Sickness absence cost Essex County Council around £11.5 million with an average absentee rate of 14 days for every full-time employee during 1998/99.

The highest incidence of sickness was in social services, with 17.6 days per full-time employee, and the lowest in learning services at 6.8 days.

The corporate development sub-committee is being recommended to aim to cut sickness absenteeism in line with government targets.

"The targets for the council to achieve to meet the cabinet office challenge will be to reduce overall sickness absence in the workforce from the 14 days average measured in 1998/99, to 11.2 days in 2000/01 and then to 9.8 days by 2002/03," adds a report to councillors.

It points out that schools absence levels appear "significantly" lower than in most other areas of the workforce and suggests this should be studied to find out if there is an attendance culture operating in schools from which other parts of the council could learn.

Councillors are being recommended actively to promote a sickness absence policy.

Among other features, this includes a commitment to achieve high levels of attendance through the reduction of sickness absence, minimise disruption to services, treat all employees fairly and consistently, distinguish between genuine sickness absence and issues of conduct, and establish the cause of staff absence, likely future patterns of absence, and not concentrate solely on the effects.

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