Budgets are tight.
And when they are, one of the ways to help combat this is to look at the costs we’re spending and not getting the most out of.
Pay is your biggest cost.
And it gets eroded from many angles.
Perhaps sickness is eroding yours.
How many of your team are off sick today?
None I hope.
How many have been off sick this week?
Again, I hope none.
Whatever the number, multiply it by an average daily pay (and include the 20% oncost you pay as an employer).
Here are some average daily pay rates:
£20,000 gross pay per annum, is £24,000 with oncost, daily gross pay (incl cost): £123 p/day
£25,000 gross pay per annum, is £30,000 with oncost, daily gross pay (incl cost): £154 p/day
£30,000 gross pay per annum, is £36,000 with oncost, daily gross pay (incl cost): £185 p/day
£35,000 gross pay per annum, is £42,000 with oncost, daily gross pay (incl cost): £215 p/day
£40,000 gross pay per annum, is £48,000 with oncost, daily gross pay (incl cost): £246 p/day
If you’re using supply teachers to cover, add that cost on.
That’s the quick version.
If you really want to know the real cost, ask your office team to give you the number of sick days last year and multiply it by an average pay cost.
How much is it?
(Of course you can get a spreadsheet on and be as precise as you like, but these calculations are good enough to give you a good steer and they’re quick).
You want to support your team.
And people get ill, we’re human!
But it can be reduced in most instances.
I find in high performing teams (recently outstanding schools and others) sickness is incredibly low. This is a cost they are not bearing, nor are they dealing with all the costs it incurs (supply teachers, a senior leader not doing their job but being in class).
Spotlight Resource
I asked Clare Fowler how to handle persistent sickness and she shared her employment-solicitors-for-over-20-years wisdom with me here: https://youtu.be/zHNoK-ffZRk
Clare is amazing! She makes the legal side of employment issues clear. If you’d like clarity on how to handle capability, sickness and a raft of issues book your ticket for: ‘Tackle under-performance and sickness quickly, kindly and legally’. Rated 9.1/10 by school leaders like you.
- Clare Fowler, Employment Solicitor at the charity YESS Law, will help you manage sickness and capability better.
- Maria Brosnan of Everyday Wellbeing will help you manage well-being better.
- And Sonia Gill (me!) will be helping you fix these issues before capability and to support well-being.
See you there!