Challenges with service delivery in the public sector: the case of labour centres in Johannesburg and Emalahleni (Witbank)

Abstract

The public sector work ethics in South Africa persist to highlight negative perceptions because of overt employees’ unethical behaviour and managerial incompetence. The primary aim of the study is to explore what factors are impeding frontline staff of Department of Labour (DoL) in delivering client services in accordance with standards and requirements and what will contribute to the improvement of service delivery by DoL frontline staff. A qualitative approach was used and a multiple case study research design conducted. Non-probability purposeful sampling was used to select the participants, of DoL employees in South Africa, referred to as the Client Service Officers (CSOs), the frontline staff members and their Supervisors from two sampled offices, Johannesburg Labour Centres (LCs) in Gauteng (GP) and Witbank LC, Mpumalanga (MP) Provinces. A total of three semi-structured interview schedules were used for separate phases of individual and group face to face interviews of frontline staff and Key informants from ProductivitySA and DoL Head Office to collect data, with consented tape recording. Thematic content analysis was used and while some generalisation can be drawn, anticipation was to identify the challenges public servants experience which hampers them to deliver services. Overall findings suggest misalignment of the mandate of DoL with clients’ needs; challenges with personnel’s work knowledge; management, administrative, resources and ethical issues; and service structures’ non-compliance to standards of health and safety. Remedies include policy reviews, training and employment of social work services in frontline operations