The Employment Committee of Leicestershire County Council met on Thursday, 21 May 2026, to discuss the council's workforce, occupational health services, and organisational change policies. The meeting's agenda included a review of the Workforce Annual Report for 2025-26, an update on occupational health provision, and a summary of action plans related to the Organisational Change Policy and Procedure.

Workforce Annual Report 2025-26

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on workforce information and performance measures for the 2025-26 period. This included details on headcount, Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures, absence rates, and the completion of Annual Performance Reviews (APRs). The report indicated that as of March 2026, the council's headcount was 5905, with an FTE of 4937.91. An increase in both headcount and FTE was noted compared to the previous year.

The report highlighted that the council's sickness absence rate stood at 3.5% in March 2026, which was above the council's target of 7.5 FTE days lost. Benchmarking data showed Leicestershire County Council's absence rate was higher than the private sector and UK employers overall, but lower than the NHS and public sector averages. Stress, depression, and mental health were identified as the leading causes of long-term sickness absence. The report also detailed departmental absence rates, with the Adults and Communities department consistently recording the highest average FTE absence.

Regarding Annual Performance Reviews (APRs), the online recording process indicated a 58.9% completion rate as of March 2026, though this was noted as a potential under-representation. The report outlined plans to improve the recording and reporting processes for APRs, including the implementation of automated reminders.

Occupational Health Report 2025-26

The committee was set to review the provision of the Occupational Health Service between April 2025 and March 2026. The council has appointed People Asset Management (PAM) to provide this service under a two-year contract. The report detailed the services offered, including pre-employment assessments, management referrals, health surveillance, and workplace needs assessments.

Data presented on management referrals showed a breakdown of the clinician-identified presenting conditions and the outcomes of these referrals. The report indicated that the Occupational Health Service aims to ensure employees are fit for their roles, prevent work-related illness and injury, and support employees in managing their health at work.

Organisational Change Policy and Procedure: Action Plans

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on current Action Plans that include provisions for compulsory redundancy, along with details of their implementation progress. These plans are governed by the Organisational Change Policy and Procedure, first approved in February 2010.

The report provided summaries of completed and underway action plans. Among the completed plans, several related to Corporate Resources and Children & Families departments, with no compulsory redundancies recorded. Underway plans included those for Corporate Resources concerning School Food Service Management and Administration, which predicted 15 compulsory redundancies, and for Children & Families concerning Early Years Inclusion and Childcare Service, which also indicated 15 compulsory redundancies and noted a formal dispute lodged by the NEU.

Working Arrangements Update

A verbal update was also scheduled to be provided to the committee regarding working arrangements.