The importance of keeping accurate short-term sick leave (STSL) statistics is becoming increasingly apparent to South African companies. And, for the first time, the South African market is able to assess STSL data that allows it to benchmark these statistics objectively against local norms.
This is due in large measure to the benefits derived from a comprehensive database known as Perspectiva, developed by a team of specialised consultants at Lekana Employee Benefit Solutions. The database currently includes more than three years of sick-leave data that highlights the impact of STSL by industry, region, gender, age, season and disease type.
Colleen Els, a member of Lekana’s Integrated Health Risk Management department, said: ‘Perspectiva has enabled us to produce sick leave statistics from a South African perspective. Previously, we were making use of American data.”
Els adds that the programme has brought to light valuable statistics on major medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, on which companies traditionally have not been placing undue emphasis within the context of sick leave.
‘This gives us a good opportunity to assist companies in assessing the areas in which their employees need help. We can also help them to structure their medical aid programmes to take the different chronic conditions into account for the purposes of chronic medication benefits.”
The impact of STSL by disease type is very important for companies. Employers who are recording and analysing their employees’ reasons for absence are able to detect
short term sick leave trends. Employers have a legislated responsibility under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to ensure a safe and healthy environment for their employees.