MANAGEMENT

1

• MANAGEMENT
• OF
• INCAPACITY DUE TO ILL-HEALTH IN THE
• PUBLIC SERVICE

2
OUTLINE

• Current Leave Benefits
• The Rationale for Change
• Management Policy and Procedure on Incapacity
  Leave and Ill-Health Retirement for Public
  Service Employees
• Perceived Benefits of the Management of
  Incapacity due to Ill-health
• The Pilot Study
• The Way Forward

3
Current Leave Benefits

• Annual leave
• 22/26 working days per leave cycle
• Family Responsibility Leave
• 3 days in the event of birth of child and/or
  illness or death of spouse, life partner, child
• 5 days in the event of death of a member of the
  immediate family

4
Current Leave Benefits

• Normal sick leave
• 36 working days per 3 year sick leave cycle
• Incapacity leave
• After normal sick leave is exhausted
• Dept may grant max. 30 working days with full pay
  subject to investigation. These days may be
  extended based upon the findings of the
  investigation/medical evidence obtained during
  the investigation

5
The Rationale for Change

• Incapacity leave ill-health retirements are
  not managed consistently
• A uniform clear policy on the management of
  incapacity leave and ill-health retirements lacks
• Incapacity is rarely if ever properly
  investigated managed

6
The Rationale for Change

• Departments generally lacks the expertise and
  skills to investigate manage incapacity
  ill-health retirement
• Departments have difficulty to accommodate
  permanent incapacitated employees through
  redeployment, re-skilling, etc.
• Medical information

7
The Rationale for Change

• Time delay between the onset payment of
  ill-health benefits results in hardship for
  genuinely incapacitated employees
• Departments incur unnecessary expenses in
  granting additional sick leave where ill-health
  retirement is more appropriate
• Current provisions are used to address other work
  related problems, e.g. poor work performance

8
The Rationale for Change

• Ill-health retirements were exceptionally high-
  according to an analyses of 1557 applications for
  the period Nov. 2000 - Feb. 2001 showed that -
• SAPS is 314 higher than expected in private
  sector
• DCS is 253 higher than expected in private
  sector
• 48 of all applications probably or definitely
  not been granted ill-health benefits
• 27 of all applications temporary incapacity
• 68 of all applicants could have benefited from
  return to work strategies

9
The Rationale for Change
10
Management Policy and Procedure on Incapacity
Leave and Ill-Health Retirements for Public
Service Employees

• Objectives To set up structures procedures
  which will ensure that-
• intervention and management of incapacity in the
  workplace accommodate temporary or permanently
  incapacitated employees, specifically with regard
  to the labour legislation
• Rehabilitation, re-skilling and re-alignment of
  temporary or permanently incapacitated employees
  are facilitated where necessary

11
Management Policy and Procedure on Incapacity
Leave and Ill-Health Retirements for Public
Service Employees

• Mission
• Adopt a holistic approach
• Prevent abuse of incapacity leave/ill-health
  retirement
• Provide income
• Adopt a scientific approach to health risk
  management
• Involve the various stakeholders
• Consistent, fair and objective
• Cost effective and sustainable

12
Perceived Benefits of the Management of
Incapacity due to Ill-health

• A uniform/integrated policy will be available to
  manage incapacity and ill-health retirements
  appropriately
• The Management Policy and Health Risk Manager
  will ensure timeous professional and objective
  assessments and recommendations
• It will allow early intervention where
  appropriate

13
Perceived Benefits of the Management of
Incapacity due to Ill-health

• Data collected could also inform the development
  of subsequent programmes such as disease
  management.
• It serves also as a change management tool to
  change employee behaviour with regard to the
  utilisation of sick leave in general
• It will pave the way to introduce a more
  comprehensive management approach to absenteeism
  in that the employer will be able to effectively
  utilise an employee and as for as long as
  possible.

14
The Pilot Study

• Request for Information Conference Room Pilot
  Study
• Outcomes of pilot study
• Funding of Pilot Study
• Pilot study
• Pilot sites
• South African Police Service
• Department of Correctional Services
• Free State Province
• Duration 12 months

15
The Pilot Study

• Appointment of Service Providers
• Setting up in pilot departments
• Challenges
• Capacity on the part of the service providers
• Capacity on the part of the DPSA and GEPF
• Development and negotiation of comprehensive and
  thorough Service Level Agreements with appointed
  service providers

16
The Pilot Study

• Lessons Learnt
• Disclosure of medical information
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Attitude of attending practitioners
• Legality of medical certificates
• Management of normal sick leave
• Valuable information on ill-health/wellness
  trends
• Paradigm shift in usage of incapacity leave and
  ill-health retirement applications

17
The Pilot Study
18
The Pilot Study
19
The Way Forward

• The initiative and processes started in the pilot
  sites will continue after the the pilot study
  came to an end
• Development of an implementation strategy to
  inform the roll-out to the rest of the Public
  Service

20
The Way Forward

• Challenges/Issues to consider I.r.o. full
  implementation
• Do we have enough knowledge to take an informed
  decision on further implementation
• Changes to improve the policy and procedures
• Ability and capacity of provinces and departments
  to deal with roll-out on their own
• Capacity of the Health Risk Management Industry
• The capacity of the DPSA/GEPF
• The number of employees to make any future
  contracts viable
• Financing the roll-out