Insurance Expert Advises on Absenteeism Management

Absenteeism affecting businesses in South Africa Young people are likely to miss work days in South Africa.

Many of us are familiar with that moment of truth when the alarm clock rings at 6 am on a cold Monday morning and the desire to stay cuddled up for another two hours is so overpowering, that you are within a hair's breadth of calling the office to say that you're sick in bed.

If you're a young South African, the chances are that you pull this stunt quite often, and if you're female, even more so.  Statistics show that absenteeism in South African businesses is especially high among young females, whether single or in a relationship.

Dr. Lerato Motshudi, a Medical Advisor with Alexander Forbes Health, advises South African organisations regarding their levels of absenteeism, which has the potential to affect productivity.

This is one of the major drivers of lost revenue for companies and Dr. Motshudi said that "if managers don't understand and manage this problem, it can have major implications for productivity and ultimately balance sheets."

Absenteeism is particularly higher in winter, while young couples who have children tend to stay away from work more often during the school holidays.

In general, younger employees don't need much incentive to cause them to miss a day's work and this is keenly felt in days prior to or following a public holiday or weekend.

How to Deal with Absenteeism

The insurance expert said that levels of absenteeism have to be monitored as a first step to solving the problem. This is to get a better understanding about where these levels originate and how to focus on the problem.  "If ignored, it only increases," said Dr. Motshudi.

Employees should be helped to understand their work contracts, such as explaining which religious holidays are covered, and which are not.

Improving levels of communication, bringing in a third party to manage absenteeism and using the tools provided by the Labour Relations Act to deal with employees who continue to flaunt the company's rules are all ways to deal with this growing problem.