High sick leave
Leone Nayacalevu, Deuba
I refer to the Fiji Sun headline on Saturday October 7, 2017 on the above subject.
I agree that excessive sick leave and regular no-shows by employees on Mondays are real concerns for employers given its direct impact on overall productivity. However, the article fell short of addressing a number of equally important factors to give balance to the story. On average, public sector employers provide more sick leave entitlement to workers while it is much lower in the private sector. However, the article did not specify whether the 40-50 sick leave days reported was a one-off or whether this was a recurring trend. The story also did not indicate what percentage of employees fell in this category. In general, productivity can be affected by many factors apart from absenteeism – these include the work environment, the culture at work, leadership, morale and incentives, to name a few. A low wage rate could also be a contributing factor to high absenteeism. The high sick leave reported is shocking and seems to indicate that managers have not done enough and could have been more proactive through earlier intervention - referring employees concerned for counselling or undergoing independent medical checks. Employers just need to closely monitor sick leave taken on a systematic basis.
To make ends meet, management can rearrange work as well and share the work with those present. As a last resort, the employment law is always there for an employer to exercise their right to dismiss an employee for habitual absence or being medically unfit to work. The minimum for sick leave (10 days) is also provided under the current employment laws thus employers can put in place policies such as demanding sick sheet from employees or placing regular high absentees on notice to deter such behaviour. As an incentive, some employers now reward employees with low sick leave records. In addition, the article seems to imply that if one takes more sick leaves, the employee would expect less pay increase. Such a statement is not totally valid and can be misleading given pay rises generally depend on a number of factors including the individual’s performance and how the organisation performed as a whole against the performance framework of the organisation – and not just sick leave taken. In addition, the statement made that there is a deteriorating work culture in Fiji is quite exaggerated. Compared to a decade ago, most workplaces in Fiji have increasingly introduced new productivity standards, quality management principles and business excellence practices in their workplace. The many leadership development opportunities, increased workplace collaboration and appreciation for wellness and safety have all contributed to a more positive and inclusive work culture. Undoubtedly, external factors will always have some bearing on efforts to better manage absence and raising productivity.
Although presenteeism is a related issue, the lack of local data for comparison makes the findings as stated too overwhelming for our purposes. What needs to happen is for employers to continue to raise the standards for productivity, strengthen leaders’ capacity, build partnerships, encourage innovation and create an engaging and rewarding work environment, which is well within their means. Subject to the ability to pay, employers should also strive to pay wages relative to equally decent work. This can motivate people to go the extra mile, be more committed to work and empower them to work smarter and do more with less. Productivity is a journey and our collective efforts will be what matters at the end. As the saying goes, “if your presence doesn’t make an impact, then your absence won’t make a difference.”