Our Ref: SH/154

19 December 2008

Vicky Gray

by email

Dear Vicky

Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your recent enquiry which is being treated as a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I set out the Council's response to the information you have requested, as follows.

You asked for the following information:-

1. How many employees of the council have been absent from work due to either stress, anxiety, depression or any combination of those ailments between 1 August 2004 and 31 October 2008.

2. How many complaints of bullying have been made by employees of the council against managers or colleagues during the same period.

3. How many employees have claimed constructive dismissal within the same period for bullying/ harassment.

4. How many claims have been filed against the council at the Employment Tribunal within the same period for bullying/harassment.

I can advise you as follows:-

1. 89 employees for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 October 2008. As previously advised by email, our previous Payroll/HR System is no longer supported by the Company provider and we cannot physically retrieve the data you are requesting. Unfortunately, historical data prior to 1-4-07 was not copied across to the new outsourced system, apart from sickness absence data which was input for the previous year only (for SSP purposes). However, only the start and end dates of absences and total number of days were input for 2006-7 and not the reasons for the absence. Therefore I am unable to extract absences solely due to stress, anxiety or depression for this period.

Continued … 2

Vicky Gray

19 December 2008

2. 6.

3. 0.

4. 0.

We hope you are happy with our service, but if you are not satisfied with the way your request has been handled please contact:-

Janet Deacon

Customer Services Manager

Town Hall, St Nicholas Street,

Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 2HG

and your complaint will be considered under the Council's complaints procedures.

If after that procedure you are still not happy, you may appeal to:-

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House, Water Lane,

Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545745 Fax: 01625 524510

e-mail: [email address]

website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Sue Hastie

Assistant HR Officer

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