South Africa's workforce absenteeism extends beyond mere health care accessibility issues
In South Africa, a growing concern is the high levels of workplace absenteeism. Companies are reporting even higher levels of absences, with some employees taking time off not because they've caught a virus, but because they are simply not coping.
Behind every day off, there may be a more complex story to uncover. Recent global research has begun linking long COVID to persistent inflammation, which is associated with depression, brain fog, and immune system disruption. Moreover, the psychological hangover of COVID-19, job insecurity, and rising living costs have added layers of stress that often don't present in medical check-ups but do show up in absenteeism records.
Tania Joffe, founder of Unu Health, emphasizes the importance of employers considering health holistically, including emotional and mental aspects. She suggests that support should extend beyond treating symptoms, encompassing digital healthcare platforms, mental health support, and creating a safe environment to express emotional distress.
To address and reduce workplace absenteeism due to stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue, employers can implement several effective strategies.
- Create designated destress spaces ("Chillout Zones") where employees can relax briefly during the workday, featuring comfortable seating, plants, and calming activities to lower stress levels.
- Implement flexible working arrangements, such as remote work, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks, to give employees autonomy over their schedules, improving work-life balance and reducing burnout.
- Normalize and support mental health days by including them explicitly in PTO policies and training managers to approve time off without stigma or requiring justification, allowing employees time to recharge.
- Offer wellness programs tailored to employee needs, including meditation or mindfulness classes, physical activity opportunities, access to fitness resources, virtual therapy, or counselling options, responding to diverse wellness preferences.
- Encourage and integrate physical movement during the day, such as micro-breaks, walking meetings, desk exercises, and fitness challenges, which combat fatigue and elevate mood through natural endorphin release.
- Train leaders to recognize signs of anxiety and burnout and to lead with empathy, having supportive conversations around workload and mental health while fostering psychological safety and workplace norms that reduce stigma.
- Update workplace policies through a mental health and equity lens, addressing chronic overwork, micromanagement, bullying, and providing proactive accommodations like workload adjustments and flexible scheduling before crises occur.
- Provide continuous employee recognition to validate work and reduce stress induced by lack of appreciation, thereby improving morale and motivation.
- Promote work-life boundaries by discouraging the expectation of taking work home, helping employees maintain separation that prevents chronic stress accumulation.
These strategies collectively tackle the root causes of stress and burnout by improving work environment, support systems, flexibility, leadership approach, and wellness culture, thereby reducing absenteeism beyond just healthcare provisions.
Marco Neto at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr states that there's a growing recognition that health is not just clinical, it's personal, emotional, and often invisible. As such, addressing workplace absenteeism requires a holistic approach that considers the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.
For further information on this topic, visit Unu Health's website at www.unuhealth.org.
- Employers can prioritize mental health in the workplace by acknowledging that health encompasses personal and emotional aspects, just as Tania Joffe from Unu Health suggests.
- To combat stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue leading to absenteeism, companies could consider extending their support to include digital healthcare platforms, mental health resources, and creating an accepting atmosphere for emotional distress, as Marco Neto at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr suggests.
