a new standard of no more than 8 shifts per annum.