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Davis Ndumiso Sibanda
Many employees leave their work stations or absent themselves from work for long or short periods not realising that such conduct may result in disciplinary action and in worse circumstances dismissal.

Every employee has a fundamental duty to provide services to his or her employer and employers impliedly expect the workers to work. Every worker is expected to be at his or her workplace during prescribed working hours unless there is a good cause for such absence and internal procedures for leaving the workplace have been followed.

Reasons like I had visited a sick relative in hospital, I had gone downstairs to collect my money, I had gone to the pharmacy to buy medication, I had gone to the bank and many other similar reasons would not qualify for a good cause.

Many workers are in the habit of getting to work and leave their jackets and handbags at their work station and assume those represent their presence.

That is wrong as the employee may be disciplined or dismissed for such conduct. Any wilful absence from work or work station can attract disciplinary action and depending on circumstances of each case, could result in the employee getting a warning or dismissal.

There are, however, cases of absenteeism with minor or little prejudice to the employer. Such cases may warrant disciplinary action but may not justify a dismissal. There are cases where reasons for absence are beyond the employee’s control. However, where such period of absence is unreasonably long, dismissal is will be justifiable. This may occur in cases such as imprisonment.

Labour law has created a distinction between absenteeism, absconding and desertion. Where absenteeism relates to absence from one’s work station, absence from one’s workplace for short periods and coming to work late.

On the other hand abscondment is viewed as an occasion where one is unknown where he’s gone to and looking at the information around the employee’s absence, one can read that the employee has no intention to return to work. Desertion is where the employee has clearly or impliedly stated that he is not returning to work.

While general codes of conduct will deal with cases of absenteeism progressively, most codes of conduct limit the number of days someone can absent himself without attracting a warning or being dismissed. One category of employee’s absence is difficult to manage is sales representative who work outside the workplace. However, absenteeism cases have been successfully raised against them based on their failure to meet customers as per set appointments.

In conclusion, workers should not leave their workstation or absent themselves from work without authority as that could be costly on their jobs.

-Davies Ndumiso Sibanda can be contacted on: Email: [email protected]