Council massages to boost health

Therapists have been offering taster sessions

Council planning officials are being offered free lunchtime massages to boost their health.

Fife Council's development services department can book 15-minute sessions during lunch breaks.

The two-week scheme, which also offers workshops in achieving a work-life balance, ends on Thursday.

Council spokesman Garry Dickson, said: "As the largest employer in Fife, the council takes the health and wellbeing of its employees very seriously."

He added: "The recent massage taster sessions and work-life balance workshops were the latest in a programme of proactive initiatives aimed at helping reduce staff sickness and improving health and well-being amongst development services employees.

"Promoting health at work provides benefits such as improvements to staff morale and providing an example to other organisations to take employee well-being seriously."

We would consider that the cost to the service has been minimal and is part of an ongoing programme which has seen the service's sickness absence reduce by 36% in the last two years Garry Dickson Fife Council

The councils development team provides advice on planning matters and information on the local economy.

The programme began on 14 November and sessions have been taking place across the Fife area.

Fife Council said the total cost was less than £500.

Massages and manicures

The authority was criticised two years ago when staff were treated to a £1,000 day out a hotel in a bid to improve attendance records.

The 11 workers were said to have been treated to massages and manicures during the trip to Balbirnie House Hotel.

Mr Dickson said of the latest programme: "We would consider that the cost to the service has been minimal and is part of an ongoing programme which has seen the service's sickness absence reduce by 36% in the last two years.

"It is significantly less than the cost that the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) calculated an average organisation in the UK spends on sickness absence - £588 per employee each year."

Mr Dickson said the sessions had been well attended and feedback had shown staff found them useful.

A full review will take place over the next few weeks to determine the success of the sessions.