South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has called on senior civil servants at the Department for Transport to do more to make their staff feel valued and motivated, as a new report finds a link between high levels of sickness absence, and repetitive low-paid clerical jobs.

Mr Bacon was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report into the management of sick leave at the Department for Transport and its agencies. Staff of the Department for Transport (DfT) and its seven executive agencies were absent through sickness for an average of 10.4 working days per full time employee in 2005, at a cost to the taxpayer of some £24 million. The report finds that sickness absence is highest amongst staff engaged in work which is administrative and repetitive in nature. However, it is these staff who are often involved in delivering services to the public.

Mr Bacon said today: “It is common sense that employees who are well motivated and feel valued produce the best results.   Sickness rates in the Department for Transport are too high.  Some of the administrative work done by the department is delivering important services to the public.  The department must do more to motivate its staff, otherwise sickness rates will continue to climb and services to the public will suffer”.

20 November 2007