The City of Cape Town has implemented a substance abuse strategy after research showed a link between addiction and tens of thousands of “unauthorised absences” clocked up by its workforce in just one year.
In 2009, city employees clocked up 35 000 days of “unauthorised absences”, 235 dismissals and 510 resignations.
The figures were part of the city’s absenteeism analysis.
The city employs more than 27 000 people.
Demetri Qually, the mayoral committee member for corporate services, said the city had been working with the Medical Research Council (MRC) and had found a link between absenteeism trends and addiction.
The MRC is conducting a two-year study investigating the scope of drug use in the workplace in Cape Town, including the city council.
Qually said the city wanted to conduct more research on the issue with the MRC.
“It is envisaged that the city will benefit more from the research that the city seeks to initiate in partnership with the MRC using data from participating departments and directorates,” he said.
It would also start an awareness campaign for employees, which would encourage those who were affected to seek help from the city.
A report on the strategy was tabled before the corporate services portfolio committee last week.
The city piloted the Matrix project, an outpatient rehabilitation programme, with 15 employees.
The first group graduated last month, after being sober for more than 120 days.
Last week the portfolio committee gave the go-ahead for a second round.
The report said the strength of this programme was that employees could remain in their “normal environment”.
They had a strong support system because line managers played active roles in the rehabilitation process.
“The approach changed from being punitive to a supportive one which regards alcohol and drug dependency as a disease,” states the report.
This programme is just one of the measures to help employees struggling with substance abuse.
There is also a suggestion in the report that the city buy drug-testing kits through a tender process and introduce “on the spot” drug testing.
Line managers and supervisors will be trained to “manage and test” employees with substance abuse problems.
It’s hoped these plans will lead to a “zero tolerance” approach toward substance abuse.
Qually said the absenteeism in the analysis related to incidents that could not be explained by employees.
He said the rates had since been reduced.
According to the report, the city had also found that employees lived in areas with high substance abuse rates.
Another issue was the number of employees who had been to in-patient rehabilitation programmes, but had relapsed.
Although the city supported treatment for addiction, he said few employees were willing to discuss their problems.
“Very few staff members are open about the fact that performance issues are related to the disease of addiction and often only after disciplinary processes is this information shared with line managers,” said Qually.
Of those who participated in the Matrix programme, 70 percent were involved in a disciplinary hearing.
For 60 percent, it was not the first time they faced the process.
Speaking on the higher number of resignations versus dismissals, Qually said many employees resigned before they could be served with notices of further action.
He said it was not possible to give exact figures on how many employees were struggling with substance abuse.
The SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) in the Western Cape said there were no figures on how many office workers were struggling with addiction.
Tertius Cronje, Sanca’s corporate services director, said the council was working with the MRC on a study to determine the scope of the problem.
Cronje said the council was assisting with the field work for the study.
It is being headed by Nadine Harker-Burnhams, a scientist in the MRC’s alcohol and drug abuse research unit.
The study is the subject of her doctoral thesis.
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