Beyond Public Service Standing Orders: Alternative ways to curb civil servant absenteeism in Uganda

Research question Absenteeism from duty stations remains rife among public servants in Uganda. Ministry of Public Service introduced standing orders in 2009 to curb absenteeism Attendance registers Disciplinary measures Quarterly reporting How effective have the standing orders been in addressing staff absenteeism?

Interventions to address absenteeism Attendance registers Public servants are required to sign in to the register both when reporting for duty and when departing work. Disciplinary measures. Disciplinary Committees were constituted to handle absenteeism cases.   Monitoring system: Accounting officers required to set up a monitoring system for staff attendance to ensure close supervision of employees and early detection of absentee cases. Quarterly reporting introduced to consolidate and analyze attendance records and assess the effectiveness of measures.

Methodology Report “Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Uganda’s Response to Curb Absenteeism in the Public Service” Office of the Prime Minister. Document reviews, Key informant interviews as well as structured interviews for public servants. National consultative workshop with Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and personnel officers Analysis of the facility/community module of the Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS).

Staff absenteeism remain a challenge

Reasons for staff absence Lack of effective supervision for frontline service providers. Cover up by colleagues to preserve solidarity Organized absence from duty Organized absence occurs during period when monthly salaries are paid and the days at the start and end of each week. Lack of Housing. Given the low levels of remuneration, most public servants cannot afford convenient houses near their work places. Engagements in second jobs and activities. Low salaries have encouraged public service employees to look for various ways of supplementing their income while retaining their employment.

Limited use of monitoring system

Standing orders perceived as ineffective Most administrators considered the measures as ineffective. Only 47% strongly agreed that their staff adhered to the measures, 49 % agreed while only 4 percent disagreed or declared non-compliance . Evidence to show that the standing orders were not uniformly adopted across the Ugandan public service. institutional-level factors such as logistics and attitudes by administrators. Resources for implementing and operating the programme (e.g. printed registers) were inadequate No evidence of specific training for administrators besides the written guidelines  

Recommendations Link attendance register to monthly payroll to ensure that monthly returns for attendance are completed and submitted to the district leadership. Communities support the provision of accommodation to civil servants (e.g. Moyo) . Publically name and shame staff that are absent from duty (CSOs using Radio)