HR South Africa weekly newsletter - 9 Jul 2013

Can you engage effectively with your employees?

Technology has turned the world in which we live upside-down, says Lia Marus and asks: how can you effectively engage your employees?

Still on the employee front, a mining framework agreement has been signed, unfortunately without the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

The mining sector has been hit by unreasonable wage demands and it seems as though some in labour are oblivious to the damage they are doing to the industry.

No business can afford unreasonable wage demands... something has to give: either the company goes under, and everyone loses their jobs, or it cuts staff and an unfortunate number are out on the street, and/or it takes the mechanised route - and that still leads to fewer jobs.

No-one is saying miners should work for a pittance, but demanding astronomical increases is just plain stupid.

Hoof would have thought of it... 10 top media personalities took to the Twitterverse to help raise funds for the charity of their choice in the #BeTheStud campaign - and they made a difference for charity.

Our tame motoring editor Henrie Geyser is a heady blend of city chic and country charm, so it's no wonder he sees those same qualities in the Volvo CC.

Rod Baker, Content Director

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National HR standards being rolled out

Building on the new National HR Competency Model, the HR Professional and Quality Assurance body for South Africa, the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP), has followed in the footsteps of the top HR countries in the world by launching a project to develop the first set of HR standards for South Africa. Read more >>

Generation Y - working with Millennials

Born roughly between 1977-1994¹, Generation Y is now commencing employment and showing rapid growth in the workforce, while the Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) are currently retiring. It is predicted that this generation, also known as the Millennials, will soon out-number members of the previous generation (X) in the workforce. This is according to Zinhle Matentji, MD and owner of executive recruitment company Search Specifics, who offers the following insights. Read more >>

Sharp claims Unemployment Bill amounts to 'political engineering'

[Mpho Sibanyoni] The proposed amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Act have come under heavy criticism as Loane Sharp, a labour market analyst at Adcorp, claimed the amendments amounted to "political engineering" ahead of next year's elections. Read more >>

Pay rise for taxi drivers and hospitality staff

[Johan Botes] The Minister of Labour has announced an increase in the minimum remuneration payable to employees engaged in either the taxi or the hospitality sectors. The salary increase is effective from 1 July 2013, and follows hot on the heels of the increase in the general Earnings Threshold communicated by the minister recently. Read more >>

Unethical behaviour declines in private sector - SABES 2013

There has been a marked decrease in the instances of misconduct observed by private sector employees in South Africa. This is one of the positive findings of the South African Business Ethics Survey (SABES) 2013 in which 4099 employees in 15 companies were surveyed. Read more >>

Not many changes in corporate SA

When it comes to transformation in corporate SA, good intentions abound, says Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, managing director of Jack Hammer Executive Head Hunters. But, she says: "In reality race and gender transformation are making little headway." Read more >>

Importance of procuring the right staff in franchising

With their minds mostly centred on acquiring the best store in a prime location and advertising to potential customers, many new franchisees tend to overlook the importance of acquiring the best staff for the business. Read more >>

SAIPA helps accountants to consider public sector employment

In March this year, auditor-general Terence Nombembe noted that less than a quarter of government entities had been given a clean audit. A key contributing factor is a lack of basic accounting skills in government. The skills gap also contributes to government's ongoing inability to spend and account for its budgets. Read more >>

Top retailers, unions to inspect Bangladesh factories

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Seventy top retailers have pledged to improve worker safety and allow inspection of all of their garment factories in Bangladesh within nine months under a pact signed with unions after a deadly factory collapse, a statement said today. Read more >>