Election to cost SA companies R3,3-billion

South African companies will lose about R3,3-billion on Wednesday while their workers cast ballots in the general election, an absenteeism specialist said.

Port Elizabeth-based absenteeism statistics company Cam Solutions said on Tuesday that the average person took 5,7 days unplanned sick leave per year, which was costing South Africa R19-billion in lost productivity.

An extra day not at work—April 22—will therefore cost businesses about R3,3-billion in lost productivity.

‘Companies should bear in mind that public holidays are different to sick days and other absenteeism because they are planned,” Cam Solutions chief executive Johnny Johnson said at his offices in Port Elizabeth.

“It is the unplanned absenteeism that has the highest impact on an employer.

Unplanned absenteeism can be described as mainly sick absenteeism and also Awol and family responsibility leave.

“Planned public holiday leave has the benefit of allowing employers to prepare in advance because they know staff won’t be at work. However, employers must still pay employees, even though they are not working.”

Johnson said public holidays also often resulted in employees taking the day around a holiday as sick leave to have a long weekend.

“In the week after the April 22 election day, the fact that there are only two working days and then another public holiday the following Monday, might mean that employees are tempted to be ‘sick’ on those days,” he said.

“Companies could plan for the lost productive day by increasing production earlier in the week, for example and can also plan for sick leave abuse by demanding a sick certificate should employees be absent in this week, or by arranging compulsory meetings in the working days of that week, for example.

“Employers may also have to plan for overtime and therefore increasing additional costs.

“Lost productivity on public holidays cannot be helped, but some of the damage can be avoided if employers plan in advance for that day of lost productivity,” Johnson said.

Cam Solutions company uses a software known as Absolv to generate absenteeism statistics from more than 80 companies comprising more than 170 000 employees.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has urged employers to give their staff time off to vote in the election.

“Notwithstanding that 22 April is a public holiday, Busa urges all the employers to make provision for staff to have quality time off to vote,” the organisation said.

“This will assist in maximising the participation of voters in this important election.”—Sapa