THE number of East Renfrewshire Council staff who have been absent from work due to stress has rocketed by more than 60 per cent in the past year, the Barrhead News can reveal.

Shocking statistics have shown in 2017, there were 182 council staff off work due to stress, while in 2018, there were 292. 

Absences due to stress last year cost the council £874,629, which is almost double the amount it cost five years ago. 

The longest absence due to stress was 198 days, the third longest absence of this nature in the past five years. 

All the 2018 figures are as of the end of November. 

The alarming data, which the Barrhead News gained via a Freedom of Information request, was of concern to Stephen McLellan, chief executive of Recovery Across Mental Health.

The Paisley-based service, which has projects across East Renfrewshire, promotes recovery from mental ill health by providing support to those in crisis situations.  

Mr McLellan said the figures were not a shock to him.

He said: “This is the kind of pattern we’re seeing across the public sector, which has taken a huge hit in terms of austerity and cuts.

“And while you’ve got less people working in these departments than there would’ve been a few years ago, the expectations have increased. A lot is being demanded from people working in education, health, social work and roads departments, because there’s less of them, but social issues have not diminished.

“The lack of investment and the lack of resources are causing staff to become stressed.”
While he couldn’t say the exact reason behind such a huge rise in absences, Mr McLellan said he thought it was partly down to people opening up about their problems, but it was also due to the severe pressure staff were coming under. 

“Part of me thinks these figures will be down to there being less social stigma surrounding mental health,” added Mr McLellan. 

“But  I have watched demand for our service increase by 40 per cent since we started, and I think that says something about how much pressure people are under.”

East Renfrewshire Council said it takes the mental health of its employees seriously.

A council spokesperson said: “We have a number of support measures in place. These include a confidential counselling service, occupational health support for long-term absences, and training to increase staff resilience and mental health awareness. 

“Eighty-eight per cent of these cases relate to non-work related matters.”

Mr McLellan added: “We need to create a supportive environment in workplaces, so that people have the opportunity to talk things through.”