Fife Council workers took almost a day a month off sick last year.
According to figures released by the local authority, an average 11.8 working days were lost per employee through sickness absence in 2011-12.
The rate was an improvement on the average of 12.9 days in the previous year.
Statistics for the whole of Scotland in 2011-12 have yet to be published by Audit Scotland, but those for 2010-11 showed that Fife workers took two days more than the average Scotland council employee, surpassed only by those in the City of Aberdeen and the Western Isles.
As the latest figures were presented to the council’s standards and audit committee at Fife House on Thursday, SNP councillor Ross Vettraino said: ”It’s not just the money when people are absent the reputation of the council is damaged too.
”For example, if a street sweeper is off that squad can’t operate as well as it should and part of the service will be missed.”
The council said working days lost due to sickness over the last year had decreased due to attempts to manage sickness absence, particularly long-term absence, and that it had met its target for 2011-12.
Human resources services manager Linda Frew said: ”We’re working hard to improve our levels of absence and have made significant progress in the last few years.
”This work is ongoing as we recognise the importance of early interventions and proactively managing our absence levels. This is vital for the well-being of our employees and the organisation.
”We work closely with the trade unions to manage attendance and deliver appropriate support to our employees. Our attendance management strategy is continuously reviewed and refreshed as required.”
Earlier this year it was revealed the council paid £10 million in sick pay in only nine months during 2011.
Photo by Flickr user mcfarlandmo