Senior leaders must be on board to drive a successful ESOP
Employee share ownership plans (ESOPs) are a powerful way for businesses to engage staff, boost retention, and meet black economic empowerment (BEE) objectives. By Shaun Smit and Bruce Hunt, directors of Transcend Capital Achieving ESOP success needs the full...
Your work friend just became your boss. Now what?
One day, you and your work ‘bestie’ are grabbing coffee and venting about office drama. The next, they’re sitting across from you in a leadership meeting, setting deadlines and reviewing your performance. Awkward? Maybe. Doable? Absolutely, writes Anja van Beek,...
Remove the stress from employer tax declarations
South African businesses often scramble to validate tax data before South African Revenue Service (SARS) deadlines, which may have happened again in February. To avoid this stressful scenario in the future, companies must stay on top of their tax reconciliation...
The rise of Agile in HR analytics
As businesses navigate an ever-changing landscape, HR is stepping up from a traditionally reactive function to a proactive strategic partner. A major force driving this transformation is the adoption of Agile methodologies - particularly in HR analytics. By embracing...
Quiet firing: the legal and ethical minefield of dismissal by stealth
As the global economy continues to limp along, a new trend has arisen whereby companies engage in a tactic called “quiet firing” in order to reduce the size of the workforce without having to pay severance packages. In South Africa, the term constructive dismissal is...

How Blue Pearl is transforming recruitment for modern businesses
In today’s fast-paced business environment, finding the right candidate quickly and efficiently has become essential for organisations to stay ahead, writes Fatima Bibi Mohamed, ecosystem leader: South Africa at IBM. Traditional hiring processes are often...
Emotional intelligence is a core competency in a skills-based economy
The notion that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a mere "soft skill" is questionable, writes Roland Innes, MD f Dyna Training. In today's dynamic skills-based economy EQ is a core competency, essential for dealing with constant change and achieving sustainable success....
What’s expected of employers regarding work-related illness?
Mental health cases in the workplace can be difficult for employers to manage. This task becomes even more difficult to navigate in circumstances where illnesses appear to arise in the context of work-related stressors or incidents. By Sian Gaffney, senior associate,...

From progress to parity: empowering women in leadership roles
Over the past decade, organisations have made positive strides in advancing gender diversity and equity, including promoting and recruiting more women into leadership roles. This is a welcome development, but recent data shows that the road ahead is still paved with...
Flexible benefits attract skilled workers
The battle to attract, engage and retain talented employees continues, and many South African organisations are turning to flexible benefits to lure candidates away from their competitors. “Skilled workers are realising how valuable they are and are demanding more...

How to keep hybrid working human
While hybrid work and digital transformation have yielded visible benefits for many companies, it has also brought challenges, especially in respect of effective knowledge-sharing and innovation amongst team members, writes Phyllis Ndlovu, founder and CEO of Kisima...
How to foster a culture of diverse thought
The future of work is evolving, and the business world stands at a pivotal moment for creating truly inclusive environments that embrace diversity in all its forms. According to Genevieve Koolen, HR director at SAP Africa, the embracing of diversity is not just a...