Abstract:
Generally, military members are often required to work away from home, resulting in
extended absences from their families. International studies have shown the effects of
extended absences to be severe and associated with long-term social, emotional and
behavioural challenges. Longer and more frequent absences negatively affect member
morale and could result in military members terminating their employment sooner than
planned to maintain their personal relationships and to ensure the wellbeing of their
families. The aim of the study on which this article reports was to explore and describe
the experiences of extended absences on members of the South African National Defence
Force (SANDF) with specific reference to organisational support to aid both the member
and his or her family to cope with the challenges experienced before, during and after
absences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 senior officers of the SANDF
during 2019 and 2020, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The interviews
focused on officers’ lived experiences of extended absences due to deployment or military
training. The findings indicated that absence generally has an adverse influence on military
members, not only due to the challenges they face during the absence, but mostly due
to the effect it has on their families. Organisational support is not only required in terms
of preparing the military member, but should be extended to include preparation prior
to their absence, care for the military members and their families during the period of
absence, as well as support with reintegration after the absence. The results of this study
show that little support is provided by the organisation, especially during reintegration
after deployment, and especially in the case of absences due to training. Organisational
support during the preparation phase, during absence and with reintegration could mitigate
the stress and negative experience associated with extended absences. With the aim of
strengthening the capacity of the armed forces, we propose various initiatives that could
assist military members and their families to cope with the additional strain of prolonged
separation.
