Many managers are ill-equipped to handle an employee who is visibly unwell, repeatedly absent, or deteriorating over time. The instinct may be to manage the situation through the performance or disciplinary route.
A RECENT tragic event at a Johannesburg workplace has placed a sharp spotlight on how South African workplaces handle employee illness and the human cost when systems fail.
For employers and employees alike, navigating illness in the workplace is one of the most complex and emotionally charged areas of people management. Getting it wrong can have devastating consequences.
Workforce Healthcare, one of South Africa’s occupational health and wellness providers, is calling on employers and employees to understand their rights and responsibilities before a crisis occurs.
Dr Robin George, senior occupational medicine practitioner and national operations manager at Workforce Healthcare said: “When an employee becomes unwell, it can cause a tricky breakdown of communication, trust, and process on all sides.
