Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - March 5, 2006

Studies abroad and locally indicate that short-term absenteeism in the workplace is spiralling out of control, costing the SA economy more than R7-billion a year.

The main culprits fuelling the rise in short-term absenteeism - which lasts up to three working days - are respiratory and digestive illnesses.

Total employee absenteeism costs the economy about R12-billion a year according to AIC Insurance, an absenteeism management specialist.

Of this amount, HIV/Aids eats away about around R2.2-billion, translating roughly to between four and 10 days' sick leave per employee.

More alarming, however, for employers is that about 60% of these losses can be attributed to short-term employee absenteeism. And, 40% of this short-term absenteeism is caused by respiratory (26%) or digestive (14%) illnesses.

"It [respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses contributing to short-term absenteeism] has been the trend over the past three years.

"It's becoming a huge cause for concern for employers," says AIC Insurance chief executive officer Johnny Johnson.

It's a worldwide trend, though.

According to a survey by Dr Py Tubelius of Tetra Pak, which was published in the Environmental Health Journal recently, annual losses associated with short-term sick leave in Sweden are estimated at €2.2-billion.

There, more than 50% of episodes are caused by respiratory-tract illnesses or gastrointestinal infections.

Another year-long study conducted by AIC Insurance at a steel manufacturing company in South Africa found that short-term absenteeism had the greatest affect on productivity levels, and could cost the company more than R3-million a year in lost revenue.

The study also showed that all employees at this company were productive for an average 84% of their working shift.

The most significant finding was the indirect costs of sick leave.

"We took it for granted that the indirect costs would be double that of the direct costs [paying the employee on the sick day]," says Johnson.

"We found that it was actually four times more. This is a huge concern for us because the disruptive nature of absenteeism will create long-term effects on productivity.

"And the indirect costs [paying casual, replacement workers overtime] of absenteeism could result in quality problems, mainly because you're paying a casual worker who might be tired or not as skilled as the normal worker. This, in effect, also results in decreased productivity."

Johnson says the direct costs of short-term absenteeism to industries that are labour-intensive, requiring specialist skills and high levels of customer service, are becoming "astronomical".

The added consequences for the employer are huge, with insurance companies speculating that it could spur an increase in employee disability claims.

"Employers are in for huge problems. We're now seeing death and disability claims starting to come out of the woodwork. In many cases, we've found that companies are starting to reduce employer benefits because it's becoming unaffordable," Johnson says.

The claims typically relate to back problems, which could be caused by sitting in front of a computer screen for long periods, psychological problems that could be stress-related, and Aids and cardiovascular illnesses.

So, what is to blame for this new sick leave phenomenon that is debilitating both workers and the company?

It's a combination of issues that include poor working conditions, poor ventilation, germ-infecting toilets that use cloth towels instead of disposable paper towels, high stress levels that reduce the body's ability to fight infections, eating at one's desk and even communal water containers.

Tubelius recommends that workers take probiotics daily to ward off common colds and stomach bugs. A study performed on 181 Tetra Pak employees over 80 days found that regular intake of a probiotic containing the good bacteria Lactobacillus Reuteri Protectis reduced short-term sick leave by 55%.

Johnson advises companies to focus on managing this trend more effectively by highlighting the causes of individual cases and then dealing with them productively.

"Sometimes short-term absenteeism could be stress-related or a result of unhappiness at work. Most companies neglect this area. It's about nipping it in the bud before it gets out of control," he says.

Studies by AIC on HIV/Aids in the workplace show that if detected early and managed properly, HIV-positive employees' absenteeism rate is lower than HIV-negative employees.

"Companies need to initiate a proper process. When an employee returns from sick leave, they must be interviewed by their supervisor. It shows concern for the employee, which immediately has an impact on morale. If someone is always sick on a Monday [and] comes [back to work] with a sick note [describing] flu or a cough, it's probably not the flu, it's an alcohol problem," says Johnson.

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