Abstract:

Sick leave is time spent away from work due to illness or injury. A preliminary review of sick leave records for 2012 for the 6 clinics in Nkulumane showed 3 clinics experienced higher sick leave incidents than the other 3 clinics. The study sought to establish the prevalence and associated factors for sick leave in the City of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. An analytic cross-sectional study was carried out among Bulawayo City Health employees working in 20 health facilities. A total of 144 respondents and 3 key informants were interviewed. An interviewer-administered questionnaire, key informant interview guide, and a checklist were used to collect data, which was analysed using Epi Info. The prevalence of sick leave was 34%. Employees who took sick leave less than six months ago were 4.3 times more likely to go on frequent sick leave than those who did not (POR 4.3, P-Value 0.002). Employees who reported good team climate were less likely to go on frequent sick leave (POR 0.29, P-Value 0.002). Feeling unappreciated at work was a risk factor for frequent sick leave (POR 2.61, P-Value 0.01). The cost of sick leave for the City of Bulawayo in 2012 was $US20 840. Periodic refresher meetings on conditions of service, training of managers and other employees on good teamwork, and production of a standard template for recording sick leave by clinics may assist in curbing frequent sick leave incidents.

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