PART TWO

Four pillars of professionalism are necessary to build a robust and credible HR profession. 
By Marius Meyer

 Last month saw the introduction of the new national HR Competency Model of the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP), the HR standards-setting and professional body for HR. The aim of the model is to set a national standard for HR competence and to provide...

The challenge for Africa is to not only develop the next generation of leaders but to develop responsible leaders.
By Prof. Arnold Smit

In considering what the challenge of responsible leadership for Africa is, I decided to ask for some inputs from others. Two perspectives stood out. The first highlighted...

Will it be the “Shareholder Spring” or the psychology of the Savannah? 

By Martin Hopkins

The world of executive reward continues to evoke debate and controversy around the world. In recent weeks we have seen the sustained levels of shareholder and regulatory activism intensify, to the point that reward professionals in the UK are referring to the “Shareholder Spring” a parallel of...

It’s time to recognise the contribution of Private Skills Training Providers. 
By Marietta van Rooyen

South Africa is not doing well when it comes to education and training. One should think that any contribution to improve on the status quo will be welcomed, but private providers are operating in a very difficult space.

There are 89 registered and 29 provisionally registered private higher education institutions....

Spin the bottle then ask any HR person that it’s pointing to about their talent problems and it’s very clear that this problem is not going to go away. Well, not in the immediate future, any way. This then begs the question: is anybody doing anything significant to address the...

China’s labour challenges provide a potential boost for its HR industry. 
By Jane Steinacker-Keys

For China’s ever-changing economy to prosper it will need to rely more heavily on the human resources sector. “To quote Arthur Lewis, ‘China is going to get old before it gets rich’,” says Wayne Wang the CEO of CDP Group Limited, a human capital consulting firm based...

Social media are now being used to promote employer brands. 
By Brett Minchington

Without a doubt, advances in new technologies, the emergence of social media and popularity of mobile devices has caused companies to re-think how they communicate employer branding messages to employees, candidates and other key stakeholders.

The speed of the transition from print to online and the need...

HR can build value and credibility by partnering with the ERM function.
By David Creelman

Human capital risk is a weighty subject that is not well understood by most HR professionals – or risk professionals for that matter. The Conference Board of Canada recently held a summit bringing together human resources and enterprise risk experts to bring some clarity to the topic....

Global HR guru Dave Ulrich explains to Editor Alan Hosking what is required of HR professionals today.

What are some of the biggest HR issues facing companies today?

I like to think about three targets or outcomes of HR work: individuals, organisation, and leadership. To deliver any strategy, individuals need to be more productive organisations need to have the right capabilities and leadership needs to be widely...

Lip service will no longer cut it when trying to attract and retain the best talent. 
By Bryan Hattingh

Numerous editorial and opinion pieces, research studies, surveys and comments from many business leaders have been printed and disseminated declaring the critical importance of talent acquisition and retention.

Amazingly, however, organisations continue to make the same mistakes and critical oversights when addressing the matter. A...

South Africa should adopt a new remuneration framework to combat a growing wage differential.  
By Chris Blair and Bryden Morton

PART ONE

An unequal distribution of income has historically plagued the South African economy. The chief concern is not that South Africa has historically experienced one of the most unequal (in terms of income) economies in the world but rather that this...

HR technology can play a pivotal role in attracting and retaining the workforce you want.  
By Rob Bothma

With the uncertainty currently facing organisations today on when and how the economy is going to react to both external (international) and internal (domestic) influences – especially at the time of writing when the whole e-tolling issue is still in heated debate – organisations need to be on the lookout...

Avoid ethical pitfalls by closing the gaps that exist.
By Cynthia Schoeman

Ethics in the workplace is becoming an increasingly important focus area. Despite this emphasis, it is questionable whether this is driven by a desire to avoid the costs of ethical failure or by a genuine commitment to do the right thing. This represents a fundamental difference, and...

Government should make it easier for returning former South African citizens to regain their SA citizenship status.
By Julian Pokroy

The Minister of Economic Development, Mr Ebrahim Patel, in a recent speech dealt, at some length, with policy issues falling under the umbrella of his portfolio of a skills shortage nature, and categorically stated that luring South African ex-pats who had left the country and taken their...

Companies must tune in to the unique voices of individual workers.
By Yusuf Mahomedy

In The 8th Habit – from Effectiveness to Greatness, Stephen R Covey opens the first chapter with a profound statement: “Listen to the voices”. He then shares the voices of people that are struggling to survive in this new world of ours. They are bored, depressed, scared,...

Employee wellness programmes are a critical component for talent management and skills retention.  
By Dr Fundile Nyati

South Africa currently has the largest and most developed modern economy in the African continent. Whilst the South African economy is the largest in the continent, from a competitiveness point of view, according to the 2011 Global Competitiveness Index, in Africa it was rated #2 after...

Small adjustments can result in an increase in your energy levels.
By Alan Hosking

Last month’s column started looking at some of the thieves that rob us of our energy. There are more of these thieves.

The whole diet and eating plan thing has been done to death by now, but if you’re one of those people who think that eating...