JOHANNESBURG: There is something deeply troubling about South Africa’s relationship with work.
On one hand, millions of people are desperately searching for employment. They send out CVs, stand in queues, attend interviews and wait for that one opportunity that could change their lives. For many, finding a job is not simply about earning a salary. It is about dignity, independence, putting food on the table, and providing for their families.
On the other hand, there are people who have jobs but behave as though they are doing their employers a favour by showing up.
Some arrive late, treat working hours as optional, resist instructions, disregard basic responsibilities and bring unnecessary conflict into the workplace. Others appear to have little interest in the work they were employed to do, yet are quick to complain when management raises concerns about their performance or conduct.
And when an employer eventually reaches the end of their patience and considers disciplinary action, the conversation can suddenly change. The employee becomes the victim. Accountability is portrayed as persecution. Management is accused of being unreasonable, unfair or hostile.
Of course, employers are not above criticism. There are workplaces where workers are exploited, underpaid, bullied and subjected to unfair treatment. Employees have rights, and those rights must be protected. But there is a difference between standing up against an abusive employer and refusing to accept responsibility for your own conduct.
We need to have an honest conversation about that difference.
What are you hoping to achieve?
South Africa’s latest unemployment figures should force us to reflect not only on the economy and the government’s ability to create jobs, but also on how we value the opportunities that already exist.
Statistics South Africa’s third-quarter 2026 Quarterly Labour Force Survey paints a sobering picture. The country added 101,000 jobs, taking total employment to approximately 16.8 million. Yet the number of unemployed people increased by 97,000 to 8.6 million, pushing the official unemployment rate from 33.6% to 33.7%.
The broader picture is even more concerning. When people who want work but have stopped actively looking are included, the expanded unemployment measure stands at 44%. Youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 34 remains at 47.3%.
These are not just statistics. Behind every percentage point are people who are struggling to find work, households surviving on limited incomes and young people who are beginning to wonder whether their qualifications, ambitions and efforts will ever translate into an opportunity.
For someone unemployed for months or years, the prospect of securing a job can be life-changing. It is therefore difficult to understand the thinking of someone who has secured that opportunity but treats it casually.
What exactly are you hoping to achieve by constantly arriving late, refusing to do what is expected of you, undermining colleagues or turning every reasonable management instruction into a confrontation?
Do you believe that the workplace revolves around your personal preferences? Do you imagine that an employer will indefinitely tolerate poor performance and disruptive behaviour simply because you have a contract?
And perhaps the most important question: if you are not prepared to take your current opportunity seriously, what makes you believe another employer will be willing to give you one?
A job is an opportunity, not an entitlement to behave anyhow
Employment comes with responsibilities. An employer pays a salary in exchange for agreed work, professional conduct and a level of performance. That arrangement does not mean employees surrender their rights or must tolerate mistreatment. It does mean that both sides have obligations.
Turning up for work is the starting point, not the achievement.
Being punctual, respecting colleagues, following reasonable instructions, meeting deadlines and taking responsibility when mistakes happen are basic expectations. They should not have to be negotiated every morning.
ALSO READ: South Africa’s jobs paradox: More people are working, but unemployment keeps rising
There is also a difference between a worker who raises legitimate concerns and one who constantly creates problems. A healthy workplace must allow employees to question decisions, challenge unfair treatment and report wrongdoing. But disagreement should not become an excuse for insubordination, intimidation or a refusal to perform one’s duties.
No organisation can function effectively if every instruction becomes a battle and every performance concern is treated as a personal attack.
The irony is that the same people who undermine the environment in which they work may later find themselves asking why opportunities are difficult to come by.
Employers are running businesses. They have customers to serve, targets to meet, salaries to pay and other employees who depend on the organisation’s success. They cannot be expected to carry individuals who are unwilling to contribute while the rest of the workforce makes up the difference.
Accountability is not victimisation
One of the more difficult conversations we need to have is about the tendency to confuse accountability with victimisation.
There are legitimate cases of workplace victimisation. Employers sometimes abuse their authority, disregard labour laws and use disciplinary processes to punish employees for raising concerns. Such conduct must be challenged, and South Africa’s labour protections exist for good reason.
But those protections should not become a shield against legitimate accountability.
If an employee repeatedly fails to perform, disregards reasonable instructions or breaches workplace rules, an employer has a responsibility to address the conduct. Where the facts justify it, disciplinary action may follow. That does not automatically mean the employee is being victimised.
The same principle applies when a matter ends in dismissal. Employees are entitled to fair procedures and must be treated in accordance with labour law. Employers, however, are also entitled to manage their workplaces and protect their businesses.
We cannot demand that employers create and preserve jobs while denying them the ability to address conduct that damages their operations.
Nor should we encourage a culture in which every difficult conversation with management is interpreted as an attack.
A workplace cannot survive on rights alone. It also requires responsibility, mutual respect and a willingness to do the work.
The economic cost of taking work for granted
It would be wrong to suggest that poor workplace attitudes explain South Africa’s unemployment crisis. The country’s joblessness is rooted in much larger structural and economic challenges, including weak economic growth, skills mismatches, limited investment and the difficulty businesses face in expanding employment.
Stats SA’s survey does not measure workplace misconduct or establish that dismissals caused the increase in unemployment.
But that does not make workplace behaviour irrelevant.
Businesses need productive and reliable employees to remain competitive, retain customers and grow. When employees consistently undermine operations, productivity suffers. Managers spend time dealing with avoidable disputes instead of running their businesses. Colleagues become frustrated, service delivery deteriorates and the working environment becomes difficult for everyone.
For smaller businesses, in particular, the consequences can be serious. A single employee who repeatedly fails to meet basic responsibilities can place additional pressure on a team with limited capacity.
If businesses struggle to operate efficiently, their ability to expand, invest and create additional jobs can also be affected.
We should therefore be asking ourselves what kind of workplace culture we are building and whether we are doing enough to encourage a stronger sense of responsibility.
ALSO READ: Artisan entrepreneurs emerge as new front in South Africa’s unemployment battle
The unemployed deserve opportunities. The employed must respect them.
There is a young person somewhere who would gladly take the job that another person is treating as an inconvenience.
There is a parent who would give anything to have a stable salary at the end of the month. There is a graduate who has sent hundreds of applications without receiving a single interview invitation. There is a skilled worker who has been out of employment for years and is beginning to lose hope.
For these people, employment is not something to be taken lightly.
This is not an argument for workers to accept poor conditions, remain silent when their rights are violated or be grateful for exploitation. Fair pay, decent working conditions, respect and lawful treatment are non-negotiable.
But there must also be an expectation that people who accept employment will honour their side of the agreement.
We cannot build a stronger economy if we approach work as something we are entitled to receive without taking responsibility for what we contribute.
We cannot demand that businesses employ more people while ignoring the importance of productivity, discipline and professionalism in the workplace.
And we cannot keep talking about the unemployment crisis without also examining the attitudes and behaviours that affect the survival and performance of the businesses that provide jobs.
A change in mindset must form part of the solution
South Africa needs more jobs. It needs stronger economic growth, greater investment, better skills development and an environment in which businesses can expand and employ more people. Government has a responsibility to create the conditions for that to happen.
But the conversation cannot end there.
We also need a change in mindset. We need to restore a culture in which work is respected, responsibility is valued and professionalism is expected. We need to teach young people that securing employment is only the beginning. Keeping that opportunity, growing within it and contributing meaningfully require effort and discipline.
Employers must lead by example, treat workers fairly and create workplaces where people can develop. Employees, in turn, must understand that their rights come with responsibilities.
The battle against unemployment will not be won through attitude alone. But neither will it be won if we ignore the role that attitudes, conduct and productivity play in building sustainable businesses.
Perhaps the question each employed person should ask themselves is a simple one: if millions of people are waiting for the opportunity you already have, are you doing enough to deserve the trust placed in you?
A job is more than a monthly salary. It is an opportunity, a responsibility and, for someone else who is still searching, a chance they would give almost anything to have.
We should start treating it that way.
Karabo Ngoepe is a journalist with an interest in African politics and governance, and the editor of Unisa’s Department of Institutional Advancement. The opinions expressed are his own.
