11 Jun 2017

The relationship between health and mental capability should be assessed in order for employees to remain productive.

Speaking at the public service national wellness and team building day in Gaborone on June 9, Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila encouraged public servants to take part in wellness days in order to stay fit and productive in the workplace.

“We are here to ensure that up here in our thinking, brains and minds we are well and functioning properly. As the ministry we have decided that every second Friday of the month is a wellness day to promote good health and assist in preventative health. We want to go out of our comfort zones to ensure we don’t succumb to lifestyle diseases,” he added.

Mr Mzwinila said the ministry wants to promote a series of behaviour patterns that would lead to productivity such as having the right mind-set and right mind situation.

Giving a highlight on the theme: 'Fatigue in the workplace,' fatigue specialist from the health ministry, Mr Patrick Zibochwa said there was need to be aware of fatigue in the workplace and encouraged participants to give healthy leaving a priority.

Mr Zibochwa said fatigue reduced the ability of a worker to perform effectively.

He encouraged public servants to align their activities in such a way that when it came to work, there were no problems of stress and fatigue as government had lost a lot of money due to fatigue.

“If a majority of the civil servants purport with fatigue it means the government is losing a lot of money and productivity levels will drop,” he said.

He further said an increase in the number of sick leaves was an indication that there was need to do something.

“This calls for a policy on fatigue, if the policy is not there we need to pull in with wellness officers and see to it that the policy is in place because certain clauses will address aspects of fatigue. We need to have strategies for intervention, have them implemented and evaluated to see whether we have combated or mitigated aspects of fatigue,” Mr Zibochwa said. ENDS