The number of staff off work at Devon County Council has fallen slightly as the council seeks to improve worker well-being.

An average of 8.9 days are now lost per employee because of absence, such as from sickness or stress, down slightly from 9.6 days two years ago.

The reduction comes as the authority completes the first year of a ‘people strategy’, to try to make the council a better place to work.

Initiatives include a ‘mid-life MOT,’ which Devon’s cabinet has heard helped 244 employees consider their work, wealth, and well-being.

Nearly 150 employees had increased the number of days’ holiday they are allowed by buying additional leave – in effect taking a pay cut – which has saved the council £150,000 in National Insurance contributions.

It had also helped 488 employees plan for retirement, saving a combined £176,000 per month.

Andrew Saywell (Conservative, Torrington Rural), cabinet member responsible for organisational development, said he had been encouraged by the results of a recent staff survey, including its response rate.

Half of the 5,329 workforce responded to the survey, considerably up from the 32 per cent response rate in 2022 when the council employed 5,846 people.

Cllr Saywell said various ‘learning events’ had been organised for managers, with the feedback from those being “overwhelmingly positive”.

“We have a new recruitment and retention policy for children’s services and that is being implemented now, drawing on support and input from across the authority,” Cllr Saywell said.

Maria Chakraborty, director of people and culture, added the people strategy is about making sure the council’s workforce feels supported.

She said two-thirds of the workforce say they feel valued. “We have work to do with the third who don’t feel like that, but we are working through this with the managers’ events, part of which involve workshops to improve the number of staff who feel valued.”

Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of survey respondents said they would recommend Devon County Council as a good place to work, up from 60 per cent in 2022.