ARGYLL and Bute Council faces a challenge in meeting its target to reduce absence due to sick leave, as new figures reveal a rise in the number of sick days by staff in the spring this year.
The council has a target of reducing absence by six per cent this year, but between April and June the average number of days lost per full-time worker was 2.57, compared to 2.48 days in the same period last year.
In a report to Argyll and Bute Council’s performance review and scrutiny committee, Jane Fowler, head of HR, said the main reason for absence was stress or related issues, involved in 29 per cent of cases.