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Why bother
with a Human
Resources Strategic
Plan when things
keep changing?
Does your
organisation have a
Human Resources
Strategic Plan? If
it is a plan for
this year only? Then
it is probably an
operational plan.
Genuine HR
strategies take
anywhere from 5 - 10
years to implement.
Like all of the
other major business
functions, human
resources must
accomplish a wide
range of activities
from basic
transaction
processing to
strategic planning
in order to be
successful. The
importance ascribed
to each of those
functional
activities in large
part represents the
company's human
resource strategy.
A Human Resource
Strategic Plan
identifies a
long-term vision,
supporting success
factors, and the
most immediate
priorities needed to
achieve the business
strategy (together
with detailed action
or operational plans
to implement the
priority projects.)
HR Strategy
Workshops: If
you would like to
learn more about
drawing up your HR
strategy and acquire
all the templates
and tools that you
need to do this
effectively, please
contact Shani on 011
781 4228 or email
her on
shani@workinfo.com.
Click here for a
break down of the
Workinfo HR Strategy
course. |
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Gray matter
matters -
preserving
critical
knowledge in
the 21st
century
Authors: Amy
Casher and
Eric Lesser
Changes in
workforce
demographics,
labor
migration
patterns and
economic
conditions
are causing
organizations
to face the
challenge of
retaining
critical
knowledge
that is
departing
the
organization.
The above
vignette,
while
somewhat
stylized, is
an example
of the
troubling
and
all-too-common
effects of
organizations'
lack of
attention to
preserving
their
critical
knowledge
assets.
This paper
probes the
knowledge
retention
crisis that
faces many
organizations
today,
providing
insights
into driving
trends and
guidance on
the actions
organizations
can take to
tackle this
issue.
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Resources for
Workforce
Planning
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HSRC's Human
Resources
Development Review
2008
Human Resources
Development Review
2008 provides an
extensive overview
of the contextual
factors driving
human resources
development in South
Africa. A key theme
throughout the
volume is the
importance of a
multi-faceted skills
development strategy
operating at three
levels.
The first entails
high-skills policies
aimed at expanding
export-oriented
manufacturing
production and
services provision,
particularly in new
globally-competitive
'niche' areas. The
second level relates
to the ongoing need
for intermediate
skills, as is
evidenced by the
shortage of skilled
artisans and
technologists.
Finally, the
provision of basic,
entry-level skills
is important in view
of the urgent need
for large-scale job
creation schemes to
improve high levels
of unemployment and
despondency,
especially amongst
the youth.
To down load a free
electronic version
of this report or
purchase a hard copy
please visit the
HSRC Press Website
This is an
essential,
user-friendly
resource for
planners,
policy-makers,
managers and
educators at all
levels. |
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New
Publication
-
Essential for HR and
CSI practitioners |
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Employee
Volunteering in
South Africa
The recently
published 104 page
book "Employee
Volunteering in
South Africa" is an
excellent guide on
the setting up of an
Employer Supported
Volunteering
Programme.
Published in
November of 2007, it
has a wide range of
contributions from
practitioners in the
field and highlights
the what, why and
how of employee
volunteering, as
well as the South
African experience.
It is both a
practical and
theoretical guide.
To find out more
about this book and
where you can order
it
click here
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Decline in hiring
trend in South
Africa expected for
the second quarter
of 2008
Manpower
Employment
Outlook Survey
|
According to
the
quarterly
Manpower
Employment
Outlook
Survey
released
recently,
conducted by
the
recruitment
and staffing
giant,
employers
across the
major
economic
regions of
South Africa
have
indicated a
decline in
hiring
expectations
for the
second
quarter of
2008. The
net
employment
outlook has
dropped to
23%, from
27% in the
first
quarter of
2008.
The Manpower
Employment
Outlook
Survey was
conducted by
interviewing
a
representative
sample of
764 small,
medium and
large
employers in
South
Africa. All
survey
participants
were asked,
"How do you
anticipate
total
employment
at your
location to
change in
the three
months to
the end of
June 2008 as
compared to
the current
quarter?"
The "Net
Employment
Outlook"
figure is
derived by
taking the
percentage
of employers
anticipating
total
employment
to increase,
and
subtracting
from this,
the
percentage
expecting to
see a
decrease in
employment
at their
location in
the next
quarter.
Read the full
article and
review the
survey data
online
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Labour Court
Interprets BCEA
Provisions
by Perrott
Van Niekerk
Woodhouse
Matyolo Inc
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The Labour Courts
have recently dealt
with two interesting
issues concerning
the application of
the BCEA. The first
deals with the
calculation of
severance pay, with
public holidays.
In Zietsman
and others v
Transnet Limited
the employees
claimed that
Transnet had
breached section 41
of the BCEA by
failing to include
in their severance
pay the value of
"dealer bonuses" to
which they were
entitled in terms of
a company scheme.
The Company's
defence was that it
had paid the
applicants 2 weeks'
remuneration per
year of service and
that since this
amount exceeded the
statutory
requirement of one
week per completed
year of service, the
Company had more
than complied with
the Act. Section
41(2) (recall that
section 41) of the
BCEA establishes the
statutory minimum of
one week's
remuneration per
completed year of
continuous service
payable when an
employee is
dismissed for
reasons related to
the employer's
operational
requirements.
Government Notice
691 published on 23
May 2003 lists all
the payments that
must be brought into
account when
calculating
severance pay.
The Court held that
if an employer pays
more than the
statutory minimum of
one week's
remuneration for
each completed year
of service, then the
calculation method
set out in terms of
section 35(5) of the
BCEA read with the
Government Notice
does not apply. It
is always open for
the parties to agree
otherwise, but in
this case, there was
no such agreement.
In the present case,
because the
employer's severance
package was more
favourable than the
statutory minimum,
the Court could not
entertain the
applicant's claim
that their severance
packages had been
incorrectly
calculated in terms
of the Act. The
application was
therefore dismissed.
.......................................................................................................
In a judgment handed
down on 15 November
2007, the Labour
Appeal Court dealt
with the
interpretation of
the Public Holidays
Act 1994 and in
particular, section
2 of the Act, which
provides that
whenever a public
holiday falls on a
Sunday, the
following Monday
shall be a public
holiday.
In
Randfontein Estates
Ltd v National Union
of Mineworkers,
the Union and the
Mine had concluded a
continuous operation
agreement in terms
of which production
in a continuous
operation would take
place "seven days a
week on all days of
the year, excluding
public holidays." A
dispute arose when a
public holiday
designated in terms
of the Act fell on a
Sunday. The Union
argued that in terms
of the agreement,
workers were not
obliged to work and
should be paid not
only in respect of
the Sunday but also
the Monday, since
the effect of
section 2 was to
declare both days as
public holidays. The
Mine argued that the
Act did not intend
that both the Sunday
and the Monday
should be public
holidays when a
public holiday falls
on a Sunday. In
other words, when a
public holiday falls
on a Sunday the
following Monday is
substituted as a
public holiday and
is not to be
regarded as an
additional public
holiday.
The Court disagreed
with the Mine's
argument and held
that the intention
of the legislature
was not that the
number of paid
public holidays
should be limited to
the twelve contained
in the Schedule to
the Public Holidays
Act. Rather, the Act
provided that there
should be
at least
twelve public
holidays in a
calendar year. In
this case, the Mine
had "hitched its
continuous
operations agreement
to the provisions of
the Act" and was
therefore obliged to
give its employees a
paid public holiday
on both the Sunday
on which the holiday
fell, and the
following Monday.
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Quotation
Classic
Wisdom
|
`When I use
a word,' Humpty
Dumpty said, in
rather a scornful
tone, `it means just
what I choose it to
mean -- neither more
nor less.'
`The question
is,' said Alice,
`whether you
can make
words mean so
many different
things.'
Lewis
Carroll -
Through the
Looking
Glass
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Resource
Templates
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In this issue:
Strategic HR Plans -
why bother?
Gray matter
matters
Putting
disability on
the national
agenda
Resources for
workforce
planning
New publication
- Employee
Volunteering
Decline in
hiring trends
expected
Labour Court
interprets
BCEA
HR recruitment
Nationwide
workshops
offered
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Workinfo
Recruitment
Specializing
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If you are looking
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HR and IR personnel
at any level, send
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the best people the
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Contact:
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email
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Top HR
Vacancies
Human
Resources
Director
RSA
Vacancy for
skilled
human
resources
director to
head up
South
African
operations.
Click here
for more
information.
Principal
Human
Resource
Management
Consultant
Vacancy for
principal
human
resource
management
consultant.
Click here
for more
information.
Please send
applications
to:
Shirley
Haddock
shirley@workinfo.com
Fax 086 684
6216 |
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