Miskyah Toth, CEO, Business Directive Contract Services
“Your greatest achievements often align with your greatest challenges.” BDCS is your all-in-one workforce management partner, specialising in the supply chain and logistics sector. We provide efficient, cost-effective staffing solutions, powered by innovative technology and a people-first approach. From recruiting and training top talent to handling payroll, HR, and statutory requirements, BDCS ensures that operations run smoothly. With a focus on streamlining operations, reducing costs, and boosting efficiency, we help businesses access pre-vetted workers on demand while staying compliant with labour regulations. Our mobile app empowers the workforce by offering easy access to pay slips, leave management, and payroll queries, allowing companies to scale confidently and adjust to changing demands. Miskyah Toth founded Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd in 2012; eight years later an opportunity arose to purchase a contract with a leading South African online retailer. At that stage, more than 250 people were employed by the company. Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd purchased the contract and Miskyah then created Business Directive Contract Services (Pty) Ltd (BDCS) to manage the contract of BDCS’s functions as a separate entity, under the auspices of Business Directive Development Group (Pty) Ltd. To put things into perspective, the outbreak of COVID-19 began in Wuhan, China in December 2019 – so the purchase of this contract was made at the beginning of the global pandemic.“I was, however, very comfortable with my decision. It allowed me to think outside the box and it allowed me to think bigger. We’ve since expanded our services, providing more tailored solutions, and empowering businesses and job seekers through comprehensive, personalised recruitment and career management strategies,” – Miskyah Toth. We asked Miskyah to share with us what it takes to be a game changer in the HR realm: Iron in silk After years of dedication and sacrifice, I have earned recognition on a global stage. In 2024, CIO Views named me one of Africa’s 10 Most Empowering Businesswomen. I was awarded Female Entrepreneur Coach of the Year in South Africa by MEA Markets and honoured as the Top Global Business Leader by the International Association of Top Professionals. Additionally, I was chosen as The Women Leader of the Year in Human Resource Management by the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and selected as 1 of the 100 Most Influential Women in South Africa. As described, ‘Iron in Silk’ – is “strength enveloped by beauty and grace”. These accolades are a testament to overcoming significant challenges, including managing over 500% growth in just four years and navigating the complexities of running a large company as the sole female owner. Maintaining my health and balance amidst these responsibilities has also been a crucial challenge. What is your ‘why”? My “why” is simple – to empower people. Whether it’s helping someone land their dream job, supporting businesses with their recruitment needs, or mentoring young entrepreneurs, my purpose is to uplift others. This message stems from my own life experiences, including the challenges I faced as a businesswoman and single mother. I’ve always believed that with the right support, anyone can overcome obstacles and achieve success. I founded BDCS to create opportunities and provide that support to others, particularly in South Africa, where high unemployment rates make empowerment through job creation so crucial. Miskyah.com Miskyah.com is a platform that showcases my journey, insights, and expertise as a leader and entrepreneur. It is a space where I can share my thoughts on business, empowerment, and personal growth. Through this platform, I also aim to connect with aspiring entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone looking for inspiration or guidance. Miskyah.com offers a blend of personal stories, business tips, and reflections on leadership. It’s also a place where I promote my autobiography Iron in Silk, which delves deeper into my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned throughout my life and career. Through this platform, I provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools and guidance they need to succeed. My “Let’s Talk Business” series is designed to share real-world insights, helping individuals turn their ideas into thriving businesses. Additionally, my “Women for Change” initiative is a space where women can find inspiration, mentorship, and community support to pursue their dreams. I am passionate about coaching and developing entrepreneurs, equipping them with the strategies and confidence to navigate their entrepreneurial journey with resilience and success. The most important game-changing trends in HR? Technology, particularly AI, is revolutionising HR. AI-driven recruitment tools streamline hiring, ensuring faster and more precise candidate matching. Additionally, hybrid work models are here to stay, with flexibility becoming a key factor in employee satisfaction. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are also transforming the workplace, emphasising the importance of creating inclusive environments where all employees can thrive. Lastly, mental health and well-being are taking center stage as companies recognise the need to support employees beyond their professional roles. HR leaders must adapt to these trends to stay competitive and cultivate thriving future-ready workplaces. What does securing the naming rights for the Future of HR Conference and Awards mean to you and your company? Securing the naming rights for The Future of HR Conference and Awards is a significant milestone for BDCS. It reflects our dedication to driving innovation in HR and our commitment to being at the forefront of industry trends. This partnership allows us to showcase our leadership in HR recruitment, while also contributing to the ongoing conversation about the future of work. It’s an opportunity to highlight our values – empowerment, technology integration, and talent development – on a larger scale, while also creating meaningful connections with other industry leaders who share our vision for the future of HR. Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs My biggest piece of advice is to stay resilient. Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with highs and lows, and success often comes from how well you handle challenges. Always be willing to learn and adapt because the business world is constantly evolving. Surround yourself with people who inspire and support you, but don’t be afraid to make tough decisions
Understanding employer rights in South Africa
By Jessie Taylor The South African labour law ensures that employers and employees clearly understand their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. While much attention is often given to employee rights, it is equally important to acknowledge the rights of employers. These rights are designed to create a balanced, fair, and legally compliant work environment. Employer rights are outlined in South Africa’s labour legislation, which maps out how employers can protect their interests while complying with labour laws. Employers in South Africa are entitled to specific rights that help maintain workplace order and productivity. These include expecting employees to render agreed services during designated working hours and enforcing workplace rules and performance standards. Employers can also expect employees to follow lawful and reasonable instructions and maintain a disciplined and professional work environment. Employers can also expect employees to act in good faith and with loyalty to the employer, and are allowed to hold employees accountable for product specifications and quality standards. There are several other key rights that employers enjoy: 1. Employer’s right to determine job roles One of the fundamental rights of an employer is the ability to define job roles and responsibilities. Employers have the right to determine the criteria for hiring employees, provided that they do not engage in discriminatory practices based on age, race, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics. Additionally, employers are entitled to establish the specific responsibilities associated with each role and set performance expectations. This helps to ensure that employees understand their duties and can be held accountable for their work performance. 2. Right to establish workplace policies and procedures Employers have the right to create and enforce workplace policies and procedures that govern employee conduct and business operations. These policies may cover a wide range of areas, including: By clearly outlining expectations, employers can maintain a structured and professional work environment. However, these policies must be fair, reasonable, and in line with labour laws. 3. Right to provide and monitor work equipment When employees are provided with company-owned equipment, such as laptops, mobile phones, or other tools necessary for their job, the employer retains ownership of these assets. Employers have the right to monitor how these resources are used, ensuring they are being used strictly for business purposes. Employers may also implement policies that regulate internet usage on company networks, restrict access to certain websites, and track browsing history. These measures help protect company data and ensure productivity. 4. Right to expect honesty and commitment to business objectives Employers have the right to expect employees to act with integrity and work towards achieving business objectives. Employees should conduct themselves ethically, remain transparent in their tasks, and contribute positively to the company’s overall success. Employees who engage in dishonest behaviour, including fraud or theft, breach their employment contract and may face legal consequences. Employers should implement clear policies outlining expectations regarding honesty and ethical behaviour. 5. Right to maintain proper employment records Employers have the right—and responsibility—to maintain comprehensive employment records. These records may include: Keeping accurate records helps employers demonstrate compliance with labour laws, resolve disputes effectively, and manage employee performance in an informed manner. Although the legal system does not currently recognise unfair labour practices against employers in the same way it does for employees, there are several strategies employers can implement to safeguard their rights: While South African labour laws primarily focus on employee rights, employers also have critical rights that enable them to manage their businesses effectively. Understanding and exercising these rights within the framework of labour laws ensures that employers can operate fairly while maintaining compliance. Employers can navigate workplace challenges effectively and foster a balanced, legally compliant work environment by implementing strategic policies, training management teams, and staying informed about labour regulations. Sources: Labour Guide | SME South Africa
How HR can make strategic decisions for your organisation
By Liquid Thought Despite seeing it in company values and website pages, how many businesses can clearly define what it means to be people-focused? Sustainable innovation can be defined as optimising a business at a people level and to achieve it requires a spark of ambition from leaders. This article unlocks smart insights that spotlight HR as a vehicle for sustainable innovation and how creative agencies are leading the way for corporations to follow in this regard. As you navigate, you’ll discover; Knowledge, action, and direction: Leaders who pioneer Human-centred leadership is defined as “leadership that values people.” But how does this manifest itself on a daily basis? We’re seeing how the concept shapes communication, and perspective, and unlocks a sense of trust. It modifies how we approach problems and find progress. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” We’ve seen how a setup encourages collaboration and an environment has the potential to stimulate employees to be the best version of themselves, but a convenient and comfortable workplace requires one to champion the basics first, then infuse them into your results. Resourceful spaces and personalised experiences are built by transparent and inclusive leaders who constantly steer a balanced ratio between their people, the work they produce and how that evolves their company’s reputation. To be more inclusive and authentic with the employees you serve, let’s take a look at three insights you might want to jump onboard with: We can easily camouflage ourselves in the digital world, but on the other side, there will always be people. Although the notion of humans as a resource – hence “HR” – has prevailed for too long, the realisation that people are more than a resource to be exploited, and rather an asset to be nurtured, is fast gaining traction amongst the savvier companies. Supervising purpose to accelerate growth: A mission statement generated by people HR has emerged as the compass for modelling attitudes and establishing a rich workplace filled with various personalities. To achieve this, HR leaders are diving deeper into data to further understand an employee’s experience. Being authentic in today’s world is more crucial than ever, and one way to do this is by having a purpose based on an ethos, unique to the brand, vital to all stakeholders, and aligned with values. Knowing someone’s triggers as well as their strengths improves communication and helps to build a motivated team; it is at this point that the ‘why’ begins to take shape and a purpose starts to spark. Employee pride, value-based decision-making, behaviour, goal-setting, and a sense of purpose all provide meaning to the work being done, which helps workers get through late nights, tight deadlines, and personality conflicts, or simply go that extra mile when they have the potential. To get a headstart, it’s essential to determine each coworker’s unique style in order to influence and connect with them on a deeper level. After that, tweak your behaviour and adapt the corporate behaviour in response to get the best out of each person. Enhancing your business IQ: Great teams don’t hide from mistakes, they embrace them. An HR specialist can open doors and create synergies with the workflows they design. They have what it takes to champion people to deliver with skill and commitment. Removing outdated methods and replacing them with an iterative-learning path that broadens their skill-set while boosting their self-assurance and helping you achieve mastery. Instead of continually nurturing from the top down, high-performing organisations and well-oiled teams do so in reverse, from the bottom up, as a means of creating transferable skills. Workplaces such as this are driven by innovation and in order to do so, depend on their employees, and their success is contingent on how they treat the people who deliver the results. A cultural lens must constantly be used in HR practice when deciding how to alter one’s tone and internal mechanics. It involves being flexible and agile in how people work, as well as experimenting and testing to the point where lessons from mistakes are used in future efforts to improve performance. It’s the concept of a fertile environment that is constantly under construction, and in a highly competitive market, this can only distinguish your product from the rest. To conclude How you make holistic wellness a key component in your workplace is what creates an environment that thrives with happy people. Happy people are more productive, create stronger, and more cohesive teams, and the minute you begin checking the pulses of employees is the minute you start accelerating the desire to work for your company. HR’s integral role in all of this comes from optimising a business at the level of people and in doing so achieving so much value for an organisation. HR’s involvement in strategic decision-making means wearing the leadership hat and in doing so, can accomplish: Liquid Thought is a collective of Engineers, Creatives, Makers and Marketers – curious, talented and agile humans on a mission to unlock clients’ digital potential. The agency has been working on a range of leading corporates and impactful start-ups for over 21 years.
The ESG balancing act
By Topco Marketing Achieving balance across the three pillars of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is a complex challenge that many organisations face. Implementing an ESG strategy can be daunting, especially when considering the various hurdles that must be overcome. There are several reasons why ESG implementation can be difficult: According to a LinkedIn survey conducted by Kaizen Institute in 2024, 40% of respondents prioritise the Environmental Pillar of ESG, often overshadowing social and governance aspects. To achieve true balance, organisations must adopt a holistic approach that integrates sustainability into every aspect of the business. So, how can organisations overcome common ESG challenges and achieve success? Despite these challenges, there are several strategies that businesses can employ to overcome them: Join the conversation The Future of Sustainability Conference hosted at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, is a must-attend event for professionals and stakeholders across industries focused on sustainability, innovation, and transformation. Set to take place on 26 and 27 March 2025, the event promises to foster rich dialogue, inspire actionable insights, and spark collaborations that will shape the future of Africa’s sustainable development. Join us to learn how to: The Future of Sustainability conference: Where connections meet innovation Our conference is the perfect platform to connect with organisations and individuals who share your passion for sustainability. Join us to: Top speakers to watch We are proud to announce an exceptional lineup of keynote speakers and panellists, each with unique expertise and a shared vision for Africa’s sustainable future: Key topics and panel discussions This year’s conference will feature high-impact panel discussions tackling the most critical issues surrounding Africa’s sustainability journey. Expect thought-provoking conversations on: Have a look at the programme here and the event fact sheet here. Thank you to our gold partner, Heineken Beverages South Africa; our premium digital partner, iME; our silver partner, Old Mutual Insure; our bronze partners, Nestlé, Nespresso, Dell Technologies/Intel and Isanti Glass; and our showcase counter partner, AECI. A special thank you to our knowledge partner, The Carbon Trust, and strategic partners: UN Global Compact Network South Africa, Good Governance Africa, GreenCape, and Primedia Out of Home. Don’t let ESG scare you! Partnering and collaborating with other organisations might be your solution. 🌱 Register now Secure your spot at the Future of Sustainability Conference and start driving ESG success through effective communication, collaboration, and connection. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/FOS2025 For more information go to the Future of Sustainability website Invoices are available upon request from marketing@topco.co.za
Tailoring your workspace to retain and attract talent
By Andile Mgudlwa, Managing Director of Facilities Management Division at Empact Group There is very little doubt that dealing with the global pandemic resulted in a significant shift in how we perceive our workplaces. Whilst society as a whole seems to have gone back to how things were before March 2020, the workforce and the businesses they are employed by seem to be divided on how best to move forward. Employers are on a drive to get people back to the office for better corporate culture and face-to-face collaboration. Workers on the other hand seem to be torn between the flexibility that comes with working remotely (and the resultant savings on transport costs) and missing the in-person interaction they have with their colleagues when they are at the office. Hybrid working arrangements seem to be the solution that more employers are adopting to address these different needs. Most companies have put policies and incentives in place to entice people to spend some time at the office with the option of working from home on selected days. Some of these initiatives are starting to produce the desired result, however a large part of the working population has found it difficult to abandon the comfort of their home offices. For a significant shift to happen there needs to be a re-think in how the office is currently perceived. Insisting on keeping the office set up the way it has always been, is not an option anymore. In order to attract and retain key talent, employers need to come up with innovative ways to address the needs of the increasingly young workforce. More and more companies are now looking towards facility managers to support them develop workspaces that will provide the required balance and keep people engaged. This has resulted in a shift in the traditional role of a facilities manager, a shift referred to as “basement-to-boardroom”. Facilities management is now seen as one of the levers that employers can utilise to drive this strategy and deliver the required results. Facilities managers who used to focus only on maintenance and the provision of services are now spending more time thinking about enhancing the experience of people working and visiting their facilities. Companies now look to facilities managers to understand the needs of their employees as well as clients and tailor the workplace environment to meet their combined needs. In order to remain competitive in the current talent war, a company’s employee value proposition needs to stand out above the competition. Facilities managers together with their clients need to constantly keep asking themselves what the future of working in an office building looks like. Facilities managers have a number of tools available in their toolbox to support an organisation in meeting its strategic goals. Some these tools include: Deciding which is the best tool to reach the strategic goal will depend on the company’s specific requirements at the time and these requirements will evolve as the company’s strategy evolves. Facility managers and facilities management providers therefore need to keep their fingers on the pulse to ensure that the experience is in line with the company’s requirements. The real-time data that comes from the CAFM (Computer Aided Facilities Management) and IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management System) technologies will ensure that decisions made are informed and data driven. That way the facility managers will always support the organisation by enhancing the workplace experience to meet the ever-changing requirements of the workforce.