The theme of the pitso was "Promoting Good Work Ethic - A Step Forward in Global Competitiveness" and was aimed at arriving at defining good work ethics to inform the development of a national framework and plan of action on work ethics. The pitso was informed by both employers and employees that indeed the problem of payday absenteeism is real and that poor work ethics cut across all sectors of the economy. What exercised the minds of people at the pitso is the country's rapid decline in Global Competitiveness rankings that have dropped from 56th out of 134 countries surveyed in 2008 and the subsequent downward spiral since then that placed Botswana at position 66 in 2009, 76 in 2010 and 80 in 2011.
Experts at the pitso cautioned that the problems reflected by these rankings are the main reason that Botswana is failing to attract Foreign Direct Investment. Of course, they are. For absenteeism means that customers will not get services on time, resulting in great inconvenience that could have long-term effects.
