Stress, anxiety, and depression are main reasons for sickness leave at Portsmouth City Council

At a recent employment committee meeting, councillors reviewed a report about sickness absences, their causes, and what’s being done to support staff wellbeing and attendance.

The report showed sickness absences are the lowest they’ve been since November 2021, with both short-term and long-term absences decreasing between February and June this year.

Mental health issues, including stress, anxiety, and depression, have consistently been the leading cause of sickness leave, as reported in March and again in September last year. Currently, viruses are the second most common cause, followed by work-related stress, anxiety, and depression.

Rochelle Williams, the council’s assistant director of human resources, said some jobs are showing patterns of work-related mental health issues in response to a question from Councillor Cal Corkery.

Between February and June 2024, work-related mental health problems were the biggest cause of sickness leave at Portsmouth International Port which is owned by the council. For children’s and adult social care staff, these issues were the second and third most common reasons respectively.

Councillor Charlotte Gerada asked about the causes of non-work-related mental health issues. While no clear answer was given, Ms Williams said employees often mention the cost of living and the stress of managing work and home life under financial strain. She added that future reports could provide more details.

The report also showed that housing officers had the highest level of absences due to mental health issues, with 1,842 sick days recorded in June, down from 1,937 in February. In total, 6,806 days were lost to psychological issues, with another 3,261 days lost to work-related mental health problems.

Portsmouth is not alone in facing these challenges, with similar problems reported at Warwickshire County Council and Dundee City Council.