ABSENTEEISM A PRODUCT OF POOR ATTITUDE TO HONEST, HARD WORK

PRESENTEEISM IS JUST AS BAD. WORKERS TURN UP TO WORK BUT DON’T PRODUCE We are kidding ourselves if we think we will get ahead in life by staying away from work

This is an edited version of Nemani Delaibatiki’s My Say in the 4 The Record programme on FBC TV last night.

Absenteeism continues to be a major problem in Fijian workplaces. It is so bad that in Ba some workers take up to 50 days of sick leave in a year.

For those workers who are entitled to four weeks of annual leave or 20 days, 50 sick leaves translate to 10 weeks or two and a half months.

That’s a lot of time to be away from work in one year. While they are absent, their co-workers are put under pressure to cover for them.

If people are genuinely sick, that’s fine but there are rules and procedures that need to be followed when workers are seriously sick and need urgent medical treatment. There are provisions in the Employment Relations Promulgation Amendment Act 2015 that spell out the requirements.

The employer has certain responsibilities and the employee has responsibilities too. The law is written to give both parties a fair go. If a worker is absent for unusually long periods of time because he or she is sick then the medical consideration must be used to ascertain whether the worker is medically fit to continue working. It serves no purpose to keep employing a person indefinitely when medically he or she is unfit to work. The employer is liable if the worker, for example, collapses at work, without the doctor’s certificate that he or she is able to continue normal functions. In some cases, the doctor recommends light duties for the worker.

That’s the medical side. Employers normally expect a doctor’s sick certificate when workers report sick. This has brought into question the integrity of some doctors who issue these certificates. One doctor who was a subject of investigative reporting by the Fiji Sun issued the sick sheet without examining the patient and asked how many days were needed. It is unclear what has happened to this doctor and whether the relevant authorities have dealt with this case. Workers also take leave for bereavement and other family activities like birthdays, weddings, prizegivings and graduations.

There are also cultural and religious obligations that certain ethnic groups observe. Someone remarked it’s not the events but the length of absence that is a major problem. In some cultures, a funeral and its associated rituals could take up to one week or more. And some workers take bereavement leave for the full duration of the funeral ceremonies. For the immediate family it might be acceptable. But outside of the family it is probably not acceptable. In some cultures, most of the time is spent on eating and drinking yaqona or kava. This has been noticed in some quarters and the length of the mourning period has been cut from one week to two days. This has saved money and time and people can return to work quickly.

It has also been discovered that there is a certain amount of abuse when it comes to family-related leave.

In a typical job contract and collective agreement an employee is entitled to annual leave, sick leave and bereavement leave. A set number of days is stipulated. The problem arises when workers exceed that number in the case of sick leave. When a worker is absent it affects productivity and the health of workers who cover for him or her because they have to cope with additional work pressures. Absenteeism ultimately has a negative impact on productivity. It affects revenue and the ability of the employer to increase pay. It’s a vicious circle and one that all workers must remember.

This subject ties in with my topic last week on the value of work. If we work less and expect more pay, we are dreaming. There is no substitute for honest hard work. Those who appear to want to spend more time out of work show that they have a poor attitude to work. They need to change their attitude. We need to draw a line between work and other obligations. Work should be priority in all our homes because it feeds our family, pay for school and medical care. It promotes self reliance and positive attitude. Absenteeism, when not checked, has a negative influence on workers. It breeds laziness and a culture of consumption.

Presenteeism is equally bad. It is about workers who report to work but don’t do any work.

It is time we reach deep into our souls and change our habits and attitude to work if we want to enjoy the fruits of prosperity.

We cannot continue to fool ourselves by staying away from work.