Implementation of the customer complaints management policy in five labour centres in the Department of Employment and Labour: Free State Province

Abstract

The South African public service continues to struggle with problems such as increasingly poor service delivery, a growing lack of accountability and transparency, poor communication and ineffective leadership in its direct dealings with citizens. Customer complaints management within the public service sphere should be viewed as an opportunity for policy makers and implementers to review service delivery strategies and promote accountability and transparency. Research in customer complaints management suggests that inadequate customer complaints resolution within the public service can be attributed to factors such as poor leadership, insufficient information, incompetent personnel who handle complaints and poorly formulated policies governing customer complaints management. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the complaints management policy in the Department of Employment and Labour’s five labour centres in the Free State province. The research was premised on the 7-Cs protocol for policy implementation. A descriptive qualitative research design was followed, in terms of which semi-structured e-mail interviews were used to collect data from purposively selected participants. The major findings of the study indicate limited training of frontline staff on policy, inadequate communication and coordination of activities, and lack of consequence management in instances of poor performance. Furthermore, it was found that lack of capacity led to underreporting, which negatively affects the speed with which and manner in which customer complaints are handled and managed. It is recommended that the Department of Employment and Labour should consider increasing the capacity of staff in handling customer complaints, developing suitable customer complaints management training manuals, and establishing a business unit or directorate to deal with customer complaints.

Tirelosetšhaba ya Aforikaborwa e tswelela go nna le mathata a a jaaka tlamelo e e bokoa ya ditirelo e e oketsegang, tlhaelo e e golang ya tlhoka go rwala maikarabelo le go se direle dilo mo pontsheng, go tlhoka tlhaeletsano le boeteledipele jo bo seng bokgoni mo tirisanong ya yona le baagi. Tsamaiso ya dingongorego tsa badirisi mo tirelongsetšhaba e tshwanetse go tsewa e le tšhono ya gore badiradipholisi le batsenyatirisong ba dipholisi ba sekaseke ditogamaano tsa tlamelo ya ditirelo le go tsweletsa go rwala maikarabelo le go direla dilo mo pontsheng. Dipatlisiso tsa tsamaiso ya dingongorego tsa badirisi di supa gore go se rarabolole dingongorego tsa badirisi ka tshwanelo mo tirelongsetšhaba go ka ne go bakwa ke dintlha di tshwana le boeteledipele jo bo bokoa, tshedimosetso e e tlhaelang, badiri ba ba se nang bokgoni ba ba samaganang le dingongorego le dipholisi tse di sa rulaganngwang sentle tse di laolang tsamaiso ya dingongorego tsa badirisi. Maikemisetso a thutopatlisiso e ne e le go tlhotlhomisa bokgoni le nonofo ya tsenyotirisong ya pholisi ya tsamaiso ya dingongorego mo ditikwatikweng tse tlhano tsa badiri tsa Lefapha la go Thapa le Badiri kwa porofenseng ya Foreisetata. Thutopatlisiso e theilwe mo phorotokholong ya di7-C ya tsenyotirisong ya pholisi. Go latetswe thadiso ya patlisiso e e lebelelang mabaka, mme go ya ka yona, go dirisitswe dipotsolotso tsa emeile tse di batlileng di rulagane go kokoanya data go tswa mo banningleseabe ba ba tlhophilweng go ya ka boitlhophelo jwa mmatlisisi. Diphitlhelelodikgolo tsa thutopatlisiso di supile katiso e e sa lekanang ya badiri ba ba kwa pele malebana le pholisi, bokoa mo tlhaletsanong le kgokaganyo ya ditiragatso, le go se nne teng ga taolo ya ditlamorago mo mabakeng a go diragadiwang bokoa mo go ona. Mo godimo ga moo, go fitlhetswe gore go tlhoka bokgoni go lebisitse kwa goreng go se ke ga dirwa dipegelo ka tshwanelo, e leng se se amang bonako le tsela e go samaganwang le dingongorego tsa badirisi ka yona. Go atlenegisiwa gore Lefapha la go Thapa le Badiri le akanye ka go oketsa bokgoni jwa badiri jwa go samagana le dingongorego tsa badirisi, go dira dimanyuale tsa katiso ya tsamaiso ya dingongorego tsa badirisi, le go tlhama yunitikgwebo gongwe lephata la bokaedi go samagana le dingongorego tsa badirisi.

Megopolo ya botlhokwa: Dingongorego tsa badirisi, Tsamaiso ya dingongorego, Tsamaiso ya ditlamorago, Tirelosetšhaba, Tsenyotirisong ya pholisi, Tlamelo ya ditirelo, Go rwala maikarabelo, Go direla mo pontsheng, Go baakanya, Phorotokholo ya di7-C

Tshebeletso ya setjhaba ya Aforika Borwa e tswela pele ho lwantshana le mathata a kang phano e mpe ya ditshebeletso e ntseng e eketseha, kgaello e ntseng e hola ya boikarabelo le ponaletso, dikgokahano tse fokolang le boetapele bo sa sebetseng hantle ditshebedisanong tsa bona tse tobileng le baahi.Tsamaiso ya ditletlebo tsa bareki ka hara lekala la ditshebeletso tsa setjhaba e lokela ho nkwa e le monyetla wa hore baetsi ba melawana le ba phethahatsang ba hlahlobe maano a phano ya ditshebeletso le ho kgothaletsa boikarabello le ponaletso.Dipatlisiso tsa tsamaiso ya ditletlebo tsa bareki di fana ka maikutlo a hore tharollo e sa lekaneng ya ditletlebo tsa bareki ka hara bosebeletsi ba sethhaba e ka bakwa ke dintlha tse kang boetapele bo bobe, boitsebiso bo sa lekaneng, basebetsi ba sa tsebeng ho sebetsana le ditletlebo le maano a sa hlophiswang hantle a laolang tsamaiso ya ditletlebo tsa bareki. Sepheo sa thuto bona e ne e le ho batlisisa katleho le bokgabane ba ho kengwa tshebetsong leano la tsamaiso ya ditletlebo ditsing tse hlano tsa Lefapha la Khiro le tsa Basebetsi profinseng ya Free State.Dipatlisiso tsena di ne di thehilwe ho prothokholo ya 7-Cs bakeng sa tshebetso ya maano. Moralo o hlalosang wa boleng ba dipatlisiso o ile wa latelwa, moo dipuisano tsa e-mail tse hlophisitsweng di sebedisitsweng ho bokella dintlha ho tswa ho bankakarolo ba kgethilweng ka sepheo.Diphetho tse kgolo tsa thuto di bontsha kwetliso e fokolang ya basebetsi ba ka pele mabapi le leano, puisano e sa lekaneng le kgokahanyo ya mesebetsi, le kgaello ya taolo ya ditlamorao maemong a tshebetso e mpe. Ho feta moo, ho ile ha fumanwa hore kgaello ya bokgoni e lebisitse ho ho tlaleha ho tlase, e leng se amang lebelo le mokgwa oo ditletlebo tsa bareki di sebetswang le ho laolwa ka ona. Ho kgothaletswa hore Lefapha la Khiro le Mesebetsi le nahane ka ho eketsa bokgoni ba basebetsi mabapi le ho sebetsana le ditletlebo tsa bareki, ho hlahisa dibukana tse loketseng tsa thupelo ya tsamaiso ya ditletlebo tsa bareki, le ho theha lekala la kgwebo ho sebetsana le ditletlebo tsa bareki.