Human Capital

On 22 January 2018, at the ripe old age of 90 Minnie Mouse received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This was 40 years after her male counterpart, Mickey, received his star. A stark reminder that, even in the world of make believe, women continue to get a raw deal. 

In order to strike the balance between carrying the financial impact of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and minimising job losses, organisations need to ensure they are prepared. Understanding the impact of the NMW, and the solutions available to mitigate it, can enable businesses to manage this process and strike that balance. 

There is a wealth of new methods, backed by research and new data sets, to inform the hiring of executive teams. Despite this, many companies still approach hiring based on outdated principles and concepts, which means that they are not making optimally successful hiring decisions.

With the imminent relaxation of the use and cultivation of dagga, it is important for management to carefully look at their workplace policies. Workplace policies need to be very robust, given that both employers and employees are tasked with creating a safe workplace. 

Currently, South African employment laws provide minimum leave entitlements for all employees for annual leave, sick leave, family responsibility leave, and unpaid maternity leave for female employees. A proposed amendment will introduce, for the first time, a new leave type of Parental Leave.

In the recent case of Massmart Holdings Limited v Theron, the Labour Court provided guidance regarding the calculation of damages suffered by an employer as a result of a former employee breaching a non-solicitation undertaking.

The postponement of suspended Eskom executive Mathsela Koko’s disciplinary hearing highlights just how costly and drawn out disciplinary procedures can be when lawyers become involved in the process. It also begs the question: Under what circumstances does the employee have the right to engage legal representation in respect of a disciplinary hearing?

Many employers are still not aware of the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA) that came into effect at the end of September 2005 and that it was amended in 2008.

Can an offer to employ which is later withdrawn amount to a dismissal? - An offer of employment creates a valid contract and a later withdrawal of that offer can amount to dismissal. This is even more so if the reasons for the withdrawal of the offer are unreasonable.

If there’s one resolution HR departments should make this new year, it should be to transform the onboarding experience for new hires. The importance of a good candidate experience cannot be underestimated. Research has shown that 88% of job applicants are more likely to buy from a company if they’ve had a positive experience when applying for work there.