Not Every Sick Day Is About Illness

As employers, we cannot stop GBV on our own. But we hold information that can open the door for someone to ask for help, and we can make sure they reach people qualified to give it.

The Scale of the Problem

• 35.5% of South African women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. That is about 7.8 million women. (HSRC, 2024)
• 60% of women murdered in South Africa are killed by an intimate partner, about three women every day. (SAMRC, 2024)
• 5 times the global average: South Africa's intimate partner femicide rate, which rose from 4.9 to 5.5 per 100,000 women between 2017 and 2020/21. (SAMRC, 2024)
• R28 to R42 billion a year: the estimated cost of GBV to the economy, including lost work time. (KPMG, 2014)

What the Research Says About Violence and Absence

International research is consistent: violence at home shows up at work.

• More time off work. A 2025 review of 48 studies found that in 7 of the 9 studies measuring absence, people experiencing partner violence missed more work. (Blom & Lamarre, 2025)
• 10 to 31 workdays lost a year. A survey of 16,921 employees in Ghana, South Sudan, Bolivia and Paraguay found that women experiencing partner violence lost 10 to 31 workdays a year. (Duvvury et al., 2023)
• At work, but not really there. In the same study, time lost while at work but unable to function cost as much as the days absent, or more.
• Twice the odds of sick leave. A 2026 Norwegian study linked survey answers to sick-leave records. People exposed to violence in both childhood and adulthood had about twice the odds of certified sick leave, men and women alike. (Kjærvik et al., 2026)

What We Don't Know

No South African study has yet linked sick leave to GBV. Police statistics on crimes against women and children have been withheld since 2025 over data-quality problems. (Daily Maverick, 2026)

That leaves employers' own attendance data as one of the few early signals available.

Same Pattern, Different Story

Short absences on Mondays, Fridays and after payday are usually read as misuse. They can also follow a violent weekend. Attendance data shows when someone was absent, never why. That is what a conversation is for.

Open the Door, Then Hand Over to the Experts

Employers are not counsellors or police, but we often see the signs first. Our role is to notice, ask and refer.

1. Notice. Watch for more frequent short absences; absence after weekends, paydays or holidays; a partner calling or turning up at work; injuries; or fear of going home.
2. Ask. Hold a private, supportive check-in, offered to everyone whose attendance changes so nobody is singled out. Never ask "Are you being abused?" Make it safe to talk, not necessary to.
3. Refer. With their consent, connect them to your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or a GBV service, where trained social workers can assess risk and plan for safety.

Words That Open the Door

I've noticed you've been off more often lately. I'm not here to judge. Is anything going on, at work or at home, that we can help with?

You don't have to tell me anything. If something comes up, here is who you can talk to in confidence.

If someone tells you:

• Believe them, and thank them for telling you.
• Don't push them to leave or report. Leaving can be the most dangerous time.
• Ask what would help them feel safer at work, and refer with their consent.

Avoid:

• Going through absence dates one by one at the first meeting.
• Letters, SMSes or calls home about your concern.
• Disciplinary or incapacity steps before a support conversation.

Put It in Your Policy

• GBV-related absence is a support matter, not misconduct.
• A trained, named contact person.
• Leave for court dates, medical care and relocation.
• A safety plan: screen calls, alert security, adjust shifts.
• Pause attendance processes when personal circumstances come up.

This approach is supported by ILO Convention 190, which South Africa has ratified. Article 10(f) calls for recognising the effects of domestic violence on the world of work and reducing its impact, as far as reasonably practicable.

Where Appsentia Fits

We built Appsentia to help employers see absence patterns early. Each employee report shows how often someone is absent, when absences fall (Mondays, Fridays, around payday or public holidays), and how this compares with their department and the company.

Appsentia reports timing and frequency only. It never suggests a cause, and every report states that a pattern flag does not, on its own, establish misuse or misconduct.

That is why the first recommended step in every Appsentia report is a supportive, confidential check-in about health, workload and workplace factors, before anything else. For most employees, that conversation is about something ordinary. For some, it may be the first time anyone at work has asked. Handled with care, it can be the moment they feel safe enough to ask for help.

Used this way, attendance data is not a tool for catching people out. It is a reason to reach out sooner.

Free Help, 24 Hours a Day

If you or someone you know is in danger, please reach out.

Sources

1. HSRC (2024). South African National GBV Prevalence Study.
2. SAMRC (2024). Femicide in South Africa research brief, 2020/21 data.
3. KPMG (2014). Too costly to ignore: the economic impact of GBV in South Africa.
4. Blom & Lamarre (2025). Employment consequences of intimate partner violence and abuse. Trauma, Violence & Abuse.
5. Duvvury, Vara-Horna, Brendel & Chadha (2023). Productivity impacts of intimate partner violence. SAGE Open.
6. Kjærvik et al. (2026). Sickness absence after experiencing violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
7. Daily Maverick (29 June 2026). Missing stats on crimes against women and children.
8. ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), Article 10(f).