Determining the causes of the high rate of absenteeism in the East Vaal area of the South African Post Office

Abstract

The East Vaal area of the South African Post Office is faced with a high rate of teller absenteeism, which has been observed to be as high as 15 per cent. This adds to the cost of providing quality service to the company’s customers. The objectives of this study are to determine the factors that lead to the high rate of absenteeism in the East Vaal area and to make recommendations to the area management that could improve the attendance behaviour of the tellers in the area. To achieve these objectives, 51 questionnaires were prepared and handed out to the tellers with absenteeism rates of more than three percent in the East Vaal area to be completed. Face-to-face interviews with both the tellers and their branch managers were conducted. Absenteeism records and Employee Assistance Programme reports were also studied to collect more data. The findings highlighted lack of rewards for employees who reported for work regularly; employee illness; no recognition for good work performance; tellers receiving insufficient remuneration for their work; poor working conditions; and poor management style as the main reasons for the tellers taking unscheduled leave of absence. Based on the key findings, the main recommendations were that appropriate mechanisms for acknowledging and rewarding good work performance and attendance behaviour should be in place; a sick-leave pool system accessible to tellers should be introduced; establishment of performance evaluation and rewards for tellers; and introducing management practices which lead to a more open expression of opinion and participatory problem-solving