Business Chapter 12 Flashcards
Human Resource Management
What is the human resource function concerned with?
Its main role should be that of strategic partner, and human resource strategies should clearly demonstrate the organizational strategy regarding people, profit and overall effectiveness
Human resource management as a strategic partner
1.Improve the skills base of employees and contribute to the profitability of the organization
2.Integration and teamwork are essential for organizational success
3.Every manager in the org should realize the importance of recruiting, selecting, training, developing, rewarding, assisting and motivating employees
The contribution of human resources to organizational effectiveness includes the following
*Assisting everybody in the organisation to reach stated goals;
*Making efficient use of the skills and abilities of the human resource planning;
*Providing the organisation with well-trained and motivated employees;
*Assisting in the attainment of the employees’ job satisfaction and self-actualisation;
*Developing a quality of work life that makes employment in the organization desirable;
Human resource planning
is the process of using an organization’s goals and strategy to forecast the organization’s human resource needs in terms of finding, developing and keeping qualified human resources
List the 2 phases of human resource planning
Phase 1:Identify the work required by the organization
Phase 2:Human resource forecasting
Phase 3:The human resource plan
Phase 1
To identify a position in an organization, a job analysis process is followed, which generates two outcomes: a job description and a job specification.
Job analysis
is the process by which management systematically investigates the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job within an organization
various ways in which this information can be collected:
Observation by a qualified job analyst. The job analyst observes the employee working and records all the relevant information.
Interviewing, where the job analyst interviews an employee and asks for a description of responsibilities and tasks.
Questionnaires may also be used.
Job description
Whichever method of data collection is used for job analysis, the information is put in writing in a certain format so that other people who are not involved in the job analysis can gain thorough insight into the contents of the job.
Contents of a business:
Job title, purpose of the job, what the position holder will have to do, how the job must be done and under which conditions. It could be followed by a brief description of each main task, with more detail. A description of the kind of decisions that need to be made by the employee may follow, as well as the relevant lines of authority
Job specification
The personal qualifications an employee must possess in order to perform the duties and responsibilities depicted in the job description are contained in the job specification. Typically, job specifications detail the knowledge, skills and abilities
relevant to a job, including the education, experience, specialized training, personal traits of the person doing the job may
also include the physical demands the job places on an employee.
Phase 2
The purpose of human resource forecasting is to
balance human resource supply and human resource demand. Demand is affected by business objectives because these objectives determine the number of people needed to attain them. Supply is affected by the human resource programmes providing the human resources
Economic growth
This involves forecasting the expected growth (or shrinkage) of
the business in view of probable economic developments. For example, will there be a recession or growth in the near or distant future?
New developments in the business
These include planned physical extensions,
the establishment of new branches and technological changes (especially those that will affect staff, for computerized machinery might create a greater need for technically skilled employees)
The labor market
Important questions in this regard include: Are there
sufficient opportunities in the labor market, or is there a high level of unemployment?
Phase 3
The purpose of this plan is to provide concrete guidelines and steps that indicate how the business’s short-, medium- and long-term human resource requirements can be provided for
Such a human resource plan might, for example, make provision for an active recruiting campaign, emphasize the need for intensive training programmes or even make a strong recommendation to automate because of a possible shortage of human resources
Recruiting
To ensure that a sufficient number of, and competent, applicants apply for the various jobs in the business as and when required
There are two basic sources: recruitment from
inside the organization and recruitment from outside the organization
Recruitment from inside the organization
Means trying as far as possible to fill vacant positions with existing staff members, except for jobs on the lowest levels. In
practice, it means that people from outside are appointed only at the lowest level and that all more senior jobs in the hierarchy are filled by means of promotion of existing staff
Employment Equity Act (No. 55 of 1998) and the Labor Relations Act (No. 66 of 1995)
Several methods can be used for internal recruitment
Talent inventories, career development systems, acting and secondment arrangements, job shadowing and
supervisory recommendations.
Advantages of internal recruitment
*Career planning becomes possible, in that individual employees see a future for themselves in the business
*Assessment of applicants is easier because the business already has considerable information on the possible candidates’ abilities, work performance and potential.
*The cost of recruitment is low because advertising, travel and board-and-lodging expenses are largely eliminated
Disadvantages of internal recruitment
*The business tends to stagnate because staff members often think like their predecessors. There are therefore no new ideas, and this impacts innovation and creativity negatively.
*Staff appointed at lower levels do not necessarily have the potential to fill senior management posts
*There can be a lot of personal competition among colleagues, to the detriment of co-operation between them
Recruitment from outside the organization
Recruitment from outside means looking for suitable applicants outside the business when a post becomes vacant (external recruiting).
Advantages of external recruitment
An active effort is made to obtain the right person for the job – that is, someone with the most suitable qualifications and experience.
The opportunity is created for bringing in new ideas, schools of thought and approaches, which considerably increase the possibility for innovation in the
business.
Disadvantages of external recruitment
*Recruiting costs are considerably higher for items such as advertising and travelling expenses to enable applicants to come from elsewhere for the interview
*It is risky because the assessment of applicants can never be perfect. The possibility therefore exists that the successful applicant will not be successful in the job.
*The morale of existing personnel can be negatively influenced. Employees with high potential will not be prepared to stay indefinitely at the same level and might
consider resigning
Combinations of internal and external recruitment approaches
*Some businesses first look inside. They only recruit outside if they cannot find a suitable candidate.
*Some businesses advertise all jobs above a certain level, but encourage existing personnel to apply. In this way, management tries to find the most suitable candidate, regardless of whether the person comes from inside or outside
The recruiting procedure(from inside)
If a business recruits from inside, the HR manager must ensure that an efficient human
resource record system exists. It is called a known as a human resource information system (HRIS).This information from HRIS also includes the candidates’ readiness for the job, which may also be assessed through the
organization’s HRIS and talent data. When a job becomes vacant, the HR manager should be in a position to identify the most suitable candidates. Makes them aware of the developmental journey
The recruiting procedure(from outside)
The HR manager must know exactly who to recruit, where to recruit from and how people should be
recruited. Thorough analysis of labour market. A labour market can be defined as all the people who are able to work and
want employment in an area or a country, in relation to the number of jobs that are available in that area or country
Recruiting methods
Recruitment through advertisements
Recruitment through private employment/recruitment agencies.
Recruitment through existing employees
Recruitment through personal approach
Recruitment through radio, TV and the Internet (e-recruiting)
Sundry recruiting strategies
An indication of remuneration
An indication of the remuneration offered is also important, firstly to draw the right applicants and secondly to eliminate potential applicants who already earn more
Advantages of e-recruitment
»E-recruitment involves a shorter recruiting cycle time, improving HR’s efficiency in the recruiting process.
»It attracts passive job seekers.
»It is not limited to local candidates, but provides wider –even global – coverage.
Disadvantages of e-recruitment
»It attracts a huge volume of unqualified candidates.
»It can result in outdated resumes.
»E-recruitment tools may not be user-friendly.
Selection
Selection is the process of determining which individuals are best suited to fill positions in the organisation, taking into account individual differences, the requirements of the job, and the organisation’s internal and external environments.
List the 3 phases of selection
The selection process to be used for senior management posts can be divided into
the following three phases:
1.Preliminary screening
2.Intensive assessment
3.Final selection
Preliminary screening
The most efficient method for separating undesirable candidates from potential applicants is to compare the application with the job specification
This interview provides the HR manager with the
opportunity to form a general opinion of the applicant based on appearance,
articulateness and self-confidence. It also gives the applicant the opportunity to obtain
more information about the business and the specific job.
the HR manager should learn answers to the following questions:
*Does the applicant comply with the minimum requirements as given in the job
specification?
*Which type of jobs did the applicant hold in the past?
*How quickly did he or she progress? This demonstrates agility to progress
Intensive assessment
Intensive assessment basically involves two steps: psychological testing and diagnostic interviewing. Although medical selection usually forms part of the final selection process
Psychological testing can provide valuable information about an applicant. Tests usually involve a measurement of the applicant’s personality, abilities and management skills
A diagnostic interview is used to obtain information that was not highlighted in the tests or on the application form . A good interviewer looks for certain characteristics by asking specific questions about the applicant’s past performance
Final Selection
At the stage of final selection, there is usually enough information available about the applicants to compile a shortlist of approximately three persons
In the final comparison of applicants, it may be useful to interview all three (or two) again briefly. What is essential, however, is to record the strengths and weaknesses of each of the final applicants in writing before the final decision is made. These documents must be kept for record purposes should a problem arise in the future.
On-boarding
The new employee must go through a process of on-boarding (also known as induction, orientation or socialisation). On-boarding is the process of introducing the employee to the organisation and to make him or her familiar with the details and requirements of the position
An induction programme will achieve the following:
*Introduce new employees to their colleagues, and facilitate and expedite the socialisation process;
*Explain the business’s policy, procedures and rules to new employees so that they are aware of the environment in which they will be working;
*Inform new employees about the business’s history, products and services, as well as its reputation in the market
*Inform employees about practical arrangements – for example, payment procedures, overtime payment, incentive systems, eating arrangements
*Inform employees about the organisational structure of the business, and show them where they fit in and which communication channels are available to them
Off-boarding
Off-boarding is the process in which an employee leaves the service of the organisation due to retirement, resignation or any other reason. This process is also a very important phase in the life of an employee and the organisation because it entails
important processes such as exit interviews
Human resource development methods
Training(typically involves providing employees with the knowledge and skills needed to do a particular task or job, although attitude change may also be attempted) and development(in contrast, have a longer-term focus on preparing for future work responsibilities, while at the same time increasing the capacities of employees to perform their current jobs)
Technical and management training(The word ‘technical’ refers not only to tasks performed in a workshop, but any task that has to be performed physically, refer to all non-management tasks. By ‘management’, we mean tasks undertaken to achieve business goals such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling people, finances and physical resources )
Human resource development
As a set of systematic and planned activities designed by an organisation to provide its members with the opportunities to learn necessary skills to meet current and future job demands
When should HRD activities commence
When an employee joins an organization during the on-boarding process and continues throughout their career.
What should HRD programmes respond to?
Must respond to job changes and must integrate the long-term plans and strategies of the organization to ensure the efficient and effective use of resources
Development methods
On-the-job training and development
Away-from-the-job training and development
On-the-job training and development
Trainees learn by observing experienced employees and by working with the materials, personnel or machinery that constitute the job. Therefore, the transfer of training is high
On-the-job training and development methods
Job rotation
Job shadowing
Job enrichment
Apprenticeships
Job instruction training
Coaching
Mentoring
Internships
Job rotation
Job rotation is when a staff member is moved to a new job as a means of enriching and stretching the staff member, provided the staff member knows the current job well.
It is important to note that job rotation requires targeted development to ensure general competencies
Job shadowing
It is an intervention that supports an employee who desires to become familiar with a job. This occurs by means of following and observing a trained, knowledgeable and experienced employee in the field.
Job shadowing advantages
It allows the individual to gain comprehensive and practical knowledge about what an employee who holds a particular job does in that job every day.
*It is effective for employees who may want to test their interest and capabilities in a
career by finding out what happens in a particular job every day.
*The seeing, as opposed to the telling, element of the intervention is regarded as a
key element of learning the job. This allows an employee to experience the realities
and nuances of what the job means and what is required to perform it
Enlarged and enriched job responsibilities
By increasing the employee’s duties,responsibilities and autonomy, the organisation
will allow the employee to learn more about the job, department and organisation. In this way, the organisation will build capability, increase employees’ confidence
and engage and retain talented employees.
Job instruction training
Job instruction training (JIT) is a series of steps that supervisors follow when training their employees
The simple steps in JIT are
preparation, presentation, performance try-out and follow-up
Coaching
Most coaches also
encourage their employees to discuss difficult situations as they arise and work together through alternative scenarios for dealing with them
Mentoring
Mentoring is a developmental partnership through which one person shares knowledge,
skills, information and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else. Everyone needs insight that is outside of his or her normal life and educational experience. it creates an excellent opportunity for collaboration, goal achievement and problem-solving.
Apprenticeships (learner ship) and internships
Apprenticeships and internships are formal development, because the employee receives a formal qualification after completion. An internship provides a realistic preview of the job and the organisational conditions in which an employee is likely to work
Away-from-the-job training and development
This method of training and development includes any form of training performed away from the employee’s immediate work area.
Away-from-the-job training and development methods
Lectures
Conferences or discussions
Seminars
Vestibules/simulations
E-learning
Case studies
Role playing
In-basket exercises
Lectures
an education, training and development (ETD) practitioner can provide information to a large group of people in a timely manner. This method,
however, has two
disadvantages, namely that behavioural skills are not learnt because there is little to no interaction between the learners; and the learners are often bored
and may not listen efficiently, because
communication is only one way
Conferences or discussions
Discussing problems and critical issues in a conference or discussion format permits a
dialogue between the trainer and the trainee, as well as among the trainees. Two-way communication takes place that provides trainees with immediate feedback on their questions and ideas and increases their motivation
Seminars
This type of course is especially valuable to smaller companies
that want to expose only a few staff members to this type of training and can therefore not present the course within the organization. The disadvantage here is that training material becomes generalized because it must apply to a number of widely divergent companies.
Vestibules/simulations
A vestibule or simulation is created to resemble the employee’s actual work area and is performed with the aid of an instructor who demonstrates on the same kind of machine and uses processes the trainee will use on the job
E-learning
E-learning refers to web-based learning, virtual classrooms, computerised learning modules, interactive TV, satellite broadcasts, and other such technology
Case studies
A case study is a written description of an organisational problem and requires participants to identify and analyse specific problems, develop alternative courses of action and recommend the best alternative
The purpose of a case study is to enhance problem-solving skills.
Role playing
During role playing, the participants play the roles of those involved in an
organisational problem
The goals of role-playing are to analyse interpersonal
problems and develop human relations skills.
In-basket exercises
In-basket exercises are designed to develop the analytical and problem-solving skills of lower-level managers. This technique includes a series of hypothetical problems that a supervisor may find in a typical in-basket. The in-basket forces the trainee to make immediate decisions and to set priorities
The danger of the ‘shotgun’ approach to development
Various organisations use a ‘shotgun’ approach to development (this means an indiscriminate approach to development). The reasoning is as follows: if a training programme is good for one employee, then it must be good for everyone. So, it is implemented throughout the organisation. From this approach, it is evident that
organisations do not take time to conduct a training needs analysis
The successful HR manager attempts to obtain as much value as possible from development programmes
1)They make a thorough analysis of the development needs that exist within the company and then chooses training programmes on the basis of how specific programmes comply with these needs.
2)he or she ensures that training money is spent only on members of staff who show a potential for further development.
3)the HR manager makes plans with the immediate superior of the employee concerned to utilise his or her new skills or insight in the work situation.
4)the HR manager undertakes follow-up studies to determine whether the training programmes have had the desired results
Performance appraisal
The purpose of a performance appraisal is to determine in which aspects the employee has:
*performed exceptionally well (that is, surpassed the requirements for the job);
*complied with the requirements for the job; or
*not complied with the requirements for the job.Performance appraisal is also called employee rating, employee evaluation,
performance review, performance evaluation and results appraisal
The results of a performance appraisal can be used for four basic purposes:
1.To provide a basis for financial rewards
2.To determine whether the employee should be promoted to a higher level of work
3.To provide the employee with feedback on how well he or she is doing
4.To determine areas for training and development
In order to be effective, the appraiser should focus on the following:
*Give specific examples of desirable and undesirable behaviours, without mentioning real-life situations.
*Focus feedback on behaviour and not the person.
*Give feedback that will allow the employee to be successful.
*Direct feedback towards behaviour that the employee can control.
*Feedback should be timely, concise and specific.
*Limit feedback to the amount the employee can process.
*Use active communication skills
Compensation of employee
Compensation refers to both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.It is one of the most important factors that motivate an individual to seek employment with a specific company
Important points to note when drawing
1) A decision must be made about how the company’s compensation in general should compare with hat of the labour market
2)A policy must be determined on a cost-of-living adjustment
3)The compensation policy must determine which form rewards will take. Most companies reward by means of salary increases. Other companies, however,
only give salary increases in accordance with the rise in the cost of living, and then
give cash bonuses to reward good work performance.
Direct compensation
Is the basic salary or wage an employee recieves.Thus, there is no direct relationship between the compensation employees receive and the amount of work that they perform there is no distinction between productive and unproductive workers. To overcome this problem, some companies use a piece-wage system. Here, the employee is compensated for the amount of work he or she performs, regardless of the time taken to perform the work
Indirect compensation
The benefits an employee receives from his or her membership of an organisation are called fringe benefits. These benefits increase in size and scope as the employee moves to higher levels in the organisation.
Fringe benefits generally provided are:
*leave benefits, for holidays
*insurance benefits, medical costs
*housing benefits, in the form of free housing
*car benefits, which can vary from a free car with all expenses paid to financial
assistance with buying a car.
Rewards
Salary increase
A distinction must be made here between the cost-of-living adjustment (given to all employees to adjust to the inflation rate) and merit increases given in recognition of the individual’s achievement.
*Some companies give financial bonuses
reward outstanding employees with a paid holiday or an overseas trip with all expenses paid
To determine compensation amount
Make an external comparison(salary survey, What is the nature and scope of their fringe benefits)
Make an internal comparison (This means that the value of jobs must be compared with each other in terms of the demands they make on the
employee)
Human resource
management attributes(successful organizations)
*Primary benefits – monetary benefits like pay
*Secondary benefits and working conditions – non-monetary benefits like leave allowance
*Training and development – how the employer helps you to grow in your role;
*Career development – includes long-term career path development
*Company culture and diversity – the combined efforts of the employer to establish a strong company culture
This internal comparison is known as job evaluation
One method is to rank all jobs in the company in terms of their ‘value’. This ranking system is usually used in small-to medium-sized companies, and the assessment is made by a panel of senior managers.
A second general method of job evaluation is the factor-comparison method. According to this method, jobs are compared according to the demands they make on the employee in terms of factors such as knowledge, communication skills, level of
responsibility and, especially, decision-making skills
What twofold purposes does job description have?
1.They form the basis for a job specification, with a view to recruitment, selection and training.
2.They provide a basis for job comparison, with a view to job evaluation.
Part of the responsibility of the human
resource department and line managers is to turn the potential of employees into
performance. This involves
*shifting trends in talent behaviour and aligning strategy with people;
*the changing psychological contract and building a successful employment
relationship;
*engagement strategies; and
*recognition strategies at individual level
What is employee performance in organizations determined by?
a desire to do the job (motivation), the capability to do the job (ability) and the resources to do the job (work environment)
Motivation
Motivation refers to those forces within a person that affect his or her direction,
intensity and persistence of behaviour that is within the control of the person. A
motivated employee is willing to exert a particular level of effort (intensity) for a certain amount of time (persistence) towards a particular goal (direction)
Content approaches
*Content approaches try to determine those things that actually motivate people to do their jobs, or the ‘what’ of motivation.also known as need theories these theories try to identify employees’ needs and the goals they want to attain in order to satisfy these needs
Process theories
in contrast, try to explain the actual process, or the ‘how’ of motivation.These approaches are therefore concerned with trying to establish how employee behaviour is energised, directed, maintained and stopped
What do content approaches include?
The content approaches include Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Clayton Alderfer’s ERG theory, Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory and David McClelland’s learnt-needs theory. While the first three theories are based on primary instinctive needs, McClelland maintains that needs are learnt and reinforced
Maslows hierarchy of needs
where the lowest-level needs are
physiological needs and the highest-level needs are self-actualisation needs
Psychological needs,safety and security needs, Affiliation needs,
esteem needs and self-actualization
ALDERFER’S ERG THEORY
*Existence needs. These needs relate to a person’s basic, material, existence needs.
These needs correspond to Maslow’s physiological and safety needs.
*Relatedness needs. These needs concern a person’s desire for interpersonal relationships and interaction
*Growth needs. These relate to the desire of an individual to make a creative or
productive contribution
HERZBERG’S TWO-FACTOR THEORY AND JOB ENRICHMENT
*The maintenance (hygiene) factors The maintenance factors are those aspects that people consider essential to do any job, for example, organisational policy and administration, equipment, supervision
*Motivational factors, also called growth factors, are focused on the content of the
job. They include aspects such as achievement ,recognition for what has been achieved, the job itself , progress and growth, responsibility and feedback.
McClellands theory of needs
*Need for achievement (nAch). This is a need to excel, to be successful or to exceed a set standard.
*Need for power (nPow). This is a need to be influential, to control others or to
make others behave in a way they would not otherwise behave.
*Need for affiliation (nAff). This is the need for warm and close interpersonal
relationships, and to be liked and accepted by others
What do process approach include
Expectancy theory
Equity theory and organizational justice
Goal-setting theory and feedback
Expectancy theory
According to Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory, motivation depends on two aspects: how much we want something and how likely we think we are to get it. There are four assumptions upon which the expectancy theory rests:
1.Behaviour is a combination of forces controlled by the individual and the
environment.
2.People make decisions about their own behaviour in organisations.
3.Different people have different needs, goals and desires.
4.People will act in a certain way, and the tendency to act in a certain way depends
on the strength of the expectation that the action will be followed by a given
outcome and the degree to which the person desires the outcome.
Three concepts in expectancy theory
Expectancy refers to a person’s belief that a certain level of effort will lead to a
particular level of performance (effort → performance expectancy).
Instrumentality refers to the strength of a person’s belief that a certain
performance will lead to a specific outcome (performance → outcome expectancy)
Valence (desirability) refers to the attractiveness or anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction that the individual feels towards the outcome. It is determined by
the person’s perceptions about how much the outcome will fulfil or interfere with his or her needs
Some of the most important implications of the expectancy theory for management are as follows:
*Managers are advised to enhance effort → performance expectancies by assisting
employees to accomplish their personal goals. They can do this by providing
support, coaching, training and development, and also by increasing employees’ self-efficacy
*Attempts should also be made to link personal goals to organisational goals.
How to restore equity after equity tension has been experienced
*The employee may change inputs.
*The employee may change outputs.
*The employee may change his or her attitude.
*The employee may change the person with whom he or she compares himself or herself.
*The employee may leave the job.
Organisational justice
Distributive
Procedural
Interactional
How does management give effective feedback?
*Give feedback immediately.
*Evaluations should be descriptive.
*The focus should be on behaviour and not on personality.
*Feedback should be specific and not general (components of performance and not performance as a whole).
*Feedback should be directed at behaviour that can be changed.
*Development activities should be agreed upon.
Self-efficacy
It refers to the belief in one’s capacity to perform a specific task to reach a specific goal
How can self-efficacy be applied
Provide guidance and support to the employee, increasing the likelihood that he or she will experience success when performing a challenging task.
*Provide successful role models (mentors) who have already mastered a similar task.
*Be a targeted ‘cheerleader’ emphasising the employee’s knowledge and ability.
*Reduce stress in the environment that is unrelated to the challenging task.
Employee motivational strategies
Job design
Employee involvement programmes such as participative management and quality circles
Management by objective strategies
Intrapreneurial incentives
Training and education
Employee-recognition programmes
Empowerment programmes
Reward systems
Career management
Employee engagement
The Constitution
It provides for the legislature (parliament), the judiciary (the courts of law) and the executive (national, provincial and local government) arm of state
The Bill of Rights protects a number of important fundamental rights. Section 23 of the Constitution of 1996 relates specifically to labour rights
Labour relations act
This Act regulates the organizational rights of trade unions and promotes and facilitates collective bargaining at the workplace and at sectoral level
Labour relations act contents
Freedom of association
Organisational rights
Bargaining and statutory councils
Strikes and lockouts
Collective agreements
Unfair dismissals
Workplace forums
Agency shop agreements and closed shop agreements
THE COMMISSION FOR CONCILIATION, MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION (THE
CCMA)
THE LABOUR COURT AND THE LABOUR APPEAL COURT
A grievance
a grievance is an employee’s response to a real, perceived or alleged breach of the terms of the employment contract. Possible examples include one-sided changes to the employee’s conditions of employment, or an employee
being insulted by a supervisor
Grievance handling procedure advantages
*It is a safety valve that will release the tension and dissipate the latent aggression inherent in all businesses.
*It allows the raising and settlement of a grievance by a worker without fear of
retribution or victimisation.
*It makes for an open and honest relationship between manager and worker.
*It allows managers to identify and remove legitimate causes of dissatisfaction or
conflict.
Disciplinary procedure
Discipline can be described as any action or behaviour on the part of authority (the
employer) in a social system that is aimed at stopping member behaviour that threatens to disrupt the functioning of the system.
The principles underlying the disciplinary procedure are:
*the employer’s right to take disciplinary action against an employee who breaches a rule or standard governing conduct in the workplace (see the box that follows);
and
*the employee’s right to a fair procedure
Basic conditions of employment act(no.75 of 1997)
Introduction and application
Working time
Leave
Remuneration,deductions and notice of termination
Administrative obligations
Prohibition of the employment of children and forced labour
Variation of basic conditions of employment
Employment condition commission and inspectors
The employment equity act(No.55 of 1998)overall purpose of the Act is to achieve equity in the workplace, chiefly
through the following two main elements:
1.The prohibition of unfair discrimination, which applies to all employers
2.Affirmative-action measures, which apply only to ‘designated’ employers.
The most important provision of equity act are as follows
Employers are required to take steps to end unfair discrimination in their
employment policies and practices.
*Discrimination against employees or job
*Medical and psychometric testing of employees is prohibited unless properly
justified.
*Employers must prepare and implement employment equity plans after conducting a human resource planning analysis and consulting with unions and employees.
*Employers must take measures to reduce disproportionate income differentials progressively
Objectives of Skill development act(no.97 of 1988)
*to develop the skills of South African human resource planning;
*to increase the levels of investment in education and training in the labour market and to improve the return on investment;
*to employ persons who find it difficult to be employed;
*to encourage workers to participate in learning and other training programmes
*to ensure the quality of education and training in and for the workplace;
Following institutions established by SDA
*The National Skills Authority
*The National Skills Fund and the skills-development levy grant scheme as
stipulated in the Skills Development Levies Act (No. 9 of 1999)
*The SETAs
*Labour centres
*The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
*Department of Labour provincial offices
*The National Artisan Moderating Body.
Purpose of the skills development
The purpose of the Skills Development Levies Act is to provide for the imposition of a skills-development levy
Most important aspects are
Levy to be paid
Payment of levy to commissioner and refund
Exemptions from the act
The national qualifications framework act(no.67 of 2008)
*the verification of all qualifications or part–qualifications by the SAQA;
*the formulation of criteria for evaluating foreign qualifications;
*separate register for professional designations;
*the referral of qualifications or part-qualifications to SAQA for verification and
evaluation; and
*offences and penalties which have a bearing on fraudulent qualifications
The occupational health and safety act(no.85 of 1)
According to this Act, employers have the following general duties to their employees:
*To provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees.
*To take whichever steps are necessary to eliminate any hazard or potential hazard to the safety or health of employees.
*To provide any information, instructions, training and supervision as may be
necessary to ensure the health and safety of all employees.
*To take all necessary steps to ensure that the requirements of this Act are complied with.
*To take any measures that may be necessary in the interests of health and safety.
The compensation for occupational injuries and diseases act(No.130 of 1993)
Employers must register and furnish the Commissioner with details about their
businesses. They must keep records of all employees, wages paid, and time worked for a period of four years. The record must be sent to the Commissioner each year.
The unemployment insurance act(No.63 of 2001)
Contributors who lose their jobs are entitled(as are their dependents) to these benefits:
Unemployment benefits
Illness benefits
Maternity/adoption benefits
Dependents benefits
Employment services act(No.4 of 2014)
Provides for public employment services that will play an active role in employment promotion in order to tackle high levels of unemployment
The protection of personal information act(no.4 of 2013)53(POPIA)
The act aims to promote the protection of personal information by private and public bodies and to provide for minimum conditions that should be followed in the lawful processing of information
