Paid city sick days on the rise in Hamilton

Sick days and absenteeism are rising among Hamilton city staff and councillors are looking for waysto crack down.

According to a new city report comparing the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2012, paid sick days are growing and the total cost to taxpayers for this year will be more than $11 million:

• Average sick days per eligible employee increased to 2.77from 2.52 (an increase of .25 day or 1.75 hours per employee)
• Total paid sick hours roseto 94,421 from84,939.
• Total cost of paid sick absences has increased to $2,903,213 from $2,595,862.

The city needs to address the problem aggressively to get things under control, says Ward 11 Coun. Brenda Johnson.

Im just absolutely beyond frustrated when I read these reports, she said. This is a thorn in my paw right now.

Im just absolutely beyond frustrated when I read these reports.- Coun. Brenda Johnson

A report from last year showed the average unionized city worker took 11 sick days in 2011. Those lost days cost the city around $11.6 million, up from $9.9 million in 2007. Sick day numbers dipped a little last year, but the latest city report shows costs for the first three-quarters of 2013 were back up to close to $9 million. That means city will pay over $11 million if the trend continues.

And the real cost of absenteeism for the city could actually be much higher than the report suggests. That $11 million total cost estimate for paid sick absences for this year doesnt take into account overtime and extra shifts to cover for the people who are missing days.There is significant costs to the city to fill in, Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark said.

Taking advantage of doctor's note policy

Clark says the citys doctors note policy also needs to be overhauled. Currently, a city staffer needs to hand in a doctors note once theyve been off for five days and heading onto their sixth. Theyre also supposed to be in contact with their manager over that period.

Currently, what has been negotiated is ridiculous, he said. It guarantees every employee five days off with pay before they need a doctors note. Clark maintains that some city staffers are using sick days to take off for things like football games in the U.S.

Managers in specific city departments can ask for a doctors note before the sixth day of employee illness, but that almost never happens. Of the 10,000 or so sick days in question over the course of the year, only 27 managers investigated and asked for a note early, according to the city.

Thats just not working, because no one does it, Clark said, adding that its likely because managers dont want to point the finger at their employees.

'It can't go on the way it is'

According to the latest report, the citys senior management team is committed to staying the course with the management action plan including the necessary management training, which they feel will help curb the problem.

To date, close to 60 per cent of all supervisors and management staff have been trained for attendance and disability management. Clark remained unconvinced that would make a difference All of the training, all of the mechanisms were supposed to be adopting has not changed it, he said. It cant go on the way it is.

Coun. Chad Collins echoed that statement. There are clearly areas in the organization that have done a piss poor job as treating this as a priority, he said.

City staff did mention the fact that Hamilton does have lower absentee rates compared to other municipalities. That was cold comfort to Johnson, who said that we only seem to compare ourselves to other municipalities when its convenient. We seem to want to suck and blow at the same time, she said.

Johnson put forward a motion that city staff comes back with a more aggressive strategy to reduce sick days, and that all city managers be present when the report comes back to general issues committee so councillors can ask some pointed questions about absenteeism. She said shes hoping to see it back for discussion before the month of March.

This is something in my heart that needs to be tabled now, Johnson said.