BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
“I just cannot stay at home if I am not sick, it is in my blood. My dad was very strict and imprinted that in my mind. Discipline makes one a stronger person,” says Reinhardt Landsberg, Chief Artisan of the University’ Carpenter Workshop.
Since 1999, Reinhardt has never been absent from work on sick leave. Reinhardt started at the former PE Technikon in 1994 and took three days’ sick leave for chicken pox, when his children infected him in 1999. He says that he is quite healthy, but also, he just cannot just stay away from work.
Reinhardt’s story is very inspiring as absenteeism from work, with employees taking sick leave without actually being sick, is a well-known phenomenon at workplaces and it decreases productivity all over. Some employees also believe it is their right to take their sick leave although they are not sick. If they do then fall seriously sick, they do not have adequate sick leave.
Both Reinhardt’s children Melissa and Natasha have also not been absent from school or university classes. Melissa is currently completing her master’s degree in psychology and received a VC Excellence Award for her honours’ degree studies. She has also done some lecturing at the University. She will be doing her internship next year.
Natasha graduated with an honours in industrial psychology and works at LabourNet. His wife Annette has been working for years at the Department of Agriculture.
Reinhardt also emphasised the importance of being grateful for the work situation at the University compared to his ten-year career as a young man in the building industry. He loved sport, but because of his working hours, he could not play serious sport. He also says that the University paid staff their full salaries during the pandemic, whereas many employees received reduced salaries or were retrenched.
His office works with contractors and the maintenance of office infrastructure, such as cupboards, carpets, blinds, among others. He now loves watching sport.
Image: LinkedIn
