The report said mental health related absences “continue to represent a significant proportion of overall sickness absence levels”.
A “concerning” level of sickness absence among staff of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has been highlighted this week.
A committee report on attendance noted sickness absence at the end of the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, for the period between April 1 and June 30, was an average of 4.21 days which is above a target of 4.13 days lost per employee. The council’s 2026/27 annual target for sickness absence is 16.5 days lost per employee.
The report said mental health related absences “continue to represent a significant proportion of overall sickness absence levels”.
It stated stress associated with non-work-related factors, including bereavement and family or domestic pressures, accounted for 32% of all sickness absence days lost, involving 12 individual cases.
Long-term absences among 24 employees accounted for 31% of all sickness absence days lost during the quarter.
It was noted although fewer in number than short-term absences, long-term cases tend to have a “disproportionate impact on overall absence levels due to their extended duration, contributing significantly to the total number of working days lost”.
Macedon Alliance Councillor Billy Webb MBE questioned the level of absence saying it was “quite concerning”. He went on to say there is “something fundamentally wrong” and he questioned the mental health-related absences.
“Are we looking to see if there is something wrong with this organisation to have that level of sickness absence in that area? Is there anything different we can do in order to try to improve attendance?”
A director told the committee: “I think we have set ourselves an ambitious target and action we want to take.”
She said there is mental ill health that is non-work related adding the council is being “pro-active” in terms of strategy and “benchmarking” against other local councils. She indicated Antrim and Newtownabbey’s sickness rate is “well below” other councils.
The report noted: “To manage attendance within council, an ‘Attendance and Well-being Framework 2026/27’ is in place and aspects of this have already been implemented in Q1 (quarter one). This framework aims to create a workplace culture that promotes employee well-being, resilience and regular attendance through early intervention, supportive management and shared accountability.”
It also said: “The council is committed to reducing sickness absence through proactive attendance management, early intervention and the provision of appropriate support to employees to promote health, well-being, and sustained attendance.”
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is to develop a ‘Managing Attendance Action Plan’ for 2026/27 after an average of 16.92 days were lost per employee.
The Policy and Governance Committee was told previously staff absence at the end of 2025/26 was above the council’s target of 14 days.
The committee was advised mental health-related illness was the most prevalent absence alongside respiratory illnesses, musculoskeletal conditions and digestive health-related absences.
It was noted these absences “remain common absence drivers across the wider public sector workforce”.
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