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Tag: People Management

Audit yourself, not just your business

The spreadsheets are ready, and the targets are being tallied. But here’s the question I believe we should be asking, not just as entrepreneurs, but as human beings:The business grew. Did you?

One in a 100 000: Resolving workplace disputes

Workplace disputes

By Jessie Taylor South African employees have various options to challenge unfair practices in the workplace, from courts to bargaining councils. One organisation protecting employee rights is the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The CCMA deals with over 100 000 cases yearly, most relating to allegations of unfairness against employers. Among the issues raised with the CCMA are discrimination, unfair dismissals, retrenchments, the provision of benefits, suspensions, warnings, whistle-blowing and sexual harassment. Around 60% of cases referred to CCMA arbitration are resolved in favour of the employee. The Labour Relations Act makes it very easy for employees to challenge alleged unfair dismissals and other unfair practices at private or statutory dispute resolution forums. Along with private firms, employees often have access to the dispute-resolution arms of bargaining councils and the Labour Court. However, one of the most popular bodies for addressing conflict in the workplace is the CCMA.This is the forum to be used by those industries that do not have their own bargaining councils, such as retail, IT, security, financial services, and others. The CCMA is a statutory body established in terms of Section 112 of the Labour Relations Act, and draws its legislative mandate principally from Section 23 of the Constitution. It is an independent body that neither belongs nor is affiliated with any political party, trade union or business. The CCMA derives its mandate from the purpose of the Act, which is to “advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace”. The CCMA is mandated to:   If you have a labour problem, take steps immediately. In the case of an unfair dismissal dispute, you have only 30 days from the date on which the dispute arose to open a case. With discrimination cases, you have six months. If a party does not comply with the arbitration award, it may be made an order of the Labour Court. The matter will go to the Labour Court instead of arbitration if the dispute relates to multiple retrenchments, strike dismissals, or unfair dismissals. The arbitration or Labour Court hearing would normally take place at a later date. Sources: CCMA | Labour Guide

How to hire the right staff members for your SME

right staff members

By Vanessa Rogers In the delicate scaling phase of a small to medium-sized business, the entrepreneur at the helm needs to surrender to the reality that it is no longer possible to continue doing everything alone. But is it possible to hire a team that will keep you rising up the ranks? It is, and here’s how to go about it. Employing a significant portion of the South African workforce and contributing substantially towards the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are pulling out many of the stops that our economy currently needs. According to Business Partners, a leading business loan provider for global SMEs, local small businesses “employ an estimated 50 to 60 percent of the workforce”. Considering the country’s alarming unemployment rate of 31.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, it is evident that “small businesses play a crucial role in job creation. By providing millions of South Africans with the means to support their families, small businesses therefore also help to alleviate poverty.” Furthermore, SMMEs “contribute between 34 and 40 percent of South Africa’s GDP” according to the financial analysts at Krutham, a capital market practice based in Johannesburg.  In their thought leadership article titled ‘Enabling and unlocking the job creation potential of SMEs and the township economy’ Krutham revealed that while formal jobs declined by 128 000 in the last quarter of 2023, informal jobs increased by 124 000 during the same period.  Unfortunately, 50% of SMEs fail within the first 24 months, and 70% to 80% fail within the first five years of operation, making it essential in the scaling phase to attract and take on the best possible talent.  This can achieved by: Charles Edelstein, director at job portal Executive Placements, advises that while an SME owner busies themselves with matters of sales and revenue growth, increasing profit margins, and attending to cash flow forecasting, any new team members will need to be able to hit the ground running by taking an entrepreneurial approach to their job description. “While it is important to provide a clearly defined job spec during the hiring process, you will also want to look out for an individual who tends to do more and thinks more broadly than the average employee out there.  “Offer coaching and training in general business areas, from marketing and sales to basic accounting and team building, because this shows that you are making an investment in your new staff member. In return, you’ll want to be able to benefit from their strong analytical skills. For example, do they come to you with clever insights that you may not have considered yourself? This is a win-win for your company’s future potential and ultimate success.” The ideal candidate for an SME is a team player, he says. “He or she is able to network at industry functions and will help you to gain a sustainable advantage over the competition – because, at a certain point, you really cannot be everywhere and do everything any longer.” Yes, there is an ideal list of personality characteristics for an SME employee, advises Edelstein. Ask yourself during the initial interview, and in the day or so afterwards: Authors of a recent paper in the International Journal of Human Resource Management titled ‘Advancing understanding of HRM in SMEs: critical questions and future prospects’ say it best: “Employees working in SMEs [should] expect to work across multiple roles and tasks, and have an ability to directly shape the key value-added activities of the business, in addition to finding engagement through regular interactions with management. These factors … can lead to intrinsic motivation, discretionary effort, and [the] greater engagement of employees working in an SME context, even in the absence of sophisticated HR practices”.