Absenteeism: in Saint-Loubès, a bonus “to recognize the motivation of those who were present”

When the collective of citizens, elected in 2020, took the keys to the town hall of Saint-Loubès, near Bordeaux (Gironde), the observation was clear. “There was more than 20% absence among the agents employed in the municipality, it was a lot,” remembers Emmanuelle Favre, the mayor. The average is more like 10% in communities and 5% in the private sector, we had room for improvement! »

It’s a bounty against absenteeism which caused a stir when it was launched in 2022. To receive the maximum bonus of 750 euros, the agent must have been absent less than 6 days in the year and have had a good grade in the annual interview. Between 7 and 10 days of absence, he receives 70% of the amount. In 2023, the bonus was awarded to 157 agents who received an average of 500 euros (66 received the maximum bonus). “This is not to stigmatize those who were absent but to salute the motivation of those who were present, or even who had to absorb the excess work,” insists the mayor.

“We reorganized the work”

“This bonus is only one of the levers that made it possible to change things,” recalls Emmanuelle Favre. “Instead of employing people who were not necessarily competent to fill the holes in schedules, we reorganized the work, found a solution to small and large daily problems, which made it possible to reduce absences,” says the councilor who started by meeting all the agents on long-term leave.

This was the case of Carine, absent for two and a half years after being considered unsuitable for the duties of host. “I was told to apply for accounting positions for which I had no experience. After a year and a half, on antidepressants, the doors were closed,” she says. She was able to be reclassified internally in the communications department. “It was the chance of my life,” she explains. I must have been away for one day in three years! »

It must be said that replacing agents had a certain cost for this municipality of 10,000 inhabitants: 615,000 euros in 2019, 590,000 euros in 2020. “A cost faced by many municipalities due to the aging of our agents,” underlines Murielle Fabre, the general secretary of the Association of Mayors of France.

11% less absenteeism between 2022 and 2023

After twenty years in animation, another agent from Saint-Loubès has become ASVP and is preparing to become a municipal police officer. For the others, often arrested for health problems, “on the arm, from sharpening pencils in kindergarten, closing the shutters for children’s naps or doing housework”, the town hall provided electric pencil sharpeners, put an end to crank shutters and bought ergonomic brooms.

“A catering agent had previously been arrested for five years, with worn out joints from opening cans by hand when all it took was better equipment,” says the mayor. With a drop in the absenteeism rate of 11% between 2022 and 2023, and in the number of workplace accidents by 17%, the efforts are starting to pay off, literally and figuratively: the “presenteeism” bonus cost 70,000 euros in 2021, 82,000 euros in 2022. But the cost of replacing agents – 362,000 euros in 2023 – has almost been halved in two years.