Know Your Rights: Public Holidays

How Do I Pay My Staff For Public Holidays?

(1) An employer may not require an employee to work on a public holiday except in accordance with an agreement.

 

(2) If a public holiday falls on a day on which an employee would ordinarily work, an employer must pay:

(a) an employee who does not work on the public holiday, at least the wage that the employee would ordinarily have received for work on that day;

(b) an employee who does work on the public holiday:

(i) at least double the amount referred to in paragraph (a); or

(ii) if it is greater, the amount referred to in paragraph (a) plus the amount earned by the employee

for the time worked on that day.

 

(3)  If an employee works on a public holiday on which the employee would not ordinarily work, the employer must pay that employee an amount equal to:

(a) the employee’s ordinary daily wage; plus

(b) the amount earned by the employee for the work performed that day, whether calculated by reference to time worked or any other method.

 

(4)  An employer must pay an employee for a public holiday on the employee’s usual pay day.

 

(5)  If a shift worked by an employee falls on a public holiday and another day, the whole shift is deemed to have been worked on the public holiday, but if the greater portion of the shift was worked on the other day, the whole shift is deemed to have been worked on the other day.

https://2r.co.za/public-holiday-pay-2/

With a public holiday coming up next week Wednesday, this is a very topical question!

  1. Do temporary workers get paid the public holiday?
  2. Can you force staff to work the public holiday?
  3. Can you swop Monday off, instead of Tuesday?
  4. Visit our website to find these answers and more!

https://2r.co.za/public-holiday-pay-2/

Know Your Rights: How is overtime calculated?

How should I be calculating my Employees Overtime?

(1)  Subject to this Chapter, an employer may not require or permit an employee to work—

(a) overtime except in accordance with an agreement;

(b) more than ten hours’ overtime a week.

[Sub­s. (1) substituted by s. 3 (a) of Act No. 11 of 2002.]

(1A)  An agreement in terms of subsection (1) may not require or permit an employee to work more than 12

hours on any day.

[Sub­s. (1A) inserted by s. 3 (b) of Act No. 11 of 2002.]

 

(2)  An employer must pay an employee at least one and one­ half times the employee’s wage for overtime worked.

 

(3)  Despite subsection (2), an agreement may provide for an employer to—

(a) pay an employee not less than the employee’s ordinary wage for overtime worked and grant the employee at least 30 minutes’ time off on full pay for every hour of overtime worked; or

(b) grant an employee at least 90 minutes’ paid time off for each hour of overtime worked.

 

(4)  (a)  An employer must grant paid time off in terms of subsection (3) within one month of the employee becoming entitled to it.

(b)  An agreement in writing may increase the period contemplated by paragraph (a) to 12 months.

 

(5)  An agreement concluded in terms of subsection (1) with an employee when the employee commences employment, or during the first three months of employment, lapses after one year.

 

(6)  (a)  A collective agreement may increase the maximum permitted overtime to 15 hours a week.

(b)  A collective agreement contemplated in paragraph (a) may not apply for more than two months in any

period of 12 months.

[Sub­s. (6) added by s. 3 (c) of Act No. 11 of 2002.]

Know Your Rights: Overtime: What are considered ordinary working hours, and paid at normal rates?

Know Your Rights:

Overtime: What are considered ordinary working hours, and paid at normal rates?

What the Law says:

Chapter 2, Section 2.3 of The Basic Conditions of Employment Act No.75 of 1997, as amended in 2020 is part of the new amendment, and states:

Ordinary hours of work.

An employer may not require or permit an employee to work more than—

(a) 45 hours in any week; and

(b) nine hours in any day if the employee works for five days or fewer in a week; or

(c) eight hours in any day if the employee works on more than five days in a week.

 

(2)  An employee’s ordinary hours of work in terms of subsection (1) may by agreement be extended by up to 15 minutes in a day but not more than 60 minutes in a week to enable an employee whose duties include serving members of the public to continue performing those duties after the completion of ordinary hours of work.

 

(3)  Schedule 1 establishes procedures for the progressive reduction of the maximum ordinary hours of work to a maximum of 40 ordinary hours of work per week and eight ordinary hours of work per day.

 

Daily wage payment.

(1)  An employee or a worker as defined in section 1 of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2018, who works for less than four hours on any day must be paid for four hours work on that day.

(2)  This section applies to employees or workers who earn less than the earnings threshold set by the Minister in terms of section 6 (3).

 

 

(You can download a full copy of the Act Basic Conditions of Employment Act No  here)

What the CCMA Says:

The CCMA also has a very useful Information sheet that breaks down all the relevant legislation    

Download a copy of the CCMA Information Sheet on the Working Time

 

Who Does this Chapter on Leave Apply To?

This chapter does not apply to senior managerial employees, employees engaged as sales staff who travel, and employees who work less than 24 hours a month.

 

More Resources on This Topic that May Interest You:

Code of Good Practice on the Arrangement of Working Time

 

Disclaimer: RESOURCE recruitment is not a Labour Consultancy and is not giving Labour Advice.  The above information is freely available on the Department of Labour and CCMA website, and any legal advice should be sought from a legal professional.

2024 Calendar

Important Dates in 2024 in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Follow the links below to download PDF versions of all your South African important dates, events, public holidays and more!

2024 important dates – website

2024 Calendar Calendars

Environmental_

Calendar

Metric_Information

Special Days to Remember

St. Valentine’s Day                                               Wednesday14 February

St. Patrick’s Day                                                   Sunday17 March

Mother’s Day                                                         Sunday 12 May

Father’s Day                                                          Sunday16 June

Casual Day                                                            Friday 06 September

Boss’s Day                                                             Wednesday 016 October

Birthstones & Flowers

January Garnet, Carnation

February Amethyst, Violet

March Bloodstone, Jonquil

April Diamond, SweetPea

May Emerald, LilyoftheValley

June Pearl, Rose

July Ruby, Larkspur

August Sardonyx, Gladiolus

September Sapphire, Aster

October Opal, Calendula

November Topaz, Chrysanthemum

December Turquoise, Narcissus Wedding

The Future of Recruitment

They say that it takes 21 days to make a habit and 90 days to make a lifestyle.

At the beginning of March 2020, a lot of companies started social distancing and started moving to virtual meetings, and a lot of our clients offered virtual interviews to job seekers who were not comfortable with face to face meetings.  It certainly was an interesting venture to embark on, and people around the world were suddenly trying to figure out how to host a meeting, what software was the most professional, and what etiquette to put in place to make the meetings and interviews as professional as possible. 

By the middle of April, most companies had passed the 21 days and the habit was firmly entrenched in the business practice.  More than being a way that they had to operate to merely function, virtual meetings have become a welcomed connection with colleagues, staff and clients.  Many festivals and conferences have gone virtual, and the exercise industry has exploded into the virtual meetings space.  In short, for most people, connecting on Zoom, Google Meet, Google Hangout, WhatsApp Video Calls, Teams, Skype or similar platforms, has become to equivalent to popping into the office next door, or catching up over a coffee to discuss an idea.

Whether or not you are going back to work in June, Social Distancing is here to stay for the rest of the year, to a greater or lesser extent, and as we leave 2020, virtual meetings will be a part of normal business.

What this means for recruitment, is that the majority of job interviews are going to be done via video interview in the future, especially as a first-round interview.  Some of the advantages to virtual interviews are that employers can now look at applicants out of the area; at applicants that could not get time off work to attend an interview; they are able to record interviews easily to refer back on; they are able to conference in more that one manager to interview, and it is far more efficient on time management and productivity. 

What this means to job seekers, is that if you want to position yourself ahead of other job seekers, you need to be proactive and get comfortable with virtual interviews.  RESOURCE recruitment has been doing virtual interviews throughout lockdown, assisting and coaching job seekers on this new platform, and the response has been unanimously positive and motivating for job seekers.

In January 2020, if you had tried to fax your CV or look in the Sunday newspaper for a job, you would not have been highly effective in securing interviews and employment.  That is how things were done 20 years ago.  It is time to evolve and embrace the new technology.  Create a professional online presence on platforms such as LinkedIn, load your CV onto job portals, and get comfortable with virtual interviews.  You will be pleasantly surprised at how this new change in the way things are done, benefits you.

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”. — John F. Kennedy.

Why use our Recruitment Agency?

  1. We have a wealth of knowledge and experience.

RESOURCE recruitment was established in 2002, after the owner, Kirsten Glen, has been working in the industry for a number of years.  RESOURCE recruitment prides itself in having an exceptionally low staff turnover, which means that our consultants have developed long term relationships with our clients, and are seasoned professionals in the industry.  Our team interviews job seekers all day, every day, and consultants with our clients on their requirements and job specifications.  This experience translates into being able to often detect irregularities and discrepancies in applicants CV’s and reasons for leaving jobs, and often insights into the best person to fit our client’s vacancies.

 

  1. We save you time and make your recruitment efforts more efficient

There is often a misconception out there that the market is flooded with job seekers.  While this may be the case to a certain extent, it does not mean that the market is flooded with good applicants with the required skills, experience and work ethic that you are looking for.  With the volume of job seekers that we interview, and have interviewed over virtual interviews throughout lockdown, we have an extensive database of job seekers that have been reference checked and screened, saving you time and getting you straight to the interview stage!  We pride ourselves on always striving to get you CV’s within 24 hours of receiving your applicant requirements.

 

  1. We thoroughly background check all our applicants.

Having been in the industry for over 20 years, it still amazes me that recruitment agencies still market CV’s to their clients, without having interviewed the job seekers.  In a world inundated with fraud, it is essential to do extensive background checks- telephonically with previous employers, ITC and criminal checks, as well as ID, drivers and qualification checks where needed.  If you are wanting a mentally healthy employee, and one who hold the morals and values of your company heart, and will fit into the team, it also means checking their social media footprint and obtaining a clear character assessment.  We also offer psychometric tests, if this is something that you value.

 

  1. We are flexible

RESOURCE recruitment has been operating for almost 20 years, but we are still a small, personal business at heart.  This means that we cut the red tape, and meet our clients in the recruitment process, where they need us.  We are constantly innovating and adapting to the constantly changing marketplace; researching new jobs and industries, advertising on new platforms and trying new assessments and recruitment methods.  We also have a variety of flexible fee options, including our “Employ Now, Pay Later Option”  (DM us for more details)

 

  1. We are leaders in e-recruitment

We are aware that you need to be on every platform possible, to attract the best applicants for your job, so we have worked extensively over the past decade to build a huge following on Facebook (over 20 000 followers), LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram; in addition to our bulk mailer of over 35 000 active job seekers and a WhatsApp Broadcast list of 10 000, in addition to the traditional job portals that all employment agencies use.  We do not know of another local employment agency that comes close to competing with our e- footprint, which means when you let us submit CV’s for your vacancy, we submit different applicants, from a fresh new source.

 

  1. We are passionate about what we do!

Words cannot portray exactly how much we love our jobs and what we do.  We are passionate about helping both clients and job seekers and are very aware that we have the ability to change the lives of both, and take the whole process incredible personally.  We see ourselves as being partners in our client’s businesses and the careers of our candidates.  We are so excited about showing you what we can do!

 

 

 

The Corporate Jungle Gym

Looking for a job is like climbing a Jungle Gym, not a rickety, old ladder.

 

Years ago, you finished school, hopefully got a tertiary education and got a job.  Either the job was because of your qualification, or it was because of a friend or family member.  Then you stayed in that job for as long as possible, hopefully climbing the corporate ladder, one rung after the other, until you retired.

 

We don’t live in that world anymore, and if anything, COVID has completely toppled the ladder.

 

Today, looking for a job is like climbing a Jungle Gym.  Sometimes you have to take a sidestep, or a step down to get to another section, that you may want to climb.  New jobs and industries are emerging constantly, and what you studied may have nothing to do with the job you are offered.  Chances are the job that you were doing 6 months ago, looks nothing like the job you are doing today, or the job will do in 6 months’ time; which means that if you apply for and accept a job today, you have to be open to it evolving over the next year. (This is particularly true now, when companies are employing during social distancing and with COVID restrictions, which will not be in place forever).

 

This is what you need to know to succeed on the Corporate Jungle Gym:-

  • You need to be an out of the box thinker who looks for opportunity.

Research is showing the promotions & opportunities are going to those that ask for them and go the extra mile.

  • You need to be innovative & confident to tackle the unknown.

Skills are being sought every day in companies, that were never needed before.  Volunteer to take on the assignment, and you may just make it your new career.

  • You need to be a solutions finder, not a complainer.

At the pace business is moving, no one has time for complainers, or employees who are inflexible and want to stay on the ladder.  We need solution finders to take us further, and figure out the next step.

  • You need to be a good communicator.

Today, more than ever, communication skills and attitude are essential.  Business is rapidly evolving, moving to online platforms and remote working, and this increases the demand for good managers, and team players, more than decreases it.  You need to ensure that your social media, email and WhatsApp communication is as professional and effective, as if you were sitting across the table from the other person.

.

If you have been forced into the job market unexpectedly, or you are a graduate hoping to get that dream job in your field of study, you may have to change your perspective and expectations.  This does not mean that you will jump into a whole new career, but rather than you may just need to be a little more open minded.

 

The good news is that, you now have permission to set your sights on new & different opportunities that you may have never considered before.  To build on your hobbies, interests & passions; not just your skills, work experience & qualifications.

 

This Jungle Gym has potential to offer more fun to you than you ever dreamed!

Daily Guide to Preparing your CV

Are you in the situation where you need to get your CV together and start applying for jobs, but you don’t know where to start and are procrastinating and doing everything else? Are you worried that the people in your life think that you are lazy, but in reality, you are just overwhelmed?  Where do you even begin to put together a CV, and tackle such an important task as finding a job?

Easy- one day at a time!

We have broken down this overwhelming task, into seven easy, manageable steps.  Don’t overthink it, just start putting your CV together today!

Day One: Get a template

Start with a fresh new template.  Keep it simple and professional.  It does not have to be 2 pages, a 4-5-page CV is quite acceptable.  It’s important that your template has enough space to include all your duties and experience, rather than just look pretty.  Visit our website to download our free CV template, or have a look at the templates in MS Word and CANVA

Day Two: Data Capture the Easy Stuff

It’s a big scary blank document, so start by just data capturing the easy stuff such as your personal details, computer systems worked on, educational details and an overview of the companies you have worked for, with the most recent first.  By the time you are finished with the easy stuff, it won’t seem so overwhelming to fill in the blanks!

Day Three: Check the dates

You are going to be asked what dates you worked for at your different companies and these dates will need to correspond with your reference, LinkedIn profiles and your reasons for leaving. So, you might as well take a few minutes now to make sure they are in your CV and that they are all correct.

Day Four: Brainstorm all the duties

In the olden days, you had a two-page CV because job applications were faxed.  Today you upload them onto job portals and these CV’s are shortlisted by being “searched” for with keywords. To ensure that your CV appears in these searches you have to make sure that you list all your relevant duties. If it’s not on your CV- you never did it, and you won’t be shortlisted for the job.  If you don’t have a job description or a list of duties, start by brainstorming what a typical day was like.  Jot down the information in point form and put as much information down as you can.  You can always go back and group and edit duties.  Don’t assume that everyone knows what you do and where possible avoid using abbreviations.

Day Five: References & Background checks

Once you send your CV off a lot of companies will proceed with reference checks and background checks.  Put the managers that you would like contacted with the company details as well as their contact numbers on your CV.  It is also a good idea to let them know that you are putting them down as a reference.  At this point, you will also want to check your privacy settings on your social media accounts and make sure that your LinkedIn profile, mirrors your CV.

Day Six: Proofread

You should be trying to impress with your CV, so it should be an example of the best work that you can produce.  If it is littered with spelling and grammar errors, it won’t make a good impression.  Ask someone to read it over and check for mistakes. However, be careful of giving it to someone who wants to appear as professional and give unwanted advice.

Day Seven: Checklist

Make sure that your CV has the following: Your contact telephone number; Email address; The area and region that you live and can work; If you have your drivers licence and own car; How soon you can start a new position; Your ID number; And what computer packages you have worked on.

Your CV is a constantly developing portfolio of your experience, and as such, should never be a final copy.  Once you have a CV, start sending it out and applying for jobs.  As you get feedback from recruiters or realize that something is missing, alter and update it.

Be Mindful

It’s a stressful time for everyone.  This situation that we find ourselves in is completely unprecedented, and the unknown the future holds just amplified that stress.  It is so hard to not completely panic and be crippled by anxiety, but you have to stay mindful and keep focused. 

If you are a job seeker, it is especially important that you stay mindful and focus on your goals.  Often job seekers appear to be procrastinating about getting their CV together, applying for jobs,  and the process in general, when in reality, they are just overwhelmed by the process.  It’s scary, and if you lose perspective, it can be hard to know where to even start!

Here are a few things that may help you gain some control over the situation:

Mourn the loss

People resist change because they are mourning the loss of what was.  It’s okay to mourn.  It’s okay to look back on a job you loved, or a dream you have let go of.  The second you acknowledge that you are mourning the loss of what could have been, or was, you are able to start moving forward and embrace the opportunity that today holds. 

Start looking for joy

I am a big fan of gratitude journals.  But these can get boring and a little stale if you are not feeling very grateful at the moment.  Try looking at things differently and look for joy.  The joy you feel waking up to the sound of rain or the birds chirping.  The joy you feel having the time to watch TV or read a book.  The joy of a hug from a loved one.  And if it does not bring you joy- like scrolling through social media feeds about the state of the world- stop!  Focusing on joy or gratitude slowly makes you more positive, and positivity attracts more positivity.

Set yourself goals and hold yourself accountable

The job-seeking process can be broken down into a number of little steps, which approached systematically, makes the whole process a lot more manageable.  Furthermore, it’s a constantly evolving process- so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get it right the first time.    You will do a CV, and then get feedback on it and need to add information.  You will not be shortlisted for a job, and then know the way you apply needs to change.  You will mess up answering an interview question, and then know how better to approach it the next time. 

Focusing on “getting the job” is getting ahead of yourself.  Focus rather on what kind of job you want, and then putting a cv together, then loading your details onto job portals, and then searching and applying for jobs, and then….

Make a list (write it down!) of what you need to do, then set yourself a goal for today, this week, this month.  Maybe today you are going to call someone and bounce ideas off them as to what job you should apply for (you don’t need to know the exact job title).  Then tomorrow draw up a CV- it’s as simple as data capturing your details info a template, and then reviewing it.  Maybe set yourself the goal of loading your CV onto a job portal every day.  Break the process down into bite-size pieces, and just look at the next piece, not the end goal. 

Activity attracts activity, and you will find that as soon as you start moving the process forward, things will start to fall into place.

Manage your time and skills

There are things that we cannot control, but there are plenty of more things that we can control.  You can control your time, and schedule time into your day to be still: exercise, look for a job, and improve your skills.  There are so many free resources out there at the moment, that you get to chose if you leave this time of being at home with new skills… or waste your days away.  When you are asked at your next interview, “What did you take away from the COVID19 shutdown?” or “How did you manage your time during the shutdown?” – how will you answer?

Here are just a few of the many resources available to you:

www.udemy.com  
www.coursera.org  
www.getsmarter.com  
www.udacity.com  
www.skillshare.com

https://thehollisco.com/pages/next90

There are also some great YouTube channels, podcasts and books to read or listen to.  If you have stumbled across a great site- set us know, so we can share it with other job seekers. 

Keep perspective

This will pass- it always does.  Times are tough, and they may get tougher… or they may not. And next year will most definitely bring a new set of achievements and problems; as will the following- that’s life.  Worrying about what will happen at the end of the month, or next month, does nothing to help you, it just makes you anxious and overwhelmed.  There may be retrenchments and jobs lost, but that does not mean that you will be unemployed or lose your job.  As long as there is a country and people living in it, there will be jobs.  If you want one of those jobs, you need to be present in this moment, and embrace this exciting new time as an opportunity.

Keep an eye out on our social media accounts (@resource_recruitment) and our website (www.2r.co.za) for more newsletters that will be coming out, on how to figure out what jobs you should apply for; how to draw up a CV; tips on getting the most out of job portals; your LinkedIn Profile; and so much more! 

 

Let’s Chat

The world is changing and so is the way we do business.  2020 has seen businesses globally, from big to small, being given the “virtual shove” into changing the way that they do things- working remotely and communicating electronically.

 

Since the day I opened RESOURCE recruitment almost 20 years ago, we have prided ourselves on being leaders in e- recruitment. With a Facebook Following of over 20 000 job seekers, almost 10 000 connections on LinkedIn and a Bulk Mailer of 35000 active job seekers (in addition to the regular online portals most employment agencies use), we have a very big digital footprint.  All that being said, I have always been adamant (and still am) that we need to maintain the human connection and personally meet our clients and candidates, get to know their businesses and them as people, and not be tempted into communicating exclusively electronically.

But, 2020 has had different ideas for me, and I am being forced to grow and evolve and embrace video meetings like Skype and WhatsApp Video Calls.

Here are some tips that I have researched that will help you prepare and ace your next video job interview!

  1. Dress to impress
    It is so tempting to not dress up for your interview, if you are sitting at home in casual wear.  There are two reasons why you should dress to impress.  The most important is the way that it makes you feel when you power dress in a smart outfit, versus the t-shirt you were going to wear.  The second is that research shows that on video job interviews, the details are amplified.  The person on the other side of the camera is more likely to notice your makeup, earrings and nail polish; than a person would face to face.  I have also read that shades of blue, black and white are the best colours to wear, because red, orange, yellow does not always appear good to other screens.

 

  1. Avoid interruptions

Most important- PICK A QUIET SPOT WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS.  Tell people that you are having a video meeting and that you cannot be interrupted.  If you can, lock the door so that no one walks in mid-meeting.  Personally, when I have tried to have a conversation with someone and there is a child screaming, or what feels like a party going on in their background, and I am battling to hear them, I get irritated at the lack of respect and professionalism that they are showing.  I can also only imagine how distracted they are feeling.

 

  1. Prepare your surroundings
    In a traditional interview, you are going to a company, or inviting them into your meeting room.  But on video interviews, you may be inviting them into your home.  Make sure that your backdrop is neat, uncluttered and does not reveal too much about you personally.  Be authentic.  I once had someone send me a video interview with some motivational books strategically placed on their desk to impress.  When I asked about their opinions on them, it was clear they had never even read them!

 

  1. Close other programs on your computer.
    Getting notifications during your interview is distracting and unprofessional. Before your interview, make sure all other windows on your computer are closed (especially if they make a noise).

 

  1. Look at the camera, not the screen.
    It is very tempting to watch yourself or your interviewer during a video session but looking directly at the video camera is the only way to maintain direct eye contact with your interviewer.

 

  1. Use notes, but not too many
    Don’t be afraid to help yourself with post-it notes or a copy of your resume handy when you interview. A benefit of having a video interview is that you can have a cheat sheet in front of you so that you don’t have to memorize everything and can keep your focus. However, avoid having scripts written out and being so concerned about the notes that you disrupt the flow and human connection of the interview by awkward pauses and papers flapping.

 

  1. Keep your profile professional.
    Unlike face-to-face interviews where your first impression is made by arriving well-presented and smiling as you shake someone’s hand, when you do a video interview it is different. The first impression is your profile, your username and your picture and before the call even clicks through you have made an impression. If your profile is not professional- create a new one.

 

  1. Watch your body language.
    Sit up straight, but keep your shoulders relaxed.  Chose a desk chair over a comfy couch.  Try not to fuss with your hair or fiddle with things on your desk.

 

  1. Practise makes perfect.
    The job interview itself or meeting is not the time to test the audio settings and internet connection and if your Skype is working.  Do that beforehand.  Video call some friends and ask them how you look, what the background looks like, and how they can hear you.  Get comfortable with seeing yourself as you talk to someone, and not getting distracted by that image, while you make a connection.

 

  1. Stay connected and engaged
    It’s easy to lose the connection with the person on the other side of the screen when you are talking too much, or not to notice when their interest has been lost.  Try have a two-sided conversation, rather than launch into long speeches.

 

This is new to us too, so we would love to hear any hint, tips and hacks you may have for video interviews or any experiences that you would like to share.