Author Topic: Incompetence: CCBC (and other Public Bodies and Statutory Undertakers...)  (Read 115840 times)

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Offline Fester

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #45 on: August 04, 2017, 11:11:20 pm »
It's becoming endemic.
A guy I know, who is a hotel duty 'manager' in Llandudno, has phoned in sick this weekend because he hates one of his colleagues he is on the rota to work with.
The General Manager has not dealt with some problem or other, so it's best to phone in sick with Stress apparently.

I did enquire of him whether having the word 'manager' in his title, might lead his superiors to expect him to 'manage' this issue somewhat better than this? 
Fester...
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Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #46 on: August 05, 2017, 10:40:53 am »
I'm afraid that it's the same old story, that the minority spoil it for the majority but you don't need to employ a sickness czar as long as you have good line managers who should be able to sort the sickness problem out and know who has genuine sickness and who is swinging the lead.

Patterns can sometimes be found in frequent "sick" days off and the line manager should be looking closely at that.   

It's only an opinion based on what I've seen first hand but in employments where they operate a "self certificated" sick note system it can be abused, whereas the SSP system of no work no pay may encourage those that swing the lead to come in.

The downside there though is that the people who are genuinely sick may struggle to come into work when they should be off sick






Offline Ian

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #47 on: August 05, 2017, 10:45:52 am »
Local councils do operate the self-certification for short illnesses, but I agree that good line managers would save this absurd expenditure. On the other hand , making council-wide changes would require someone with a bit of clout. 
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #48 on: August 05, 2017, 11:54:50 am »
If there is a policy in place for dealing with sick leave then it is up to the line manager to follow it.     I've heard all types of excuses for being off sick and some of them beggar belief:-

Sickness ---   exhaustion                                             Real reason  ----- tired after a full day shopping
sickness   ---- chemical poisoning                                 Real reason -----  decoration the house the day before
sickness ---  dealing with death of Aunt                         Real reason ------  unknown  as Aunt had died twice before!

Offline SteveH

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #49 on: August 05, 2017, 11:59:57 am »
Would a private sector company employ a "sickness czar" ?  but then again they do not appear to need one.

" The post has been created after Conwy council found its workers were averaging 11.67 sick days each - nearly triple the 4.3 average in the private sector."

And their aim to reduce the percentage to 10.5, still more than double the private sector, is ridiculous, also their comment ..."The post will be paid for, out of the existing human resources budget, and will not cost the council extra" . Well that's OK then.......

Maybe its time councilors, got paid by results.



Offline DVT

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #50 on: August 05, 2017, 02:55:17 pm »
"The post will be paid for, out of the existing human resources budget, and will not cost the council extra" . Well that's OK then.......


Simples ... they stop paying those swinging the lead and instead pay the sickness czar who can sit in his/her office to wonder why. 

So no extra cost to the council - or rather no extra cost to us council tax payers.

Offline Fester

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #51 on: August 05, 2017, 10:22:36 pm »
Steve H, your question is an easy one...  NO.  A private company would never employ such a position.
Because it's only those spending tax payers money who are so profligate with it.
Fester...
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Offline Ian

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #52 on: August 06, 2017, 08:14:28 am »
On the other hand, of course, private companies offer employees things which local authorities can't, such as incentive and bonus payments.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Fester

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #53 on: August 06, 2017, 04:16:49 pm »
On the other hand, of course, private companies offer employees things which local authorities can't, such as incentive and bonus payments.

You don't think that approximately £14,000 for a council leader to be 'acting returning officer' at elections is a Brucey Bonus then?
Fester...
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Offline Ian

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #54 on: August 07, 2017, 08:55:36 am »
Indeed, but I was talking about 'employees'.  We've known for years that those at the top always reward themselves first.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #55 on: August 17, 2017, 08:48:32 am »
£40,000 sickness czar appointed to bring absences down by one day per worker
Conwy council says it will save £400,000 a year, but critics say target is nowhere near ambitious enough.

"It is the latest initiative from the authority, which last year introduced free yoga classes in work time because so many staff were complaining of back pain.
The council said if the new role managed to reduce the time lost to around 10-and-a-half days, it could save the council up to £400,000 a year.

The Daily Post understands the post will be paid for out of the existing human resources budget, and will not cost the council extra."
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/40000-sickness-czar-appointed-bring-13426932
What's interesting is that the 11.5 days sick per year is the average figure. I imagine that quite a few CCBC workers don't take any time off sick in a particular year, so I reckon there are a fair few having anything up to a month or more off sick in a year.  &shake&

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #56 on: August 17, 2017, 09:24:34 am »
Same old story Dave and it's the same in National Government too.      No one minds genuine sick cases but there are always regular minorities that abuse the system and spoil it for the rest.

Offline Dave

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #57 on: August 18, 2017, 04:40:30 pm »
Some people see sick leave as extra holiday entitlement, others as just an excuse not to go to work. It's easy to criticise though, there must be loads of people who have poorly paid incredibly mundane jobs who are treated badly by their equally poorly paid or bored bosses whose only joy in life is the fact they are one rung above and can treat their subordinates with distain.All too often any attempt to make work more enjoyable isn't even thought of.
That said I was lucky to have an interesting job, was well paid for what I did and as a consequence spent 30 years with my last employer and had no more than a handful of days off for genuine sick leave. A younger colleague who had only been in the job a couple of years, well perhaps five, took a year off with stress whilst setting up a new private business. Within a week or two of coming back to work they resigned.
Different age, different attitudes.
The more that's given, the more it's taken.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #58 on: August 18, 2017, 05:45:08 pm »
The problem with sick leave in the Nation Government and perhaps local Government jobs is that the employee receives full pay for 6 months, then half pay for the next 6 months, then pensionable pay for the rest of the sick leave period.
In many outside occupations this doesn't happen and the employees have to go on SSP  instead and if this system was applied to National and Local Government then I would think that there would be a reduction in sickness absences.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Incompetence: CCBC, NAfW, UK Government, Local council and others
« Reply #59 on: August 21, 2017, 08:56:40 am »
The problem with sick leave in the Nation Government and perhaps local Government jobs is that the employee receives full pay for 6 months, then half pay for the next 6 months, then pensionable pay for the rest of the sick leave period.
In many outside occupations this doesn't happen and the employees have to go on SSP  instead and if this system was applied to National and Local Government then I would think that there would be a reduction in sickness absences.
Absolutely right, Hugo.  $good$