KEEP OLDER WORKERS OR FACE SKILLS GAP

Oh don't get me started! South Africa clearly has no intention of waking up until it is far too late, if it isn't too late already. Then they will probably react by having a shower or eating beetroot and garlic!

Jokes aside - not only will we face skills shortages along with the rest of the world, but because of the whole Affirmative Action and BEE compliance regulations that we face - we don't even wait for our skills base to reach retirement age, we force them out to accomodate younger people with little or no skills, just because they are the right colour (sounds strange doesn't it - reverse apartheid if you ask me).

Then, when we feel the pinch, because we do not have the skill anymore, we import skills from India! For goodness sake people - we have a wealth of knowledge and skills right here at home! What on earth are you thinking!!!!!

Keep older workers or face skills gap
26 September 2007 at 11h00

Industrialised nations must convince older workers to stay on the job beyond retirement age or face a skills shortage and higher labour costs, a new study has warned. The study conducted earlier this year for the American Association of Retired People (AARP) by global consultancy Towers Perrin projects that by 2016, 39 percent of the population in the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations will be aged 50 or more compared with 30 percent in 1996. At the same time, the percentage of the labour force that falls in the traditional working age, 15-49 years, will have fallen from 51 percent in 1996 to 45 percent in 2016, the study predicted. "Many analysts are predicting growing labour shortages in tomorrow's workforce," the study warned."

Some companies face the near-term risk of losing many qualified, experienced and knowledgeable workers to retirement," it said. The grey-drain, coupled with the danger of insufficient talent to replace older workers going into retirement, could drive up labour costs as employers compete to take on skilled labour. Another issue encouraging employers to woo older workers is the increased longevity in developed nations. Workers who live longer are also likely to have longer retirements, and that raises the question of whether individual, company and government pension funds have the assets to cope. "The average male, age 65, who retired in 2001 will spend 16 to 18 years in retirement, versus 13 to 15 years on average for those who retired in 1980," the study found. "This trend raises significant questions with regard to... whether individuals, employers and governments have sufficient assets to fund such extended retirements," it said.

Employers could sidestep the looming crisis by "encouraging today's 50-plus workers to remain in the workforce longer," the study advised. Indeed, older workers in the G7 countries want to work, on average, an additional five years beyond the traditional retirement age, according to a survey of 8 200 workers in the grouping of countries - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - conducted for the study. But 60 percent of workers over the age of 50 said they came up against age discrimination in the workplace, and 40 percent perceived their employer as being reticent to take on older workers, the study showed. Governments and workers also have to take part in the process of encouraging older talent to remain in the workforce. France, and to a lesser extent Germany, have social models "in which the government plays a fairly large role in the management of workforce issues", which will make changing workers' perceptions of retirement difficult. "Early indications suggest that there is a growing consensus in Germany around the direction of change," but France "is less far along in the process and the consequences of reform are being hotly debated". Italy, which has a low retirement age, just over 60, and like Japan, a "rapidly ageing population, growing longevity and anaemic birth rate", was urged to step up the rate of policy change and to ease its "rigid labour laws."

But Japan is likely to be the hardest hit by the global greying of the workforce, the study showed. Not only is its workforce shrinking, but 72 percent of Japanese workers are aged between 50 and 64 and the Japanese people are the most long-lived on the planet. Britain, Canada, Germany and the US also have high percentages of workers in the older age category but, contrary to Japan, their workforces are growing. - AFP

POLICE FLUSH OUT ID FRAUDSTERS IN PTA

In my opinion, identity fraud is one of the most debilitating things that could happen to an individual. It's is like your whole life has been raped.

Take care of your documents, take care of your banking and/or legal correspondence. Makes sure that your FICA and FAIS responsibilities are always taken care of - don't give your personal information out willy nilly!

Police flush out ID fraudsters in Pretoria
January 19 2007 at 05:06AM
By Sholain Govender

Pretoria police have uncovered a fraudulent ID operation being run in the toilets of the department of home affairs in Pretoria. Two men, aged 36 and 66, were detained by police for questioning after a team of eight undercover officers found illegal documents hidden in the ceiling of a men's toilet cubicle at the offices in Pretorius Street on Thursday. Police spokesperson Inspector Paul Ramaloko said the men detained were not home affairs employees but it appeared that they ran an illegal operation from the building's toilets.

Acting on information received after several arrests in connection with ID and passport fraud last week, police searched the seventh floor restrooms at the Home Affairs building. They found the stash of documents, including passport papers, identity document application forms, forms for resident permits and visitors' visas.

Ramaloko said the men were detained after entering the rest-room. "These men were possibly working with Home Affairs officials because there are official stamps on some of the documents," said Ramaloko. The police also confiscated fingerprint ink pads, several wallets containing bank cards, driver's licences and stolen IDs. Forged police forms from local police stations were also found. A further search of the building's other toilets revealed another large stash of fraudulent documents, including birth certificates and ID application forms with ID photos attached.

Last Wednesday, the Pretoria Central Crime Intelligence Unit bust a syndicate run by foreigners in the Tshwane area. Two Zimbabweans were arrested at their home next to the department of home affairs. It is alleged the fraudsters would approach people waiting in the long queues at the Marabastad Home Affairs offices in Bloed Street and offer to "process" their documents quickly. In return, people would pay them a fee of between R100 and R1 000. These would mostly be foreigners wishing to apply for refugee status in the country. Two more suspects (a Zimbabwean and a Nigerian) were arrested on Thursday.

Police suspect that officials within the building assisted the fraudsters by passing on documents from the ground floor after applicants paid for their services. More arrests are expected to follow.

This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on January 19, 2007

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 38

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 38


Many of the people that I meet at networking meetings, seem to have this very naive concept about how networking works. You see they seem to think that it’s enough just to pitch up at a networking meeting and if they make themselves available to whomever is there, the work will flow in. Clearly, work will just fall like manna from the skies or claw its way out of the earth, to land very neatly into their laps! Must be their pure magnetism that attracts it in the first place, whilst they, of course sit quietly, waiting for this momentous phenomenon to take place! Yeah right – and you’re going to marry a tall dark handsome stranger who is rich beyond your wildest expectations!

Ok, so let’s look at the statistics – nothing like cold hard facts to get logic back into the picture. Less than 3% of the people you meet in a networking meeting will actually contact you, do business with you or even take any kind of note that you exist. Should you actually be one of that 3% and you get some work out of a networking event – lucky you. Now you can sit back because they are going to refer you – here’s another cold hard fact! Less than 10% of referral business “just happens”.

What makes you think that you are so special that people want to walk around talking about you and your products and/or services? What makes you think that they want to walk around telling people how great you are?

Be realistic people – networking and getting referrals, like any other thing in life, is hard work and it is something that you need to work at – constantly. It takes hard work, actually to be honest make that persistence and hard work!

Napoleon Hill, in his book “Think and Rich” (and if you have never read it, I strongly suggest that you need to get a copy), says “Persistence is an essential factor in the procedure of transmuting desire into it’s monetary equivalent. The basis of persistence is the Power of Will.”

Oh, don’t get me wrong, getting yourself to a meeting is a good thing – but it is essentially, the first step. Once there, you have to meet and/or introduce yourself to the people there, engage in conversation. Tell them who you are and what it is that you do (briefly), listen carefully to what it is they do and who they are. Then you need to follow up.
· Send them an e-mail with your business profile and a short message telling them to expect a call from you
· Actually phone them and book an appointment with them to have a ‘one on one’ meeting with them. No-one knows your business better than you – can you explain in three minutes who you are, what you do and why people need your products and/or services? No, well neither can they. So get together, have a coffee and chat.
· Pitch up for the meeting! This is very important! If you don’t pitch up, believe me – they will not refer you, no matter how fabulous your product is or how wonderful you are. By not pitching up, you are telling them, very loudly that you are not reliable and you cannot be trusted!
· Tell them who you are, if you have any marketing material, this is the time to give it to them and explain it, yourself, your product, your service.
· Listen to who they are and what it is that they do – listen carefully (you expected them to listen to what you had to say, so return the favour). Take notes, ask questions – satisfy yourself that you understand (even if it is only on the surface) their business.
· Make a list of all the people you can think of in your database, who might need their product and/or service or who might be able to introduce them to the people who might need their product and/or service.
· Introduce them to those people (I usually do this by means of an e-mail to both parties).
· If you are given a referral – contact the person you have been referred to. These introductions are like gold, treasure them.

Once in your database, you can now relax – well you have their contact details and they have yours, so now they have nothing better to do than send you work!

Wake up people!

Constantly remind them that you are available for work. Send out regular e-mails or newsletters or invitations to other networking events. Get into their faces and spaces (and I mean that in the nicest possible way – no spamming please), so that they don’t forget you, so that if an opportunity does arrive, the first person that they think of is you!

Easy hey? Very - as long as you work at it constantly, persistently, every day, everywhere and all the time

SMASHING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING

In my opinion, the advice given below is very sound and if I were to comment (as I shall) it is only to say that it pertains to everyone, not just women who want to 'break through the glass ceiling'.

Here is a great opportunity to go and get yourself an assessment, learn from it, use it and make the necessary changes in your life.

Smashing through the glass ceiling

Many women feel they can only go so far in business, but you can exceed the limits
Workplace staff
17 July 2007 at 09h00

August is international women's month. And according to the 2006 Gallup International "Voice of the People" survey, four out of 10 global citizens still think that women do not have equal rights, yet a vast majority of both genders expects men and women to contribute to a family's household income. What is the glass ceiling? "It is the perceived idea that I, as a woman, can't go further," says Dr Judy Jaye, business development manager for the Voice Clinic, an international soft-skills training company that runs extensive programmes in executive women's empowerment. However, is there really a glass ceiling or is it a perception? Moreover, if there is a glass ceiling, is it something that can be shattered or is it more like an impenetrable concrete roof?

According to Dr Judy, there is a process of empowerment for women who want to break the glass ceiling. The first step is to consider the question: What is it that is stopping me, as a woman, from moving out of my comfort zone? "Many women are afraid of whether they can handle the change and the responsibility that come from moving out of their comfort zone," says Jaye."It is often a big step, as they may be well established, respected and completely competent in their current role.

It is a grave consideration when thinking about change." "Many people, not just women, lock on to certain ideas and, in doing so, lock out others. "This often impedes change. If you are a woman who feels that you are being prevented from advancing because of a 'glass ceiling' you must realign your thinking so that you are ready to embrace change and other responsibilities that come with moving up the corporate ladder. "Giving yourself permission to do so is the first and most important step in the process of empowerment."

The second step is developing a mindset and an environment of mutual respect. In other words, developing a win-win philosophy around all interactions that is neither aggressive and dictatorial nor is it submissive and permission seeking. Mutual respect has a lot to do with using the correct tone of voice, the right words and good body language. It means exercising assertiveness - and recognising that your needs and wants are equal to those of others. This means no screaming or shouting, no belittling or shying away from difficult situations, no mumbling or stumbling and no being steam-rolled by others. "To get it right you must have a steady, calm and confident tone," says Jaye.

This must be supported by excellent knowledge of your field and the industry, confidence in your abilities and competence in all you do. If you feel that you need to, don't hesitate to up-skill attend a course or programme; and constantly read-up on your subject matter, advises Dr Judy.

Image is also very important in creating an atmosphere of respect. Research shows that people form their all-important first impression within 15 seconds of meeting you. "Fifty-five percent of a person's impression of you is based on your appearance: your dress, your hair, your make-up, your posture, and your body language," says Jaye. The remainder (the minority factor) is attributed to the tone of your voice and what you say.

The third step in the empowerment process for women is learning to balance work and home life. For many women, this is a difficult equilibrium to find and to maintain. According to Jaye: "The secret to balancing work and home is time management and learning to prioritise so that things are important - but that they never become urgent."

In order to manage time, the Voice Clinic/the Stress Clinic advises that you clearly set goals for both your home and work life. This provides a plan, direction and focus. "Without immaculate goal setting, you won't succeed. If you fail to plan then you plan to fail," Jaye says.

The fourth component in shattering the glass ceiling is to develop excellent social skills. This includes being aware of the company's culture and etiquette. Each company will have its own ethos and social politics that are particular to that environment. "It is very important to demonstrate initiative, leadership and creativity within the company culture," says Jaye. "Knowing the company culture will ensure that you don't step on toes and ruffle feathers that will set you back in your career goals and ambitions."

Lastly, always be positive, proactive and confident. This will set you apart as a leader and someone who the company wants to promote to greater heights," she concludes.

The Voice Clinic offers complimentary communication and lifestyle assessments.

For more information, visit www.thevoiceclinic.com or www.thestressclinic.com or call 011- 880-2334.

LEARN TO CREATE A BALANCE BETWEEN HOME AND WORK

Someone out there is speaking to me again! I don't seem to have any balance at all and it does get to a point where it can be a problem.

As an SMME, I like most of my colleagues work from home - this is great for me as an insomniac, but it does definitely blur the lines between work and home. Take for example my 'normal' working day. I am usually up between 4.30am and 6am - before going downstairs to put the kettle on for the first cuppa of the day and to feed the cats, I usually go into the office first to see what new e-mails have come in. Going to bed can be anything between mid-night and 3am (depending on what my sleep requirements for the day are) and coming up the stairs, I inevitably turn right at the top of the staircase to go into the office instead of left into the bedroom to go to bed! Then of course there are the days (or nights) that I don't sleep - when I can usually be found in the office - ok sometimes it's because I am playing backgammon on the internet, but more often than not it is because I am actually working!

Going away also becomes a nightmare because I always tell myself that I will be leaving the laptop at home, but when the crunch time comes - the laptop goes with! Sad hey!

On the bright side though, I don't consider what I do work - I love it. The more I get the more I am 'fired up'. I am one of the lucky few though, who actually enjoys what they do and this makes a huge difference to.

But as they say in the classics, 'don't do as I do, do as I tell you' - so do take some time out from time to time and follow the advice as rendered below and finally remember - be kind to yourself.

Have a good time!

Learn to create a balance between home and work
Workplace staff

30 May 2007 at 06h00

Long gone are eight-hour work days when we had time to cook mouth-watering meals when we got home and rested before tackling the next day's challenges. According to Kelly, SA's largest people organisation, today's workplace demands much more from employees. This reduces quality relaxation time and employees have to plan their work/life balance quite carefully. Add to that the ever-pervasiveness of technology, such as cellphones and e-mail, and that means there is no longer a clear cut between work-time and home-time.

Kelly chief operating officer Gayleen Baxter believes today's world of work is permeated by the stress of competition and the consistent drive to achieve results. "It takes a tremendous effort to consistently meet deadlines, reach targets and deliver unmatched service to keep competitors at bay. This means that home-time really has to be quality time," she says. In results-driven corporate cultures, optimum profitability and output are demanded and employees increasingly suffer from stress-related ailments; chronic fatigue and burn-out, especially when deadline pressures and international dealings often determine working hours. Baxter stresses the importance of effectively structuring and managing your leave; you need time to restore your form! "Vacations are crucial for employee well-being." she says."Get out of the 'work-work-work' frame of mind as quickly as possible. The quicker you get into a relaxed state, the quicker your body and mind can recuperate." Baxter suggests using your public holiday or vacation break to get some vital rest.

Here are a few pointers to ensure you get back to the office re- energised and ready for any challenge after a holiday break:

Get up to date - Before leaving the office for that weekend getaway, make sure your in-basket is empty and, if you are sneaking in a few days leave in between the public holidays and weekends, be sure to refer your clients to colleagues.

Relax - Get into relax mode as soon as possible. Work thoughts should be the last thing on your mind; after all, your in-basket is empty and colleagues are handling your queries. Enjoy each day; you will feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Most importantly - leave a message on your voicemail referring callers to a work colleague standing in for you at the office.

Eat healthy - Especially on vacation. Your body yearns for the nutrition you missed during frenetic take-out lunches and TV dinners forced on you during a chaotic work schedule. Avoid dreaded vacation kilos; maintain your current weight levels.

Exercise - Exercise is vital for a healthy body and mind. Yes, we know you're on leave, but it is essential to keep exercising. Besides, you can involve the family; play touch rugby on the beach, cycle with your children or have a brisk walk with your partner or a friend. Energy levels rise the more you exercise.

Give yourself time - Arrive back from vacation a full day before you are due back at work. This allows time for you to mentally prepare and to re-establish your routine, which would have changed somewhat on vacation."Use the long weekends to relax and restore your form; you will feel revitalised, and you will be mentally and physically prepared for the long winter ahead."

FNB'S DIRTY DISCOVERY

Oh dear! Bady boy Adrian Gore! Very bad boy! The problem that I have with all of this is that as a discovery member, I am appalled at the amount of my monthly subscription - it is quite disgusting (but then I suspect that everyone feels the same about whatever medical aid scheme it is that they belong to), and now we know why. The senior guys get to stash huge quantities of money off shore, whilst the rest of us struggle to even make the monthly subscriptions!

As for FNB - well I am sure that if you dig deeply enough, you will find that all the banks are doing it! Why should FNB be any different to the rest of the 'shite' that we as South Africans are forced to put up with. As fast as it is brought to light that we as South Africans, pay the highest bank fees in the world, so they find different ways to charge us more and more,under the guise of 'bank fees'!

Disgusting, on two points!

FNB's dirty discovery
Nic Dawes and Sam Sole
08 September 2007 06:00
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A nasty little reputation problem has emerged for financial services group FirstRand Bank and its subsidiary, Discovery. This comes as Discovery has been trumpeting its results while downplaying disputes with doctors and the registrar of medical schemes -- and as FirstRand has been talking up its proposal to unbundle its majority shareholding in Discovery.

The problem flows from abandoned offshore tax structures that FirstRand's then-private-banking arm, Ansbacher Trust, offered to a group of rich clients -- including directors of Discovery, most notably chief executive Adrian Gore. Such structures were offered by many financial institutions in the wake of the 1998 decision by the government to allow South Africans to invest up to R500 000 offshore, but some of them were more aggressive than others, raising questions about their legality.

Two related schemes developed around 1999 by Ansbacher (since sold) have come under scrutiny now because of a protracted legal dispute between FirstRand and tax consultant Barry Spitz -- and some detailed reports on that dispute in the investigative magazine noseweek. FirstRand heavyweight Laurie Dippenaar admitted Ansbacher had botched the administration of the schemes, but insisted the bank believed the underlying scheme was legal. Spitz was brought into Ansbacher Trust Services in South Africa in 2001 to advise on such schemes, designed to minimise the tax paid by local high earners. Part of his remuneration was to be based on improved income achieved by the local Ansbacher unit. Spitz, who is viewed by the FirstRand Goliath as more of a greedy troll than a plucky David, soon fell out with his client and his services were terminated. In November 2001 Spitz launched court action against FirstRand, claiming R2,3-million.

In essence Spitz argued two things: first, that FirstRand had been incorrect to claim he had not met his targets; and second, that he had struggled to do so because Ansbacher had demanded he provide services that were not legally compliant. He demanded that Ansbacher disclose details of the relevant transactions, both so that he could challenge its calculation of fee income and to test his case over the legality of the firm's conduct. Spitz cast his net wide and FirstRand fought to limit his access to its internal documentation. Ansbacher was forced to disclose internal documentation relevant to its dealings with Spitz and noseweek latched on to two sets of transactions -- those involving Gore and an offshore structure, Duisberg Holdings. Because there is a grey area between legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion, it is difficult to pin down whether the transactions were legal or not. But the documents obtained by Spitz raise serious questions about both the morality and the competence of the services provided by Ansbacher.

The transaction relating to Gore is sketched only vaguely in the documentation seen by the Mail & Guardian, but FirstRand confirmed it related to a "loop structure", which is designed to avoid certain local tax and foreign exchange rules by using an offshore entity to purchase local assets. What is of concern are accounting entries reflecting more than R2-million relating to Gore coming into a local Ansbacher account in September 2000 and then going out a day later to Gore, minus a R137 000 fee for Ansbacher. The outgoing funds are described as "dividends", effectively making them tax free.

FirstRand said these were legitimate dividends earned by Gore from preference shares and the deductions related to other fees owed by Gore to Ansbacher. The situation regarding Duisberg is clearer. Duisberg was a scheme designed to avoid clients having to pay any tax on income generated by their R500 000, once it was offshore. Initially the way this was achieved was by having clients transfer money to an Ansbacher trust in the Channel Islands. But this would attract donations tax if the amount was "given" to the Ansbacher trust.

In the case of a R500 000 interest-free "loan" to the Ansbacher trust, provisions of the Income Tax Act would require that local taxpayers declare income as if they had received interest. Lawyers acting for Ansbacher came up with a scheme to avoid these niggles. Clients would buy R500 000-worth of shares in an offshore company, Duisberg, set up by Ansbacher in the British Virgin Islands. That company would then make a R500 000 interest-free loan to an Ansbacher trust in the Channel Islands, meaning that local taxpayers could declare they received no income from their share investment. The problem was that the Income Tax Act does not recognise a scheme or arrangement constructed simply to evade tax -- and for Duisberg to have even a semblance of legitimacy it would have to exist at arm's length from its South African clients.

Instead Ansbacher ran Duisberg as a paper fig leaf and did not even route funds via Duisberg. It sent its clients investments directly to the Channel Islands trust.

MAKE SENSE OF LEGALESE BEFORE YOU SIGN THAT CONTRACT

I have a client that would just about sign a bus ticket, if you shoved one under his nose and said - sign! The problem with this of course that we had all these signed contracts that he then didn't want to be a part of and he would then hand them to me to get him out of the contract! It got so bad, that I once said to him that if he ever signed anything again, without letting me have a look at what he was signing, I would have him institutionalized!

I, on the other hand - tend to go in the opposite direction. I won't sign anything unless my Contractual Attorney, Kerry Jack (www.cognosa.co.za) has had a look at it. Let's face it - very few of us understand the 'latin' bits and even fewer understand legalese.

When looking to draw up a contract, I always tell my clients to "write everything down that you want in the contract, in your own words, then get the lawyers to write it up into legalese".

Remember, every contract needs to have a beginning, middle and an end. What I mean by that is that 'How it starts' should be documented, 'how it works (and who does what)' should be documented and 'how it can end' should be documented - that way all the emotion is taken out of the event and you can get on with the business of life.

Make sense of legalese before you sign that contract
20 July 2007 at 11h00

People often sign contracts - business and employment - without understanding the obligations involved, and this can have devastating consequences. The law faculty at the University of Cape Town, recognising that the problem lies with legal language being a foreign language to most people, has stepped in to translate the mysteries of legal speak. The faculty will host an intensive three-day course, which will enable people to understand the legal process on which contracts are based. The course, titled "Understanding contracts for effective control and reading and writing legal language", is targeted at people working in sales, marketing, advertising, buying, tendering and recruitment.

The first two days of the course will cover the process of contracting, the arrangement of contents, common terms and conditions, provisions for resolving disputes and the consequences of breach. The course also looks at contracting by fax and via the Internet.

The third day will focus on the building blocks of legal language: the words, technical expressions, long sentences and complicated structures. Course presenter Terry Boxall, a practising commercial attorney, will provide practical assistance in the best ways of reading and writing legal language. Participants will examine a standard legal document to discover the various features that make up legal language. Through trial and error they will find successful ways of drafting a straightforward legal document, which is legally sound, clearly expressed and reflects the desired relationship between the parties.The course runs from August 22 to August 24 and the closing date for registration is Friday, August 17.

For more details e-mail Irèna Wasserfall at irena.wasserfall@ uct.ac.za or telephone her on 021 650 5621.

SHORT-SERVICE PERIODS THE NEW TREND

The problem with this of course, is the poor employer - who as usual has to foot the bill! It gets to the point where you feel like all you are doing is training new staff and just as you 'almost' get them to the point that you want them to be, they decide to leave for greener pastures!

I am from the boomer generation and I don't think that I actually stayed in a job for less than 5 years - looking at some of the members of my family however, I had an uncle who swore by the 3 year rule - that meant you never, and I mean never, ever stayed in the same job for more than 3 years. I guess being a creature of habit, my comfort zone was the stability of being in the same job!

Look at me now though, out in the big wide world, all on my own and enjoying every minute of it! There is something about having your own business that is almost addictive. Working with my very different and diverse clients, can be challenging to say the least, but it is also incredibly rewarding and I am learning so much, whilst sharing my own experiance and knowledge with them. Then of course there is the fact that there is never a dull moment and no chance of ever becoming 'bored' at work! Too many new things to learn and experiance!

Short-service periods the new trend
Staff Reporter

12 April 2007 at 06h00

A potential employer will always look at a job applicant's previous periods of employment and, depending on the person's track record, reputation and the industry in which they're working, short- service periods could be an issue that raises red flags for anyone who is hiring.

Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, managing director of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, said that in South Africa employers were cautious about hiring individuals with "jumpy" employment records, and tenure was an issue they would look at closely when making their decision to hire you. Globally, however, there was a trend towards a shortening in service periods. She pointed to the latest research by the Washington DC-based Employer Benefit Research Institute, which found that the average length for employees of 25 years of age and older to stay in one job was 4,4 years for women and 4,9 years for men. "Additionally", Goodman-Bhyat said, "the research revealed that within the public service workers would stay in one job for an average of seven years - double that of workers in the private sector who average 3,5-year service periods.

"Our experience in South Africa is similar to that highlighted by the research in the US market. Within the private sector, different industries and individual corporates will have varied expectations when it comes to service period track records, but 3,5 years can be regarded as an average benchmark. "Question marks will be raised by many employers for successive tenures of less than two years."

Goodman-Bhyat said an exception to this was certain high-flyers within the financial services industry who, in the current skills shortage market, could hop with relative ease between companies that were happy to have them, even for a short period of time, to assist them in reaching bottom-line targets. These financial market professionals currently had the good fortune of riding a wave of buoyant markets hungry for sharp skills which were scarce at certain levels, and so shorter than average tenure was a factor that employers would ignore in the race to win top talent. However, South African corporates, besides financial services, would need to get used to employing professionals with track records displaying much shorter periods of employment than were currently considered acceptable.

Goodman-Bhyat said the "Generation X" and the "millennials" were travelling more and were generally less easily satisfied - all trends that were leading to shorter periods of employment. Additional contributors were the skills shortage, perceived lack of employer loyalty, and the general expectation of "instant gratification" by young professionals.Goodman-Bhyat said this meant that talented professionals were likely to change jobs much more frequently than they did in the past, and employers, if they wanted to hire competitive talent, had no choice than to become accustomed to shorter tenures.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 37

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 37

I still have a number of colleagues and friends in the Corporate World (shame hey!), and am often amazed at some of the comments that I hear about networking. The one that astounds me the most is “I don’t go to networking events because I get ‘hit on by people looking for work’!”. Oh how sad!

On a personal level, I just don’t think that most corporate people ‘get it’ – the plot I mean, or what networking is all about.

Not going to a networking event because you are afraid of people trying to get you to give them work and/or because they would like to become your service provided is just not clever.

Yes, some people will ‘hit’ on them – there is no doubt about that. In fact I can pretty much guarantee it, however they fail to see the ‘big’ picture!

You see by not going to these events, they will not be meeting new people and by not meeting new people, their own network is not going to grow, and not actively growing their network is not clever. In fact it could have some serious, adverse repercussions on their businesses.

I am often reminded of this when I attend some of the Women In Finance (www.womeninfinance.co.za) functions. Women In Finance is supported by most of the Corporate’s in the financial world – in particular banks and insurance companies. In most instances the Corporate has taken out a block membership to WIF for their staff. Most of the functions are attended by someone who “represents” the Corporate entity and in many cases, this someone has no interest what-so-ever in networking. In fact they see this as an obligation to their employer and a chance to have a free meal.

They are so easy to spot and it’s not difficult to see how different they are to the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is bouncing around the place, interacting with new people, exchanging business cards and generally working the opportunity that they have, whilst the corporate employee is sticking to their respective groups and trying hard not to ‘talk to strangers’!

My message to the Corporate world is this – “you guys need to get with the programme”! When it comes to making and sustaining sound Business Connections - the entrepreneur is streets ahead of the corporate. Entrepreneurs are hungry for new contacts, they explore every business opportunity available to them, from meeting that new contact and they look for new innovative ways to do business!

Let me put it this way – we all talk about the bottom line – my bottom line is this:

All of my business comes through networking! I do not advertise, I do not do any marketing. You will not see anything about my business on a flyer. There are no advertisements in magazines or any other periodicals. Yet I am beginning to be well known in the market place.

I wonder why that is? Perhaps it is because I am a natural networker and I use every opportunity to talk to people, about who I am and what my business is.

The question is – shouldn’t you?

TEACHING THE NEEDY TO 'CATCH FISH'

I am constantly amazed at the number of institutions, people and assistance that is available to the poor - the problem is letting them know that there is assistance out there and secondly the funding, and yet there are many companies who have no idea what to do with their CSI funding.

I am also very pleasantly surprised to see that in this case (as in many of the others) it is not just a question of giving to them to feed their hunger, but it is giving them the skills to be able to work and feed their own hunger.

This however, also brought to mind a story that was told to me by one of my friends and colleagues. Apparently there is this very poor community, that live in a state of extreme poverty on some of the richest and best soil in the country. A team of volunteers went out there to teach them how to plant and grow their own food. Once the volunteers thought that everybody knew what to do and how, they left. About a year later they went back to see the progress of these people.

To their absolute amazement - the whole community were back in the space where they had been before the help arrived. You see they didn't want to do it for themselves. They wanted the 'handouts'. They wanted to stay in poverty. They did not want to do the work and they obviously wanted to remain "victims of the system/God/apartheid (insert the most appropriate here).

On a personal level, I have met many such people. They weep and wail and cry about how unfair life is and how they never catch the breaks - yet when you try and help them, you very quickly come to realize that they don't actually want to be helped - they prefer to continue to weep, wail and cry.

Just like the story of the turtle and the scorpion - I guess 'it's the very nature of the beast!'

Teaching the needy to 'catch fish'
Workplace staff

16 April 2007 at 06h00

At this time of year, it's hard not to spare a thought for those who don't have jobs or a roof over their heads when it's cold and wet. Consider the parents who weren't able to give their children an Easter egg and the people who might not have had a meal on Family Day. Homelessness and unemployment often go hand-in-hand, and a small group of people is being given the opportunity to break this cycle through an initiative to educate them, hopefully improving their chances of finding work.

The adult basic education and training (Abet) programme at the Central Methodist Mission in Small Street Mall is run by Bishop Paul Verryn. It was the brainchild of Tracy of the Lonehill Methodist Church in conjunction with the MD of adult education company Media Works, Jackie Carroll. "I knew that there had to be something that we could do to help the people who live at the mission," says Carroll. "With the funding from the Lonehill Methodist Church, we are able to provide every learner with two meals a day. My company is providing the learning material.

"We sourced and trained the facilitators and, although I embarked on this project in my personal capacity, I'm very proud to say that one of my staff members, Louis Nel, has become extremely involved in this project of his own volition." On any given day, the Central Methodist Mission accommodates between 500 and 700 men, women and children. These are people who have nowhere else to go. According to Richard, the project co-ordinator, "Most of our people are refugees. They are internally and externally displaced. Some of them come from war-torn countries, others are escaping from an oppressive government and then there are those people who are homeless."Most of these people have one thing in common, other than being homeless: they have little, if any, education and this limits the likelihood of their finding work."

The ABET centre has four facilitators, all of whom themselves live at the mission. Media Works identified the four to be trained as facilitators and they play an integral role in teaching the adult learners to read and write. In addition to creating employment for the facilitators, the project has also resulted in two women being employed to prepare food for the learners. Then there is a co-ordinator in charge of IT. In all, seven people are directly employed by the ABET programme.

"The conditions are not very conducive to learning," Carroll says. "People are crammed together, they share bathrooms and don't have any private study space. But despite this, our learners manage to study and some of them also go out to work, when they can find it. We have 65 active learners who are doing face-to-face literacy training. Not only will this help them learn to read and write, it will also improve their English skills, making it easier for them to find work."

"There are two enormous challenges here: we feed our learners two meals a day as we know it is virtually impossible to learn if you are hungry. The second challenge is attendance. Whenever the people can find work, naturally they take it as many of them have families to feed. "So we have learners who leave, and then return. This is particularly challenging when you are doing face-to-face training, because it is difficult to teach a group where everyone is at different levels."

In addition to the adult literacy programme, the mission also offers its residents access to a daycare facility, which enables mothers to go out and look for work knowing their children are cared for; a sewing project and a clinic. "The intention is also to make numeracy training available to the residents of the Central Methodist Mission, but this is dependent on funding as we only have enough funds to allow us to feed our learners for the next six months," concludes Carroll. " If we stop feeding the learners, then they will be forced to go and look for work without completing their qualifications, which will be a huge shame."

NATURE OF JOB CRITICAL TO ACHIEVING EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

How very interesting! I have been saying for years now, that people have to find their passions and then that is generally the type of work that they need to do! Too many people are in jobs, just to put the food on the table rather than to motivate, invigorate and get them passionately working at what they love to do - for me this is a very sad and sorry state of affairs.

Nature of job critical to achieving employee satisfaction
04 September 2007 at 08h38

Montreal - Only one in three Canadians is "very satisfied" at work and the country will face difficulties attracting new workers, according to a study published on Monday. "It should be of concern that only about one-third of all workers are very satisfied with their jobs and that fewer than one in five employees are very positive about multiple dimensions of job quality," the Canadian Policy Research Network said in its report."

"The report provides solid Canadian evidence that the nature of a job and the environment in which people work are critical to achieving employee satisfaction," the report's author Graham Lowe wrote. Lowe examined a number of job quality indicators and found a mixed picture. Job security, earnings and workplace health and safety have improved in the past 15 years. But job satisfaction and job-related training have stalled with other indicators worsening, including job stress, work-life balance and union membership, the report said.

Three in 10 Canadians view their work as "somewhat" or "very stressful," said the report which was released on the Labour Day holiday celebrated in North America.

With Canada's workforce ageing, and skilled workers at a premium, the report says job quality will become increasingly important to retaining workers. Some 55 percent of Canadians were "well satisfied" with their jobs, said study, it said. Canada depends on its immigrant workforce, as its own grows older. In 2006, 38 percent of the country's workers were over 45 years of age.Canada will welcome some 240 000 to 265 000 immigrants next year, a rise over 2007, in part due to immigrating professionals. However, immigrants complain that finding the right job poses an obstacle to their integration into society, because foreign-earned training is often not recognised and employers demand experience on Canadian soil, the study said.

According to a report released in August by Statistics Canada, Canada's workforce numbers about 18 million, out of a population of 32 million. - Sapa-AFP

DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE WEB HOSTING COMPANIES

Well I guess that you find them everywhere, people who operate with a hidden agenda that is! Again it goes to doing the research before you get involved with people like this - ask the questions, check the references and research, reasearch, research!

Don't be fooled by the webhosting companies
Workplace staff

26 June 2007 at 11h00

Websites have become the portal through which companies can effortlessly connect with existing and potential clients. Acting as an informative tool , websites offer vital company information, in bite-sized chunks, packaged correctly and presenting a finely-tuned image that communicates all the right messages about the brand. Rarely does any brand want to communicate the message of "unavailable", which is exactly what a substandard, non-operational, slow website will do. To prevent your website from going down at the most inopportune moments, it is key that you do your homework when it comes to choosing the right webhost. Wam van Strij de Regt, owner of Plant Hosting and an expert in the international hosting industry, having founded one of Europe's most successful webhosting companies, offers five quick tips in choosing the right webhost:

Do not be fooled by companies that advertise "unlimited bandwidth". There is usually fine print in your contract which stipulates that, when a certain amount of bandwidth has been usurped, you will start to be charged thereafter, per megabyte (MB) or gigabyte (GB), for all bandwidth used or data transferred.This can lead to exorbitant and very unexpected bills arriving at the end of the month.

Equally, Do not be tempted by "unlimited diskspace". Most average sized websites only need about 50MB of space on the host's server. If you're being offered unlimited space, it doesn't really benefit you in any way and shouldn't be used as a deciding factor in choosing the right webhost.

Make sure that your webhost has an email address and a telephone number that you can contact 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for technical support in case your site goes down. Many hosts only advertise an email address, which makes it difficult to rectify technical problems after hours. Sales can be lost and the wrong image projected if your site is down for too long. Test the host and give them a call on a Sunday to see if they answer the phone.

It is standard for your host to offer a number of email addresses, at your own domain name, as well as a catch-all email address that will filter all email addresses through to your address. They should also offer anti-spam and anti-virus protection for free, that you should be able to self-manage.

Beware of "virtual" Internet service providers. These companies are re-selling hosting services as a part of their own services, but are not truly specialised webhosts. They do not actually own the equipment, the servers or the web space, but act as a middleman between you and the primary webhost. Often, because these companies don't have access to the equipment, it is a longer and more difficult process fixing any problems.

According to van Strij de Regt, if you are dissatisfied with your webhost and wish to change to another host, it is a quick, easy and effortless process that should not, if professionally handled, affect your website or e-mail addresses at all.

For more information, visit www.plant.co.za or phone 08600-75268.

PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Wow! This sounds like our very own CSI team - well one that pertains to Accident scenes at any rate. Why are they only in the Western Cape? Surely there should be branches in all the major centres that can then service the smaller towns and/or regions.

Come on people, this is a huge business opportunity - one that could be hugely lucrative!

Putting the record straight
11 June 2007 at 12h00

What does your job entail? We reconstruct accident scenes, producing forensic evidence for our clients, who are mainly insurance companies and fleet owners. We have received endorsement from the national and the local government, the South African Police Service, the Road Accident Fund of South Africa and most short-term insurance service providers. Our methods are largely based on North American models, and we use internationally proven computer software and investigative techniques. We operate the only at-scene mobile laboratory in Africa, which enables us to complete an investigation, complete reports, print plans and even produce animations - all at the scene of an accident before we leave.

The evidence we produce has various uses. These include insurance claims, litigation, Road Accident Fund personal injury claims, internal disciplinary hearings, environmental impact reports, fraud prevention, fire/arson investigations, insurance fraud, criminal and drunken driving cases. We pride ourselves on our independence and integrity - even if this means losing a client. We only state the facts, record the evidence and interpret the available evidence - nothing more, nothing less.

Average work day: We are on call 24 hours a day and we are often required to drive to an accident scene at a moment's notice. Tasks include at-scene investigation, at-scene investigation reports, preliminary reconstruction reports, forensic accident reconstruction, training, animation, 3-D modelling and court testimony.

Best part of the job: It is rewarding when the reconstruction of an accident scene helps settle a case.

Worst part of the job: Having acted in an anti-corruption capacity more times than we care to mention, we are constantly exposed to assault - on our credibility and even our safety.

Why did you choose this career?

Bezuidenhout: I started the business when I returned to SA after a year in Canada, and was appointed a Beta tester for the Visual Statement (now Vista Fx) suite of application-specific software. Not long after I started out, I appeared as an expert witness in the High Court, and realised there was an urgent need for an independent, unbiased, at-the-scene accident investigation entity. Someone had to go to all accidents, no matter how small, recording all evidence as if it were a serious criminal case.

Smith: I did this job after hours before becoming a full-time member of the team. My strengths are communication and interpersonal skills, so I do most of the interviews with accident victims and bystanders.

Claasens: I worked in the motor industry for many years and accident investigation was part of my job. This seemed like a logical next step.

Are you paid enough?

Yes, we are comfortable.

Rate your work stress on a scale of one to 10: This is a high-stress job - close to 10.

What do you do in your leisure time?

Because we are always on call we have very little free time but when we do, we enjoy motor sports and sitting in coffee shops watching the world go by.Travel opportunities? Yes, we travel all over South Africa but mainly in the Western Cape.

SUSPENSION WITHOUT PAY CAN BE VIEWED AS UNFAIR

I am not sure how to put this other than just to say it - follow the letter of the law, when it comes to disciplinaries - if you don't you will end up at the CCMA and you will lose. If you are in any doubt, get the LEGAL opinion of a LABOUR ATTORNEY - not a labour consultant, or someone who used to work in an HR environment! Get proper legal council, it will in the long run be a lot cheaper than if you don't!

Suspension without pay can be viewed as unfair
Pierre Marais

06 September 2007 at 06h00

Suspending an employee pending a disciplinary investigation and disciplinary hearing is an acceptable industrial relations practice. And its is also quite common that this suspension will be on full pay. The general rule of fairness is that suspensions of this type are not without pay as employers could fall foul of their own disciplinary procedures, codes and practices and/or an unfair labour practice claim in terms of the LRA's Section 186 (2) (b) relating to "unfair suspension".

In these circumstances, suspension without pay could also be viewed to be "unfair disciplinary action short of dismissal". However, back in the real world, employers are frequently being frustrated by postponements during a disciplinary hearing which can cause the hearing to be delayed and the suspension to stretch over weeks or even months. This also has as effect that operational uncertainty exists in the workplace. For example, other employees will need to do the suspended employee's work, no replacement can be finalised, timeout finality is not reached and it also affects morale, especially where a manager or an executive is the accused, and so on.

From the accused employee's point of view, the dragging out of a hearing means being paid longer, especially in cases where the offence will possibly lead to a dismissal. Conversely, an employer is prejudiced financially, especially where the employee is on a substantial monthly package and has to be paid during the period of suspension. In some instances employers' own historical practices and/or contractual obligations could cause a waste of time and be costly, for example:

A lengthy investigation has to be undertake prior to even starting with the hearing. The complexity of the case may justify such a time period, however, in some cases it is also attributed to employer apathy in that they do very little to move matters along. We often read about these 12 month-long suspensions with no finality in sight.

Some disciplinary procedures and/or employment contracts dictate onerous procedural obligations which could frustrate proceedings such as:

Pre-dismissal arbitration, where it takes a few weeks to arrange.
Access to information.
Entitlement to external representation which, together with the (un) availability of the other parties, could lead to difficulty on agreeing dates, especially if the hearing is going to last a few days.In particular with senior employees who generally can afford legal advice, the raising of procedural technicalities forces the hearing's chairperson to deal with these. This could be very time-consuming as borne out in a recent case where three days of the first six days of a much longer hearing, were taken up with the arguing of various technicalities and the chairperson's rulings.

It is also possible that a frivolous CCMA referral for unfair suspension and a legally flawed and frivolous "urgent" application to the labour court to suspend the hearing from proceeding could be thrown into the equation. Then a hearing becomes messy and the patience of both parties can be seriously tested. In an endeavour to pro-actively manage unnecessary delays in finalising a hearing, employers normally do so in the "notice to attend a disciplinary hearing" by, for example, notifying the accused employee to ensure that his/her witness (es) and representative are available, scheduling fixed dates in advance, and so on. Customary reasons for a postponement could include a request for more details (eg documents) in order for the accused employee to prepare properly, requests for an adjournment after a witness's evidence-in-chief in order to prepare for cross-examination; insufficient time to consult with a (legal) representative or due to the unavailability of the representative, etc.

Employers are cautioned that incorrect handling of any one of the aforesaid aspects, because they are hell-bent on just concluding the hearing, may lead to an arbitrator's ruling of a substantively fair dismissal, which, because of the delays, is ruled procedurally unfair. In such cases the commissioner can award the dismissed employee a few months' compensation. Next week we will discuss a few actual cases where suspension without pay was determined to be fair.

Pierre Marais is managing director of the Labour Law Group. Contact him on 011-679-5944.

Back copies of articles can be obtained from Natasha at 011-679-5944.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 36

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 36

At some point you are going to need the contacts that you have met whilst networking.

Today is only Tuesday and I have already referred about 15 people, this week, out of my data base – all of whom I have met whilst networking.

You see in some instances, many of my colleagues ask me to refer people because, well firstly, they know that I have met with and chatted, on a one on one, type basis, every single person in my data base. Secondly, I have listened to what it is that they do and asked questions about their businesses.

Can I guarantee their work, or their commitment – no of course I can’t, but it is certainly a lot more trustworthy than picking someone out of the yellow pages!

So what does that mean for me – well firstly the person who has asked me for assistance, now on a subconscious level feel that they “owe me”. What this means is that the next time they hear of someone in need of the type of work that I do, they will be very quick to refer me because that will then even the score. That means that work will be coming in.

Secondly, the person who has been referred – knows that I have referred them and now on a sub-conscious level they also ‘owe me’. What this means is that the next time they hear of someone in need of the type of work that I do, they will be very quick to refer me because that will then even the score. That means that work will be coming in.

There are some instances where people, who I refer, simply feel that they are not in a position to refer me to anyone – now here comes the fun part. I have worked out a deal with these service providers – I get their time for free! So now I have my own contractual attorney – I never sign anything without her having a look at it (for free). I have my own Labour Attorney – I can give advice to clients and check my facts before I give the advice (for free). I have my own Accountant, who does my books and looks after my tax issues (for free), and so on.

In fact, I am far better off than any Corporate Company – because I have specialists who are passionate about what they do and are committed to giving good service and value for money – where have you ever found a Corporate Company that can make that statement, with conviction and honesty?

The bottom line is that I have built a ‘Virtual Company’ out of my networking. I have opened myself up to recognize the potential value, to my business, of every single person that I have met. I did that by meeting one person at a time, engaging in a conversation with that person, by understanding what it is that they do and by listening to what people want.

How strong is your ‘Virtual Company’ – do you actually have one?

TO KNOW SUCCESS, KNOW YOURSELF

Wow! Talking about putting things into a nutshell! I have a few more to add to the equation though.

Lead by example - for me on a personal basis, I cannot follow someone that I do not respect, not only on a business and work basis, but also on a personal level. Respect is something that you earn and it is something that carries a huge value. So lead the same way that you would follow - with respect and by example.

'To know success, know yourself'
29 June 2007 at 11h00

Nick Binedell is a well-travelled, well-qualified, respected and well-connected man who passionately loves this country and truly wants to make a difference. This must be why I like him.

His purpose? "To energise and motivate people to unleash their potential." He believes that "to be successful you have to know who you are and understand yourself well enough to understand other people properly. You have to be comfortable with yourself. You have to have the insights into your own behaviour by listening to feedback." Some authors refer to this concept as the "mirror".

We had Dr Kwame Amuah on the show some time back. He is the son-in-law of Nelson Mandela and a successful businessperson. He quoted someone saying that the first law of leadership is: "know thyself". I cannot agree with this more and the principle blends well with Binedell's advice. According to Binedell, you need at least three broad skills to be a successful leader in SA:

Managerial skills - This means drawing up the budget, the financial knowledge of the business; operational knowledge, knowing the business inside out and making sure people do what they say they are going to do. In other words, it's "getting things done".

Entrepreneurial abilities - Being able to spot the gap, to see what others haven't seen; having the better insight and reacting faster than anybody else and to understand it in a realistic way. Realism is a very important part of being a good entrepreneur. We talk about dreaming, but then there is the realism.

Understanding other people in a realistic and useful way - culturally, ethnically, in gender terms, generationally. This is going to be a huge attribute of leaders. We are going to experience far more change in the next 10 years than the past coupled with this country's history, multi-culturism and cultural dynamism.

Binedell adds: "In the excitement of leading, you have to be open to that, together with the social idea that you are right for the time you're in... that's a critical quality of a leader." As you read this article, I challenge you to consider whether you believe you are right for the time you're in? Are you made for this new SA? It is no coincidence that you are here, I believe. Find your place within this remarkable country. The three points Binedell mentioned are perhaps the "bricks" needed for someone to build leadership capacity in SA, but what about the "cement", the finer skills, the "in-betweeners"?

His view is that every organisation has different realities and every person brings different "inbetweeners", but some key ones are: the ability to look a bit over the horizon; to always think about what is next and try to anticipate that as best you can; the ability to be outside the organisation, to step outside your own reality and look at your organisation objectively and ask some questions; and the ability to be the product or customer bringing that quality of understanding consumers, like Raymond Ackerman does. This is a quality that most entrepreneurs understand.

Transferring leadership skills

It is rather easy to talk about such leadership skills, but how does one successfully transfer them to future leaders? Binedell believes most of it is done through direct experience, where you are in a job and you have a task to do - you learn by what works and what does not work. The other way is the more formal side through business schools, where they can fast-track some of the experience. I made the point that one of the best ways of transferring leadership capability specifically is surely to organise productive contact between a future leader and a current, great leader. We do this on the Leadership Platform show and with our mentoring competition and monthly leadership chats (see www.leadershipplatform.com).

I was impressed with an up and coming conference that the Gordon Institute of Business Science and Leadership Works are organising for July 10. On the day there will be a session where about 20 top CEOs will each work with a smaller group of people for a few hours on sharing their personal leadership habits. As Binedell says, "A lot of effective leadership habits are personal, idiosyncratic and true to that individual. We asked them to come and share their best practices because we now need to dig beyond the broad theory into the real practices of effective leadership."

Well, how is Binedell doing on the issue of preparing his next level at Gibs for that time when he - the heartbeat, the founder, the man with the vision - leaves? "One of the things I was worried about in the early days was the difference between an organisation and an institution. In an institution there is a set of practices, a culture that isn't about the person who is the leader; it goes beyond that," he says. "Today the depth of management at Gibs is strong - there are a lot of younger faculty at the school, for example, whom I think share the same broad ideas that those of us who were there at the beginning share, and they are coming through the system … I think it is an institution and even if I got hit by a bus the place would fly."

Leaders must be involved in political life

I asked Binedell what he means when he says "we can get South Africa right". What is this right SA? "It has to do with this question of poverty," he says. "You cannot live in a democracy where one in three people are as poor as some South Africans are; we have to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit and continue to do that - this country has a remarkable history of entrepreneurship; we have to have good government - the state makes or breaks the nation and politics drives economics in an emerging country.

In this country, there is no doubt about that. "What worries me is that the middle class may not be sufficiently involved in political life, which is a great danger to business in South Africa. Our fate rests on the quality of leadership and therefore we need to engage more; to not be involved in political life is a dangerous dynamic in this country. "We tend to talk of politics in a specific way - 'them' and 'they'. We have a mutual interest between business and government, between politics and economics, and great nations marry that interest in a powerful way."

Never stop asking questions

One of the best lessons he learned from another business leader was to "never stop asking questions". Binedell tells how, in his early days, he "worked with a remarkable man, Simon Dockerty, an extraordinary listener, who always asked questions of people outside their portfolio. "As a consequence, he built a team that reinforced each other instead of running in silos. The questioning and digging in to find out what's behind what they say is a great way to understand the business and Simon practised that magnificently!" To Binedell, all I can say is go, go and go! You are a valuable asset to South Africa. Don't get hit by a bus. If you do, though, I am sure Gibs will run, but I doubt it will be ready to fly yet. It and the country still need you.

In summary
Be comfortable with yourself - have the insights into your own behaviour by listening to feedback.

Acquire and develop your managerial skills, entrepreneurial abilities and learn to understand other people in a realistic and useful way - culturally, ethnically, in gender terms, and generationally.

It is no coincidence that you are here in SA! Find your place within this remarkable country!

Acquire the "cement" or "in-betweeners":

1) looking over the horizon into the future;

2) stepping outside your organisation and viewing it objectively;

3) really understanding the product and customers; and so on.

Good institutions are made by leadership.

Leadership can be transferred in three ways: direct experience; a formal approach and bringing about quality contact between top leaders and future leaders.

Create an institution with a set of practices, a culture that isn't about the leader.

Our fate as a nation rests on the quality of leadership in the state and therefore we need to engage more.

Never stop asking questions!

SPEND TIME THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU REALLY NEED

This is yesterday's post

Oh well put Tessa. I have a ritual that I perform once a year, (yes I know that I should be doing it more often, but there you have it).

I take out all my goals for last year, tick off everything that I have achieved that was on the list - ADD EVERYTHING THAT WASN'T ON THE LIST BUT WAS ACHIEVED ANYWAY, and then give myself a huge pat on the back for a job well done! Far too often we beat up on ourselves, for the stuff we haven't achieved, instead of congratulating ourselves for all that we have achieved.

Now, where is my diary - I am going to book a date with myself - a date to congratulate me on a job well done!

Spend time thinking about what you really need
We're too preoccupied with where we are going … and not on where we are now
Tessa Silberbauer

31 July 2007 at 10h00

When I review the events of the past few years, I've been blessed with very few luminous moments of either fortune or bliss. The overall impression is that of a series of challenges, each more or less disheartening as they presented me with dilemmas of strategy or ethics. But when I shift my perspective slightly, what I notice is not the tough times, but the gifts these trials brought with them. I would not have learned as much as I have about myself and about life without them. I think the biggest lesson that I've learned is how fortunate I am.

I don't feel lucky because my circumstances are any better than another person's. I feel fortunate because, despite the lessons I still face and will face, I am also faced with the inescapable conviction that life is good. One of the marvellous things about human beings is that we tend to be future-oriented. We are concerned with our goals, and how well we achieve them or miss them. But this can be taken too far. It is easy to be so preoccupied with where we are going that we overlook where we are.

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a man I'd just meet about the definition of wealth. When we talk about wealth and abundance in general terms, usually we think only about the figures on a bank statement, or material goods. I don't deny that these are important. Money allows us to be comfortable and to feel secure about our future, and it allows us to exchange services with relative ease. But there are other forms of wealth too. And in order to appreciate life to the full, we need to notice and appreciate these non-material demonstrations of fortune.

One of the definitions of wealth is "the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply". I feel lucky because I have more than what I need. It is only when I concentrate on what I don't have that I allow myself to start feeling deprived, or distressed because I haven't achieved some of my goals yet. It's been proven many times that when we define our wealth as a number only, that number is always inadequate

Consider what you thought being rich was as a child, or as a teenager. What happened to that figure? We achieve it fairly easily - and as soon as we do, we increase that number. And every time we reach the new goal, we increase it. It's easy to fall back into this way of thinking because money is a measurable, tangible benchmark. Money may be very important, but it is still only one aspect of our lives. Even when we have enough money in the bank or in our wallets, we still need to spend it in order to get what we really need. Remembering that is one of the ways to remind ourselves of the difference between needs and wants. This is a vital distinction - without it we cannot differentiate between our dreams, or prioritise our goals. I may want a fancy SUV - but what I really need is either access to reliable public transport, or a reliable vehicle. I want beautiful things, but I need very few.

Humans have many needs: food, water, shelter, sanitation, beauty, companionship, inspiration and challenges. If you want to feel lucky, spend a little time each day thinking about your needs, and how they are met. Be grateful for what you do have, even while you acknowledge that you would like more. Because goals are important as a motivation for change; but they should not prevent us from appreciating what we have, right now.

Do you feel lucky?

Tessa Silberbauer is a Johannesburg-based life management trainer. For information, corporate training or private consulting, contact her at 083-310-0955 or livingskills@webmail.co.za

MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

This is Friday's post.

Oh well said Renate! I also tell people, that it is very easy to make money - what is more complex and difficult is to make a profit!

One of the other things that I would like to mention here, is 'Never give your power away to anyone'. By this I mean, if you have a business relationship with a partner - always make sure that you have a contract in place. The contract must include how you set the business up, how and who runs and manages it, what payments come out of it, who and how people get paid out of it and if it goes 'belly up' how you get out of the relationship. Too many times I see husbands and wives/lovers/friends get into a business relationship without anything in place and then when the relationship goes sour, so does the business.

So protect yourselves and protect your power!

Money makes the world go round

Manage your money and manage those managing your money
Renate Volpe
11 July 2007 at 10h00

"Money is the root of all evil" These are both popular sayings. I prefer the one I heard recently: "Money magnifies who you are."

The reality is that money influences most decisions in our lives: where we live, how we dress, where we shop, whether we travel, where we socialise, what we drive, who we marry and befriend, whether we remain in South Africa or choose to emigrate …

How we relate to money is influenced by our beliefs and experiences around money. If you explore your first experience as a young child around money, and you determine whether this was a positive or negative experience, you will inevitably find a correlation between this experience and how you currently manage your money on a daily basis.

Are you wise around money, are you miserly and controlling? Or perhaps you are a fool around money, take foolish risks and believe that luck will surely, one day, make you a millionaire. As a leadership coach I am often approached by entrepreneurs who wonder why their businesses are not performing as well as they could, or should be. One of the prime causes is that such people often fail to align the services they render with the amount of money they charge for their time and their effort. For example, they may deliver three weeks of time for a petty amount of money to a demanding customer. When they stop and assess their profit margins they find that by the time they have covered their infrastructure costs (never mind charging for their own competence), it is costing them to service the customer.

The simple rule here is to align the amount of effort, time, costs and resources required by the project with the money charged to the customer. In small business one of the prime reasons for business dissolution is the failure to bill and collect outstanding debt timeously.

Small insights, like understanding that the moment you invoice a customer you become liable for the VAT irrespective of whether that customer pays you or cancels on you, are important to keep in mind. Having cancellation clauses in your service agreement is critical. Resist the temptation of using VAT and tax monies on daily living or business prospects. My advice is to have a separate account into which you put VAT monies so that it is available when the time comes to pay. Never presume that a deal is closed prior to physically seeing the money in the bank. Even when a deal is signed, it may be reneged on.

Do not expect people to look after your money even if you pay them to do so. Do not trust your investment broker blindly. Educate yourself; do not assume that your bookkeeper, accountant or auditor is effective and efficient. Manage the people that manage your money. Ask educated questions, question actions, demand sensible, logical and relevant explanations. You will save yourself large amounts of money by involving yourself in your own affairs. Remain informed about service-related costs, read the small print and beware of escalating rates of long-term providers.

I recall a friend telling us how jealous he was of our apartment, saying that he was only a doctor and did not earn much money. I reminded him that he and his wife had travelled the world and been on continuous expensive vacations for the last 10 years, while we had chosen to put our money into bricks and mortar. He was truly surprised by his own blindness as he acknowledged my comment. There appears to be no correlation between making a lot of money and having enough. As I observe how people are with money I have noticed that often people who make a lot of money, spend it like water and sometimes have little or nothing in the end. Those who earn steadily and are good with their money seem to live well enough, are self reliant and have little or no debt.

As with everything in life, the answers are not found in extremes but in an attitude and approach of moderation. It's never about all or nothing, in essence you need:
Some money for today
Some money for tomorrow
Some money to play.

Dr Renate Volpe specialises in leadership coaching. For a copy of her book Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks, call 011-455-0769, access the website at www.hirs.co.za, or e-mail her on renate@hirs.co.za

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THE KEY TO GROWTH

This was Thursday's post.

Whilst I agree with this on some levels, it is also an area of concern. The SMME sector are the ones who are supposed to grow the economy. By their very nature, they are one man/woman establishments and they then grow by 50% when they hire a staff member. It is ridiculous to expect them to hire staff member 'A' who is supposed to be efficient in 'xyz' only to discover that the staff member has a basic knowledge of only 'x'! The SMME is then supposed to either hire someone else (in order to get the work done and meet his/her deliverables) and/or send said staff member on a training course to become proficient in "x, as well y & z" and then pick up the slack (which he hired the staff member for in the first place), whilst they are off being trained! To add insult to injury, said staff member is earning the salary of someone who is supposed to be proficient in "x,y & z" as that is what they were hired for in the first place!

In all of this, said SMME, also has to contend with all of the compliance and red tape issues that Government have imposed and still conduct a viable business!

Doesn't make much sense to me at all!

Skills development the key to growth

If staff are inefficient you need more people to do the job
Workplace staff

20 March 2007 at 06h00

There is a tragic paradox about the South African employment scene: massive unemployment and, at the same time, a massive skills shortage. Official unemployment in South Africa is running at between 27 percent and 40 percent and yet businesses say they battle to find appropriate staff to fulfill their needs.

Liza van Wyk is chief executive of BizTech, a company that provides bridging for graduates who are battling to apply university theory to workday practice, and mid-level employees who want to progress in their career. She points out that they experience this problem in their own business. "We could certainly grow faster if we could find the right people," she says, "but recruiting them is a real problem."

In 2004, Stats SA reported that of the 40,4 percent unemployed, 60 000 were graduates. Many companies or business associations, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants, complain that many degrees have scant value - students may understand the theory but don't always know how to apply it, their social skills and English capacity are often marginal. Gauteng's premier Mbhazima Shilowa, in October last year, quoted a newspaper report which indicated that "50 percent of South Africa's undergraduate students fail to complete their degrees and only 30 percent obtain their qualifications within five years of enrolling as first year students". "The sector education and training authorities (Setas) have failed to respond adequately to the challenge of skills development," he says.

Van Wyk says it is better to employ someone who meets most, even if not all needs, and train them. "People are more likely to stay with a company that they know is interested in their development." The world is progressing so fast with globalisation that ongoing learning is essential just to keep up, Van Wyk believes. "Take Ireland, which has grown from being a nation severely in debt 20 years ago, to the world's second richest country now, as an example," she says.

"Ireland announced on March 6 that a million of its work force - and it is a country with a population of 4,5-million people - have to double their skills in the next five years for it to remain competitive."If a country doing that well places such a high demand on top-level skills, then we cannot afford to lag behind." Van Wyk believes a failure to train staff and boost efficiencies affects overall resource costing - if staff are not doing things efficiently you need more staff to do the job.

She says they began planning BizTech a year ago when the parent company Astro Tech - which caters for executive and senior staff - ran a training course for "High Performance PAs and administrators". "We couldn't, and still can't, keep up with the demand for that course. We began researching the market and realised that mid-level employees are the heart of an organisation. If you send an executive to training but he is not backed by highly skilled support staff, his or her best efforts are reduced."We also realised that there is often poor appreciation by bosses of the high-level skills needed for tasks they often give to people which impact on the image of the company. "Staff with little or no training battle to make the grade, or money is wasted by bringing in high-priced consultants." Events planning, designing invitations and advertisements were some of the skills that were poorly appreciated by executives but had high impact on the company image."

At present, many PAs and office administrators are helping their managers put together budgets for projects. It is they who handle expense accounts, the petty cash and credit cards," Van Wyk points out. "It is an area fraught with risk if there is fraud or someone who does not know how to balance the books." As a result, one of the courses run Biztech is Finance and Budgeting for PA's. "We are living in the knowledge era and in a highly competitive world, life-long learning is essential to the individual and any corporate that wants to stay ahead," Van Wyk concludes.

Liza van Wyk can be contacted on 011-453-5291. You can also visit the Biztech website at www.biztech.co.za

TOUGHER ACTION CAN BE TAKEN AFTER A WARNING

Please remember that following the correct procedures will assist you in avoiding any come backs and visits to the CCMA. The law is there to protect both the employee and the employer - it's how you use it to your best advantage that counts in the long run.

Tougher action can be taken after a warning
It's simply a way of telling staff members to pull up their socks
Ivan Israelstam

02 July 2007 at 11h00

According to the Labour Relations Act (LRA) the purpose of giving warnings is to teach employees the employer's standards of conduct and work performance and to give them a chance to improve. Employers too often misuse disciplinary warnings or avoid using them at all because they are unsure of how the law allows them to use such warnings. The following will assist employers to use warnings as a means of improving employee conduct and performance without infringing employee rights:

What is a disciplinary warning?

A disciplinary warning 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 is the giving of a warning appropriate?

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 inappropriate?

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.

Can disciplinary warnings be cancelled?

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 (ie 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. He could, however, also warn him/her that, should he/she again damage employer property, stronger action will be taken.

Can an employee be dismissed for a repeat offence after having received a final warning for a similar offence? The answer to this question is "yes" provided that there is no reasonable corrective alternative to the dismissal and the final warning is valid. When is a final warning valid in terms of being usable in justifying a subsequent dismissal?

There is a point of view that a disputed final warning cannot be used as an aggravating circumstance to justify a subsequent dismissal. This view is linked to the notion that the employee, when disputing the dismissal, can at the same time dispute the validity of the final warning that motivated the dismissal. However, I am of the alternative view that should the employee wish to dispute a final warning, he/she can only do so within 90 days of having received that warning. To be allowed to raise it later at the unfair dismissal arbitration stage is to me unfair unless condonation for the lateness of disputing the warning has been properly applied for and has been granted. However, the employee would have the right to argue at any stage that the final warning was invalid if the warning had passed its expiry date by the time the subsequent incident of misconduct took place.

In the case of Numsa and Others v Atlantis Forge (2005, 12 BLLR 1238) the employer dismissed a group of employees who had embarked on an unprotected strike. The dismissal was based largely on the fact that the employees had previously received a final warning for similar behaviour. However, the Labour Court reinstated the dismissed strikers because the final warnings in question had expired by the time the employees committed the second offence. Wise employers therefore tread very warily before dismissing employees even if they have received final warnings.

Ivan Israelstam is chief executive of Labour Law Management Consulting. He can be contacted on 011-888-7944 or labourlaw@absamail.co.za