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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
HR VOICE
WORKERS MONTH
MAY 2014 . ISSN 2304-8573
SABPP NOW REGISTERED AS AN NPO
THE OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION FOR ALL HR PROFESSIONALS
Recognition for all hard working HR practitionersWORKERS’ DAY CELEBRATION
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
INSIDECONTACT USLEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCENaren [email protected]
RESEARCH Penny Abbott [email protected]
MARKETING & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS Kenneth [email protected]
PROFESSIONAL [email protected]
PROFESSIONAL [email protected]
SOCIAL MEDIA Jaco du [email protected]
ADDRESS 1st Floor, Rossouws Attorneys Building, 8 Sherborne Rd, Parktown, PO Box 2450, Houghton, 2041, South Africa.T: 011 482 8595 / F: 011 482 4830 www.sabpp.co.za
DESIGN Landman Creative T: 079 508 9244 www.landmancreative.co.za
ADVERTISING HR Consultants and providers who want to advertise their products and services in the HR Voice, should please contact Kenneth Nxumalo from SABPP. T: 011 482 [email protected]
EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Please send editorial submissions to Jaco du Plessis. [email protected]@sabpp.co.za
CONTRIBUTORS Marius Meyer, Dr HP Greeff, Francois du Plessis, Naren Vassan, Dr Wynand Goosen, Amanda Daly, Delphine Ferreira, Ivan Israelstam, Kerryn Gregory & Barbara Bush
BOARD DESK PAGE 3• News from Marius on the HR Standards and Competencies Books
HRRI PAGE 6• Human Capital Review: Thinking differently about strategy• UNISA Ethics Research
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PAGE 7• Ethics: Ethics Institute of South Africa• Ethics: Ethics workshops for HR practitioners• People Practices Champions• Member Benefits
LEARNING AND QUALITY PAGE 9• LQA workshop on the Department Of Higher Education And Training’s
White Paper – 19 March 2014• SABPP visiting BANKSETA• SABPP Learning And Quality Assurance Committee and Jeppe College• Accreditation at North West University of Potchefstroom Campus• Short courses• Disability employment practices• Tips for planning your skills development plan and implementation
report.
EVENTS PAGE 14
INDUSTRY NEWS PAGE 15• Balancing of business requirements and cultural beliefs in the
workplace• HR opinion: The shift in management and leadership training• Training practices survey 2014
STUDENTS PAGE 22
PARTNERSHIPS PAGE 23
INSIDE .
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
BOARD DESKNEWS FROM MARIUS ON THE HR STANDARDS AND COMPETENCIES BOOKS
BOARD DESK .
Good news is that we are making good progress with our three book projects. A brief reminder of the titles:• National HR Standards for South Africa: Setting
professional standards for HR practice• The National HR Competency Model: Building HR
competence for business and socio-economic impact• HR Risk Management: Managing People Risks and
Leveraging Opportunities
These books are new products emanating from the SABPP HR Competencies and Standards projects. The HR Standards book covers the background to each one of the 13 HR Standard Elements, it then includes the standard itself, as well as the application standard, the benefits of the standard, some challenges experienced by companies, guidelines for implementation, and then a case study of a South African company applying the standard. The first draft of the first book is near completion, and the second book is 63% there. We want to thank you for all the positive comments and notes of support received from the HR market in our LinkedIn discussion group. Both Gillian Smith-Ismail, HR Director UTi: Africa and Middle-
East, and Zelia Soares, Executive: Leadership Development at Murray & Roberts say that the HR Standards book will really take this project to the next level.Malibongwe Ngcai, General Manager: HR at the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature sums it up nicely: “I am excited by the development and the collective approach that is adopted. HR has come of age in South Africa and professional development will surely yield results to the economy of the country. The book will surely be a must-have for HR Managers, CEOs and managers in general.” Malibongwe is indeed correct. These books, although put together by SABPP, are in fact written by hundreds of HR professionals who contributed to these exciting initiatives. If there are any HR professionals who want to share some ideas or case studies relevant to HR Standards, HR Competencies, or HR Risk Management for inclusion in any of these three books, please send your intent to [email protected] We already received some excellent case studies from FNB and Nedbank, and any further inputs are most welcome indeed.
How different would your life be if someone didn’t tell you about SABPP?
www.sabpp.co.za
REFER A FRIEND FOR PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
BOARD DESK .
NEXT STEPS ON OUR PROJECTSThe HRM Standard juggernaut continues to gather momentum. Over 115 HR practitioners gathered at the Hackle Brooke Conference Centre in Johannesburg on April 8th to spend the day gaining awareness into the HRM System Model and the 13 Standard elements. Lively discussions took place, as has occurred at every Standard roll-out event since last May. Further sessions will be held in Polokwane, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit – see the event listing. Responding to demand, a second session will be held in Cape Town slightly later in the year – we will list the date once it is set.
The next major step in the journey takes place on May 14th, when the 30 Professional Practice Standards will be formulated. These 30 fit into the HR Architecture of the HRM System Model as shown below:
Subject matter experts from the SABPP membership and the SABPP alliance partners will be at the event to give their inputs. Join them and participate in this next ground-breaking event. Seats are limited and are going fast. Registrations should be directed to [email protected], 011 888 8914.
Interest in the HR Audits is growing. Later in May we will conduct the second training session, which will cater for a range of interests in the audits – from in-house practitioners wishing to be able to assist their organisations to perform a gap analysis and action plan prior to an audit, to practitioners wishing to train as auditors and lead auditors.
Sessions will also be held in June and July in Gauteng and, depending in demand, later in the year in the Western Cape. The Audit Unit has received several enquiries about audits and Michael Robbins is gathering a team together to progress the next audit.
Staff matters: This month has seen the departure of 2 SABPP staff members, Sithembele Stofile and Tshwarelo Mothopeng. Recruitment exercises for a revised position of Operations Manager and Registrations Officer are well advanced and we hope to able to announce the appointments next month.
REMEMBER TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION
@SABPP1
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
Your degree in human resources means you can be really resourceful with money.
The keY To success lies in sharing iT.
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*Members with qualifying products share all our profits. Standard SMS rates apply.
as an hr graduate with a 4-year degree, you’re fully qualified to become a member of the only financial
services company created by professionals, for professionals, and completely owned by its members in south africa. apart from insurance,
investment and healthcare solutions tailor-made to your specific needs as a professional, as a valued
PPS member you also share all the company’s profits* – which were upwards of r4.2 billion last year alone. Leave it to us to make sure your financial resources
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For more info, SMS (HRV) and your name to 42097, consult a
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
HUMAN CAPITAL REVIEW: THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT STRATEGYBY DR HP GREEFF (HENK) AND FRANCOIS DU PLESSIS
Despite all the rapid changes experienced in the world today some societies, organisational systems and business continue to thrive whilst others collapse. The immediate question is why? In this article the authors argue that strategy as practise of strategists and business leaders is not a constant factor in a sea of changes rolling across the planet. Continuous adjustments and recalibration of how they practise strategy to seek alignment with the emerging patterns and pace of change outside themselves will be the foundational difference to stay relevant.
Published by Knowledge ResourcesKnowledge Resources has generously made a 12 month free subscription to this valuable on-line journal available to SABPP registered professionals. Email [email protected] to sign up.
UNISA ETHICS RESEARCHThe 2014 research into Ethics as perceived by HR practitioners has successfully collected over 300 responses. Many thanks to the SABPP members who completed the questionnaire. The responses will now be analysed by the UNISA research team and the report will be published later this year.
HRRI .
HRRI
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES .
ETHICSETHICS INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICAThe SABPP will be signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Ethics Institute of South Africa. We will be offering various reciprocal benefits to each other’s members, more details of which we will announce later.
HR Professionals are encouraged to train as Ethics Officers through the Ethics Institute, who are offering training courses now across many African countries, which should be of interest to South African countries expanding into Africa.
ETHICS WORKSHOPS FOR HR PRACTITIONERSTrain the Trainer workshops for Ethics workshop facilitators have been heavily oversubscribed. The first workshops in Gauteng will take place on 6 and 8 May, followed by Cape Town in June.
Organisations who would like an in-house Ethics for HR Workshop should please contact Sarie Pretorius on [email protected] as we are already in a position to offer a limited number of these.
PEOPLE PRACTICES CHAMPIONSDuring 2013 the Board approved a new non-professional membership category, that of People Practices Champion (PPC). This category will cater for a number of different situations, from that of people working in HR who, due to lack of formal qualifications, cannot qualify for professional registration, to that of people allied to our profession who are interested to participate in the work of the SABPP. Line managers will also be welcome in this category. PPC members who subsequently wish to study for a formal HR qualification may change to Candidate status at any time.
Our first PPC was welcomed during this month – congratulations to Cathy Sims, Executive Director of the SA Graduate Recruitment Association.
PPC members are asked to subscribe to the SABPP Code of Conduct, thereby extending the reach of this ethical basis for HR work. An ancillary Code of Conduct for line manager PPCs has been formulated, as on the right:
SABPP CODE OF CONDUCT FOR LINE MANAGER PEOPLE PRACTICE CHAMPIONSThe purpose of this code is to outline how a line manager can uphold good people practice norms and principles and to conduct his or her people management activities in a professional and ethical manner.
OUR ETHICAL IDENTITYLine managers recognise that the way in which they conduct their own people management and advocate with other line managers about people practices can:• Bring meaning and quality of work life to the people
they manage• Ensure the sustainability of the organisations that
they serve• Make a difference to the communities they touch.
ETHICAL VALUES - RESPONSIBILITY Our first responsibility is to meaningfully transform the lives of those men and women that are working under us. We have a further responsibility to contribute to the success and sustainability of the organisations that employ us. We accept responsibility for the outcomes of our people management activities and interactions. In this we contribute to greater good of society.
INTEGRITYWe are committed to exemplary ethical conduct that is characterised by honesty, objectivity, fairness of judgement, consistency of action and loyalty to our organisation and communities we engage with.
RESPECTWe are unwaveringly committed to tolerance, respect for human dignity and upholding the human rights as prescribed by the Constitution of the Country. We treat all our stakeholders with respect and protect them from harm. We have an obligation to prevent breaches of principles of respect and to assertively object to such violations when they occur. We respect the confidentiality of information that is entrusted to us.
COMPETENCEWe recognise that the management of people who report to us requires us to acquire, develop and maintain appropriate skills and we commit to becoming competent in those areas. We commit to the framework and contents of the SABPP’s HR Management System Standard as delineating good people practices.
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
MEMBER BENEFITSGet help with your everyday issues. SABPP has an alliance with HR Forum which offers a FREE email group-based help line for the sort of tricky issues that come up daily.
Topics covered in the past month or so included:• The best way to deal with an employee with epilepsy who
cannot drive to work anymore;• What to do with an employee who runs a shebeen but did
not disclose this at the time of appointment;• How to dispute risk rates set by the Workmen’s
Compensation Commissioner;• What is the calculation for the hourly rate to pay overtime?
You send in your query, it gets made anonymous by the Forum facilitator, and circulated to members, who then come back (very quickly usually) with good advice based on solid experience.
Click here to register for the Forum.
JOIN THE CURRENT DISCUSSIONS ON OUR
LINKEDIN GROUP
SABPP
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES .
Application forms and Frequently Asked Questions for the PPC membership category are available on the website. A summary of the benefits available to PPC members is shown below:
OPEN TO PPC MEMBERS• Discounted publications, products and services, included
discounted attendance at SABPP and alliance events• Newsletters and other emailed information. Access to
member-restricted content on the SABPP website.• Membership of SABPP committees by invitation based on
specific expertise required for the work of the committee.• Award of Continuing Professional Development points
for attendance at designated events, either for personal development purposes only, or in accordance with the requirements of other professional bodies (the SABPP will negotiate reciprocity with these bodies where possible).
NOT OPEN TO PPC MEMBERS• Evaluation of qualifications, experience and levels of work
by the Professional Registrations Committee.• Uploading of professional designation to the National
Learner Record Database.• Mentoring for professional development under the SABPP
mentoring programme.
The introduction of this new category makes it possible for employing organisations to register all the members of their HR departments at once, whether they are qualified or not, thereby gaining access to the corporate discounts and also to corporate membership benefits such as in-house presentations.
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE .
LEARNING AND QUALITY ASSURANCELQA WORKSHOP ON THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING’S WHITE PAPER-19 MARCH 2014In January 2014 the Department (DHET) released its important policy document on Post-School Education and Training – Building an expanded, effective and integrated post-school system. Initial reaction from various stakeholders has been positive.
In view of the importance of this document to the private training provider industry and to HR practitioners tasked with skills development responsibilities, the SABPP organised a workshop on the White Paper, kindly hosted by GIBS. Delegates came from employers, training providers and universities.
The first speaker, Mike Stuart, is the founder and editor of The Skills Handbook (www.SkillsHandbook.co.za), and is very well networked and well informed on policy and implementation issues in skills development. He shared his analysis of the White Paper and his conclusion that the main theme, partnerships, is at the same time highly encouraging as a strategic choice of DHET and highly challenging to the private sector to
get involved. A major thrust of the White Paper is work integrated learning (WIL – yet another acronym in the skills development “alphabet soup”) and this simply will not happen until employers get involved.
He noted a “change fatigue” reaction from private sector employers to the plethora of changes in skills development initiatives over the past ten years or so, leading to a resistance
to “yet another” government led initiative, but noted that the problems of skills development in South Africa are just so big that government cannot solve them on its own. The White Paper, in his view, shows a major shift in thinking that the DHET is open to change, to inclusiveness, to talking to stakeholders that might in the past have been antagonistic. Mike has seen a trend in recent times to “silo busting” where old silos that impeded progress have been eroded – for example, creating DHET; setting up the QCTO; creating the HR Development Council as a very high level steering body to which the Minister of HET must report; creating the Labour Market Intelligence Project; and coordinating the Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) into a National Plan with a work stream on skills development. Mike believes that this latter project is the biggest HRD project that South Africa has ever seen.
The workshop opened a discussion on the implementation of the National Artisan Development Funding Framework, a sub-project under the HRD Council, which channels funding for artisan development out of the 14 SETAs that were funding it into a national central fund. Nazrene Mannie, Skills Development and Human Capital Executive at SEIFSA, pointed out that although this is an excellent development, its implementation is faltering. The funding is simply not sufficient, especially given the fact that SETA funding available for such projects is shrinking as funds are being diverted to FET infrastructure development. Many employers are training artisans at their own cost (estimated at more than R300 000 per artisan) since insufficient funding is available for grants. Figures being published on the increase in artisan training do not highlight this, the impression is being created that government/SETA money is funding it which is largely not the case.
Dr Jody Cedras, Director of Recognition and Registration at SAQA, kindly presented the White Paper summary prepared by John Pampallis, Special Advisor to the Minister of HET and leader of the team which drew up the White Paper. Jody emphasised that the policy thrust of the White Paper derives from the 1993 ANC “Yellow Book” which set out the objectives for skills development to provide better opportunities for poor people through education and skills development.
The workshop noted that many people have not read the White Paper but still criticise it. The Executive Summary is 7 pages long and gives an excellent overview of the policy direction. The set of slides presented by Jody provides a useful guide to the highlights of the Paper (this is available from [email protected]). Mike has produced a set of Twitter highlights of the contents of the White Paper for the busy person who may not have time to read the whole Paper - #White Paper ZA.
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
Delegates then worked in groups to give their reactions to the White Paper. It was generally felt that the vision was ambitious and inspiring, but needed to be more succinct and should even be framed for the longer term, as 2030 is not far away in terms of skills development. A concrete implementation plan is needed to convince stakeholders that something really will happen. The White Paper sets out clearly the whole landscape of the components of the post-school education and training system and what needs to happen in each of these. The emphasis on private-public partnership and on work integrated learning is encouraging. The recognition of open learning as an important channel for the future is welcomed. The commitment of DHET to better articulation between parts of the system is welcomed also, but it was noted that this could be challenging.
The SABPP will consolidate all the feedback and develop a communication strategy to channel the feedback to the right stakeholders in the skills development system.
Delegates agreed that a further workshop should be arranged on the recently released HRD strategy which provides the framework within which skills development is prioritised.
The SABPP thanks Mike Stuart and Dr Jody Cedras for their support at the workshop and notes with pride Jody’s comment that the SABPP is the first professional body in the country to get to grips with the White Paper.
SABPP VISITING BANKSETAOn 3rd April the Head of Learning and Quality from SABPP, Naren Vassan, shared views on two occupations – Bank Teller and Bank Customer Clerk with BankSETA. His input was based on 25 years in Banking Industry in the area of Learning and Development. This visit was strategic as SABPP is working towards becoming the Assessment Quality Partner (AQP) for Bank Customer Clerk Occupation (422101). We are currently in discussion going forward regarding assessment of cross sectorial skills such as customer service.
In the picture below are the people from industry, training provider, qualification development facilitator and BankSETA.
LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE .
SABPP LEARNING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMITTEE AND JEPPE COLLEGEOn 11th April Jeannette Campbell of Boston City Campus, a member of the SABPP Learning and Quality Assurance Committee, shared her skills on assessment practices and process with 12 trainee assessors from Jeppe College. The session addressed assessment tools, practicality of marking portfolios, linking learning material to evidence presented and considering how learners respond to questions. The 2 hour session gave them an ideal opportunity to critique tools, assess the scripts and apply the principles of assessment – fair, valid, reliable, authentic and sufficient.
ACCREDITATION AT NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY OF POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUSWe had a panel of academic and industry experts spending 3 days (15-17 April) evaluating the 16 curriculums in Industrial Psychology, Labour Relations and Human Resource Management ranging from B. Com through to Honours and Doctorate.
They were checking the content, textbooks, facilities, exam scripts and facilities such as library, lecture halls, canteen, and recreational as well as interviewing students from first year to doctorate. At end of 3 weeks a report will be generated to rate the university on the areas where they excel, meet the requirement, need improvement and areas of concern. The evaluation exercise ensures that when students complete their qualification it meets underpinning Human Resources Competencies and Standards as well as expectations of the industry.
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
REGISTER [email protected]
SHORT COURSESAs from 1st June the Learning and Quality Assurance Team will approve training providers towards non-credit bearing courses. The criteria and guidelines will be on the website shortly. These programmes must have following underpinning practices:1. All courses must be outcomes based and incorporate
hands-on practical (work integrated learning). This type of training can meet employers specific requirements(sometimes called “Just-in-time”)
2. If the training addresses your Workplace Skills Plan (WSP), then you can record this cost towards your Annual Training Report.
3. There must be some form of assessment.4. These providers will be monitored on an annual basis.5. A fee will be charged for this service, to be determined by
the SABPP ETQA committee at its meeting of 9th May.
DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT PRACTICESDid you know that SABPP is mandated to quality assure a unique qualification titled National Diploma: Disability Employment Practice, SAQA ID 58802, at NQF Level 5 for 240 credits? This qualification equips and enable disability employment practitioners (including job coaches), that is, practitioners who take on the challenge of facilitating the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. The Qualification aims to formalise and develop this field of expertise, contribute to high standards of ethical conduct, ensure accountability and quality service delivery.
This qualification can support and drive best disability practices in organisations, sorely needed as highlighted every year in Employment Equity Commission reports and will help to implement the National Disability Policy.
The learning outcomes of this qualification are:1. Assess and monitor support needs of persons with
disabilities in specific contexts. 2. Identify the reasonable accommodation needs and provide
necessary support for persons with disabilities in specific contexts.
3. Empower persons with disabilities to participate fully in a range of environments.
4. Refer persons with disabilities for specialised services. 5. Facilitate compliance to relevant legislation impacting on
disability employment practice. Range: Legislation includes labour-related, disability-related, human rights-related, etc.
6. Facilitate persons with disabilities in specific environments.
7. Develop resources relevant for disability employment practice.
8. Facilitate sound and respectful working relationships to enhance disability employment practice. Range: Relationship building includes starting, maintaining and closing out relationships.
9. Facilitate and promote equitable representation of persons with disabilities in specific environments.
LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE .
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE .
A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is a strategic plan that expresses how an organisation is going to address the training and development needs of its employees in the workplace. Most organisations, however, sees this only as a compliance issue. The WSP should really follow from an approved strategic plan. From vision, mission and objectives, tasks should be developed and assigned to job descriptions. The organisations in turn, could function as the required competency standards. These job descriptions can also be seen as the guiding document to manage performance against. Thus performance gaps could be identified and used to define training needs. By then managing the reduction of this skills gap, the strategic plan is brought to implementation.
“Because business is about people before it’s about money…”
DR WYNAND GOOSEN
On the legal side, each organisation must appoint a registered skills development facilitator (SDF). In a small organisation (less than 50 employees), this person can take sole responsibility for skills development in the organisation. In organisations with 50 or more employees, a skills development committee (SDC) must be established. This committee must include a representative from all departments, and if the organisation is unionised, the union must also be represented on the committee. The SDF (together with the skills development committee if applicable), is responsible for ensuring the WSP and Annual Training Report are submitted to the relevant SETA on time.
The work of the committee should be defined clearly. Again, the objectives as set in the strategic plan should be used as the guideline for the training committee. All training suggested should drive the development of said strategic plan. However, a broad view can be followed, making sure that soft skills are included in the development of the individual. Learner’s development should be holistic and not focus solely on work function, but also include that which indirectly affects performance.
TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.PREPARED BY A TEAM COMPRISING OF NAREN VASSAN, DR WYNAND GOOSEN, AMANDA DALY – CHARTALL BUSINESS COLLEGE AND DELPHINE FERREIRA – CONSULTANT
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE .
TIPS THAT WILL HELP TO PREPARE A USEFUL WSP:KEEP YOUR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CURRENT AND UP TO DATE:• To complete your WSP you require a lot of data
about your employees. If your systems are set up in such a way that this information is gathered and inputted at the start of employment, you won’t need to scramble around trying to gather the data when the WSP is due
• Ensure this data stays current and is updated in real time as employees’ circumstances change
• Follow a strategy where your skills management is a continuous process, as opposed to just an event
CREATE REAL JOB DESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE ALIGNED TO YOUR ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY:• If your job descriptions clearly lay out the skills
required to perform a specific function, it will be easy to identify the skills that an employee does not have
• One can even use Unit Standards as the KPA’s in job descriptions
• The WSP requires that you report job titles and OFO codes so it is a good idea to create job descriptions linked to the Organising Framework for Occupations
• The OFO is almost like a super job description – use it as a framework to develop a job description
• A unit standard based job description implies that a supervisor has a unified, generic standard to assess performance against
• Such job descriptions could also be used in job grading systems
CONDUCT REGULAR SKILLS AUDITS:• Document the skills that already exist in your
organisation• Identify the skills that are lacking within your
organisation – focus on critical and scarce skills related to technical and functional areas in the organisation
• If you wait until your WSP is due before doing the skills audit, there is a chance you will do a ‘thumb sucking’ job rather than a considered review
• Link your skills audit to the development of an “emotional framework” a system whereby you include items such as mentoring, coaching and career guidance
• Find reasons why employees would want to grow and
develop. Create an engagement mentality – work on ways to keep jobs interesting and stimulating
GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME:• A good quality WSP takes time to prepare – allow
enough time to complete this process because good quality data will benefit your organisation greatly
• If your system is well developed, information should flow from it naturally
• An interactive staff file that tracks both training activities as well as job performance on the same scale, is always a good idea
•USE THE DATA COLLECTED:• Once you have gone to the trouble of collecting and
analysing all this data, put it to use• Decide which skills you want to develop – you
should base this on your organisation’s strategic development priorities and determine what the skills are that will allow you to fulfil these priorities
• Maintain accurate training records for next year’s reporting
• The development of data management and reporting tools are very important
• Reporting tools can be developed in the form of dashboards to allow for adequate information to reach management desks
“If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities”
BARBARA BUSH
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
EVENTS .
EVENTS
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRIAL NEWS .
For many employers, their most important rationale each day is to ensure that their business and/or operational requirements are met. They achieve this objective, inter alia, by ensuring that their employees perform their functions so that their business is profitable. Employees have a fundamental duty to render a service and their employers have a commensurate right to expect them to do so. However, what should an employer do when an employee is unable to come to work for a month because of visions, premonitions and a strong cultural belief about ancestors calling him/her to become a sangoma?
This very same incident occurred in Kievits Kroon Country Estate (Pty) Ltd v CCMA and Others [2011] 3 BLLR 241 (LC). This matter was first referred as an unfair dismissal dispute to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) by the employee and after an unsuccessful conciliation, the matter was arbitrated by a Commissioner.
In this case the employee, Ms Johanna Mmoledi, was employed in a senior position as a Chef de Partie (also known as a “station chef” or “line cook”) by Kievits Kroon Country Estate (Pty) Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “Kievits Kroon” and/or as the “employer’’) which is a luxury hotel that operates seven days a week. She applied for a month’s unpaid leave to attend a ritual ceremony which formed part of her training as a sangoma. She claimed that she had visions for several years, and that a traditional healer had recommended that she attend the ceremony. Her employer said she could be accommodated for a week but no longer than that period because the business was very busy at the time. She handed in a note from her traditional healer confirming that she was under her treatment, but the letter was not accepted by her employer because it was
not from a certified medical practitioner. She nonetheless absented herself from work for a month. Ms Mmoledi was charged, inter alia, with absence from work without permission and insubordination. She was then subjected to a disciplinary enquiry which she was found guilty and dismissed.
Kievits Kroon contended that attending a traditional ceremony was not a valid reason for absence from work and that it had clearly indicated this to Ms Mmoledi when she asked for leave. They further contended that her employment contract made no provision for unpaid leave and that her request to stay away was unreasonable given the operational requirements of the business.
The Labour Court (LC), accepted that Ms Mmoledi believed that she would have died or suffered from some serious and mysterious misfortune had she not attended the ceremony and that her dismissal was accordingly inappropriate because her absence from work was due to circumstances beyond her control and she was justified to disregard the employer’s instructions and attend the sangoma course. The LC ruled that the Commissioner had rendered a well-reasoned award by ordering the reinstatement of Ms Mmoledi.
Kievits Kroon was aggrieved by the outcome of the decision by the court a quo and decided to take the matter on appeal to the Labour Appeal Court in Kievits Kroon Country Estate (Pty) Ltd v Mmoledi and Others [2013] JOL 29935 (LAC) and more recently when this appeal failed the matter was taken to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Kievits Kroon Country Estate (Pty) Ltd v Mmoledi and Others (2014) 1 All SA 636 (SCA). The findings of the Labour Appeal Court and the Supreme
BALANCING OF BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS AND CULTURAL BELIEFS IN THE WORKPLACEBY IVAN ISRAELSTAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF LABOUR LAW MANAGEMENT CONSULTING. WWW.LABOURLAWADVICE.CO.ZA
FOLLOW OUR BLOGwww.hrtoday.me
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
INDUSTRIAL NEWS .
Court of Appeal were that Ms Mmoledi’s belief that she was ill stemmed from deeply held cultural convictions that were justified and shared by many South Africans and her dismissal was therefore substantively unfair.
In light of the facts above, it becomes necessary to discuss the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 (“the Constitution”). Section 15 of the Constitution states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion.” Furthermore, Section 30 of the Constitution states that: “Everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice, but no one exercising these rights may do so in a manner inconsistent with any provision in the Bill of Rights.” In addition to the above, Section 31 of the Constitution states that: “Persons belonging to a cultural, religious or linguistic community may not be denied the right, with the other members of that community – (a) to enjoy their culture, practise their religion and use their language; and (b) to form, join and maintain cultural, religious and linguistic associations and other organs of civil society.” On the other hand, Section 23 of the Constitution states that: “Everyone has the right to fair labour practices…” this section applies to both the employer and the employee in the workplace.
From the above judgement, it is quite clear that employers would need to consider what a fair labour practice in the workplace is, and balance this with an employee’s individual right to cultural beliefs. This may be achieved if employers become more flexible with their internal policies and learn to accommodate their employees’ cultural beliefs in the workplace.
Olivia Eleanor Timothy is an HR Manager at Werksmans Attorneys.
WHY GIVE EMPLOYEES WARNINGS?Schedule 8 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) provides for graduated disciplinary measures including warnings and then final warnings. The legal purpose of giving warnings is to inform and/or remind employees of the employer’s standards of conduct and work and to give them a chance to improve their conduct/performance. The following are answers to 8 questions that we are constantly asked about warnings.
WHAT IS MEANT BY A ‘WARNING’?It is an oral or written statement made by an employer informing the employee that his/her conduct or performance level is not acceptable and that any further failure to meet the required standards will result in stronger measures being taken. In this sense a warning is not a punishment. Instead it is a notification that punishment or other corrective measures could follow.
WHEN SHOULD A WARNING BE GIVEN?When it has been established that a less serious offence (one with relatively mild potential consequences) is committed it is most often appropriate to issue a warning to the employee. The level of warning (oral, written or final warning) to be used depends on the level of seriousness of the offence and on whether previous valid warnings have been given.
WHEN IS A WARNING NOT APPROPRIATE?Where the offence is very mild a counselling may be better than a warning. For example, if an employee is five minutes late for work for the first time a mild rebuke or counselling session will suffice and is less time consuming for the employer. Where an offence is very serious or a final warning has already been given, then in some case, a warning is unlikely to have the desired effect, and stronger discipline may be appropriate.
WHAT ALTERNATIVES ARE THERE TO WARNINGS?In addition to the counselling already mentioned other corrective measures may be appropriate. These include,
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amongst others, training, treatment, demotion, suspension without pay and dismissal.
CAN WARNINGS BE OVERTURNED?The disciplinary policy of some employers allow employees to appeal against warnings. Even where this is not so the employee concerned is entitled to refer the warning to the CCMA or bargaining council. If the arbitrator finds the warning to have been unfair he/she is empowered to remove the warning.
IS THE EMPLOYER ENTITLED TO COMBINE A WARNING WITH OTHER MEASURES?The LRA is silent on this question. It would be unfair to punish an employee twice for the very same offence (i.e. for the same incident). However, as a warning is not, in my view, a punishment it can be argued that a warning could fairly accompany another corrective measure. For example, where a driver is guilty of damaging the employer’s vehicle it may be appropriate for the employer to give the driver a refresher driving course but also to warn him/her that, should he/she again damage employer property, stronger action will be taken.
HOW LONG DO WARNINGS LAST FOR?Depending on the employer’s policy and normal practice a warning could last for 3 months to a year.
CAN WARNINGS FOR UNLIKE OFFENCES BE ACCUMULATED?This is a highly contentious issue. Common practice has been that only offences of similar nature can result in stronger disciplinary action. That is, in most workplaces, the employer’s policy is that the manager can only progress to a higher level of warning if the previous warning was for a similar offence to the current one. However, the LRA does not specifically state that this is the way it must be done. It is argued that schedule 8 indirectly suggests that only like warnings should be accumulated. This is because of the educative nature of the schedule’s requirements when it says that discipline is “a means for employees to know and understand what standards are required of them”. This suggests that, for example, to cumulatively give a final warning for poor performance to an employee because he/she already has a warning for smoking indoors, is not educative because a warning for smoking does not educate the employee as to good work performance.
However, there have been cases where the courts have accepted the progressive accumulation of warnings for unlike offences. In the case of NUM & Mocha vs Amcoal Colliery (1999
As a cornerstone of any organisation, management and leadership development has received a lot of focus. With leadership development being almost a buzz-phrase in many companies, with massive budgets being allocated to this, I’ve always found it interesting how budgetary allocations are done. Large amounts are focused on the upper levels where theory and academic approaches are seen as crucial. This meant that the lower tiers of management – the critical mass – has to share the leftover budget. What impact does this have in the business?
All too often, supervisory and middle management development has been marred with leadership and management training taking place for the sake of levy claims. Of late though, I’ve noticed a difference in this drive and focus, and am thrilled
case number JA15/99) the Labour Appeal Court accepted that employees who had received final warnings for offences unlike the current offence could be fairly dismissed on being found guilty of the current offence. As I have not been able to find any more recent cases where this principle has been supported by the courts employers need to act with great caution before accumulating warnings for unlike offences.
HR OPINION: THE SHIFT IN MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP TRAININGBY KERRYN GREGORYMACCAUVLEI LEARNING ACADEMY.LINKEDIN PROFILE
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that the scales are tipping as organisations realise the power of properly equipped leaders on first line and middle management level.
I conduct summative assessments on NQF level 4 and 5 management development and am regularly reminded of the importance of practical application. Management and leadership theory is one thing but the practical application is a whole different kettle of fish as very often learners grapple with putting learning into action. For learning to stick, transfer is crucial and there are various ways that candidates can enhance their learning experience.
WHAT ENSURES SUCCESS IN DEVELOPING FIRST LINE AND MIDDLE MANAGEMENT?Well, for starters, your top management needs to buy into leadership and management development. This is a non-negotiable. It speaks for itself that when the top role-players support the process and understand the value of developing all staff, the pieces will fall into place easily.
Along with that, the role that mentors play is vital. Their involvement streamlines the learning process and assists learners on their discovery journey by putting all the new thinking into perspective and allowing opportunities for learning to cement itself in the practical application. Without this support and enablement, even the best-designed programme can fall flat and not yield results.
CANDIDATE SELECTION IS JUST AS IMPORTANTOn occasion, the individuals who could, and would, benefit most from the intervention are star workers and their presence at the workplace is greatly missed. That can result in the second- or third-choice candidate being sent on development as their absence is not felt as strongly back at the workplace. I’m happy to report that this is shifting. Along with pre-assessments on ability and learning potential, as well as the awareness of personal development plans and great performance management, we are getting the correct candidates on programmes. The buy-in to human assets and training processes is the start to real return on investment and wow - the results are speaking for themselves.I’ve seen relationships blossoming between operational management, HR and learning and development, which is hugely positive. HR is taking their rightful place at the management table, and operations is seeing the value in training and development. This is a cycle that repeats itself. All in all, there is a positive movement in management and leadership development, and I’m very happy to be a small part of that.
INDUSTRIAL NEWS .
TRAINING PRACTICES SURVEY 2014
Earlier in 2014, Profitwise, a Netherlands based research organisation, partnered with several South African organisations, including SABPP to conduct the South African leg of multi-country research into the effect of training practices on organisational success, with special reference to Small and Medium Enterprises. This is a summary of early findings from the South African sample. The full report will be available shortly and will be posted on the SABPP website.
SMEs are seen as agents of a healthy and growing economy. While studies have indicated that training has a positive effect on various business performance outcomes in SMEs, such as revenues, profitability, employee relations, employment growth, quality and productivity, these effects are not as large as they are for larger firms. One of the suggested reasons for this is the fact that larger firms have a more sophisticated and systematic approach to training while SMEs handle training in a more informal, unstructured way. In other words, the training practices large firms apply are more likely to obtain the desired effect from training. On the other hand, there are some SMEs that that are more effective in translating training efforts into business outcomes than others. This study examined the role training best practices play in business performance. But
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
• What training best practices are being applied within SMEs and is there an underlying dimensional structure in these practices?
• What reasons are given by SMEs for not sending their employees to training?
• Which and how do training best practices relate to business performance?
Business OrientationOur training programs are aimed at performance improvement Our training is aimed at continuous improvement of our employees Training within our organization is aimed at improving productivity We have training programs aimed at different levels of operational excellence Our training programs are aimed at improving the potential of our employees Our training practices are linked to our business plan Our training programs are aimed at improving the profitability of our organization We use training to anticipate on future capability needs Our training programs are linked to performance appraisals During the management review of the business plan, we also review our training plan
Work Integrated LearningWe recognize the importance of training on the job We train our employees on the job Most of training programs are on the job training programs Coaching is an important part of our training approach Our employees are aware of the importance of continuous training Mentoring is part of our training approach We have training manuals that can be used for on the job training We have a well-defined on the job training process To meet the training needs of our staff, we have a enough on the job trainers We prepare on the job training kits for our managers
Training ValidationWe observe whether the performance of our employees improved after the training We measure how satisfied the participants were with the training We measure what skills our employees have obtained from the training Based on training evaluation, we continuously improve our training programs
before this is possible, one needs to have an understanding of what training best practices are and how they relate to each other. The Benchmarking Training for Small and Medium Enterprises Against International Best Practices Study asked and answered the following questions…
THE TRAINING BIG FIVEEarly studies indicated that there is a set of 50 training best practices under which five clear themes became apparent.
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REASONS NOT TO TRAINThe five reasons that were most frequently given are displayed below.
Figure 1 Five most frequently given reasons to not send employees to training (South African SMEs) (N=125)
Figure 2 Five most frequently given reasons to not send employees to training (Malaysian SMEs) (N=60)
The literature provides two possible explanations for the fact that SMEs generally train their employees less than large companies. One is the ‘ignorance’ explanation that posits that the employer underestimates the value training can have. The second explanation is the ‘market’ explanation which holds that the employer makes an informed decision not to train because the benefits don’t way up to the cost for a smaller enterprise. Similar to the recent literature, the results of the current study are more in support of the ‘market’ explanation. The reasons that are given most frequently do not have an ignorant character but rather point to a decision not to train due to lack of resources. The role of training best practices in business performance
For measuring business performance we used several indicators which told us something about the business success (or lack thereof) of the participant the firm in 2013.
For SMEs, three dimensions of the Training Big Five had a positive and significant effect on business performance indicators. One strong direct effect was that of work integrated learning on competitive advantage. Furthermore, organisation & planning has a direct effect on the increase of employees and on the increase of employees’ salary. This implies that if SMEs plan and organise their training efforts systematically, they have a bigger chance of increasing their employees as well as the salaries of their employees.
17.4%
We struggle to find time for training
10.8%
We have no cash flow to pay for training
8.7%
The returns and benefits of training are not clear
7.9%
We have no budget for training
7.1%
Production suffers when employees go for training
Leadership InvolvementManagers observe if the performance of their employees improved after the training Our line managers and leaders are also on the job trainers Our heads of department are actively involved in training Our managers are required to train their employees Our managers are required to train other people in their field of expertise Our managers observe the training their employees
attend Our top management are positive role models when it comes to training Our managers do follow up discussions with participants after training The content of our training is discussed between line management and the trainers The head of our organization is a sponsor and champion of the training policy
Organisation & PlanningWe maintain individual employee training records To finance our training programs we make use of training funds We keep track on the implementation of our training plan Every year we prepare an annual training plan We have an annual training schedule Were fully utilizing the training levy We have a written training policy Every year our managers receive a training plan for the coming year We have a training plan that is displayed on the staff noticed board We have a professional training person at a manager level
We measure how much knowledge our employees gained after the training We measure if the attitude of our employees has changed after the training We conduct training needs analysis for all our programs After we evaluated a training program, we modify the training content We calculate the ROI of our training programs We conduct impact studies to demonstrate the added value of our training programs
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Another dimension of the Training Big Five that plays a major role when it comes to business performance is training validation. This dimension had a direct positive effect on four of the business performance indicators, namely, profit increase, sales revenue increase, performance increase and competitive business performance. Thus, evaluating and validating the training and its effects can have a substantial effect on business performance.
Figure 3 Significant direct effects of training best practices on business performance in SMEs (N=186)
Figure 4 Significant direct effects of training best practices on business performance in large companies (N=256)
For large companies, the results painted a different picture. First of all, training intensity did have a significant effect on one of the business performance indicators, namely, performance increase. Furthermore, the results showed the relevance of different dimensions of the Training Big Five when compared
INDUSTRIAL NEWS .
to SMEs. The dimension that play an important role for large firms were business orientation, leadership involvement, and training validation. Business orientation directly influenced employee increase and also showed a direct effect on client/customer increase. The positive effects of leadership involvement were directed at client/customer increase and sales revenue increase while training validation also had a positive effect on client/customer increase.Lessons to be learned
The results of this study clearly indicated that training best practices play a major role in increasing business performance. Rather than train more, these results suggest that SMEs should focus on train better. The activities surrounding training as captured under the Training Big Five, are shown to be of bigger influence than training intensity. Comparisons between South Africa and Malaysia
The full study compares results between South Africa and Malaysia and notes some interesting differences.
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STUDENT CHAPTERSTUDENT CHAPTERSince the accreditation of The Capital Hotel School and Training
Academy (CHS) in 2013, another successful group of Graduates
received their South African Board of People Practices (SABPP)
certification for the Human Resource Development course,
which forms part of their international two-year Hospitality
Operations qualification.
On Saturday, 15 March 2014, the Class of 2012 attended the
Graduation Ceremony hosted at the CHS campus in Pretoria. A
total of 57 students received certification during the ceremony,
of which 30 students successfully completed the Diploma in
Hospitality Operations qualification.
The two-year full time Diploma in Hospitality Operations
consists of the City & Guilds Diploma in Food and Beverage
Service, the City & Guilds Diploma in Reception Services and
the City & Guilds Diploma in Accommodation Services, Events
Management Certificate, Business Management modules as
well as Human Resource modules.
The Diploma in Hospitality Operations consist of full-time
lectures and experiential learning instilling the values of
“make learning happen”. Hospitality Operations students are
tasked with activities which is applicable to the Hospitality
industry; developing of manuals, research of HR practices in
the industry and various portfolio building tasks relevant to the
outcomes of the specific modules.
Charissa Bernard received the Merit Award for achieving the
best results overall for the Human Resource modules (which
includes the SABPP accredited modules).
Congratulations to Charissa Bernard and Mr Hennie Van Graan
(Human Resource Facilitator at The Capital Hotel School and
Training Academy).
For more information about full time qualifications as well as
part time courses (for individuals already in the Hospitality
industry) please contact The Capital Hotel School and Training
Academy (www.capitalhotelschool.co.za).
AND GET ACCESS TO THE BENEFITS OVER HERE
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STUDENT CHAPTER .
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HR VOICE . MAY 2014
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