PD 2 2011 Feb by IPM

Feb 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ Vol 29 No. 2

People

Dynamics

South African companies embrace recruitment technologies Journal of the South African Institute of People Management www.ipm.co.za

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CONTENTS

human resource practices

Editor’s letter

RECRUITMENT SURVEY

Corporate Services

South African companies embrace recruitment technologies By Gillian Meier ADVERTORIAL

A qualification worth its weight in gold By Natalie Zimmelman Mentor matters

The blurring lines By Gary Taylor RECRUITMENT

Employer branding By Ayanda Mbanga Mhungu Internships

Empowering the intellectually impaired By Sandra Dunn LEADERSHIP

South Africa’s leading managers By Samantha Crous Survey

Global skilled trades shortage could stall future economic growth By Peter Winn GRADUATE RECRUITMENT

Good reasons for employing graduates By Nritika Singh Talent Management

Personal branding is king: how to get the top jobs and keep them By Sumay Dippenaar Role of HR

The P–E Human Resource Practitioners Handbook Part of the P-E Suite of remuneration surveys, this is the most exhaustively researched summary of personnel practices available within the South African market. Information is practical and up to date ensuring its relevance for policy formulation and review. It includes: • Application of the most commonly applied job evaluation systems in South Africa and how these systems may be cross-referenced, integrating concepts such as broad banding, multi-skilling and skill based pay. Tables showing basic salary and total cost of employment data by grade, both nationally and by region, function and industry sector, are also included. •

A description of salary administration practices and pay policies incorporating issues such as: — wage differentials and attraction premiums — performance management policies — bonus and incentive pay arrangements — sales force commission structures, and — expatriate pay and relocation allowances

•

A comprehensive survey of all commonly found staff benefits in South African organisations – from car policies to retirement planning, housing, security and medical arrangements

•

Research on conditions of employment – from leave policies to training and development practices. This section also includes commentary on labour legislation, work force composition and in particular, a detailed analysis on how organisations are implementing employment equity.

•

Staff turnover, retrenchment and productivity cost statistics.

Breaking the relationship mould By Guy Ellis and Chris O’Brien MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

The desk is dead By Andy Potter Vision Statement

Brave New World By Ken Blanchard Labour law

Second-generation outsourcing: a further twist By John Grogan Interview

Our blood is blue News and reviews

HR in brief Gabriel’s Horn

It’s that time of year again By Gabriel Mofekeng

Forthcoming ISSUEs features March 2011– Training, Skills Development & Competencies, Performance Management and Appraisals, Training Institutions APRIL 2011 – HR Outsourcing & Technology, Change Mangement, Performance Improvement, HR Software, and the Budget speech,

This survey is published annually in September. In order to participate in the survey and receive a copy of the results please contact Adele Slotar, Deidre van Greunen or Sandra Greville on (011) 442 4334 or our agents in: The Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Namibia

For more information visit our website www.pecs.co.za

Leading advisors to leading companies

Editor’s letter

s I take over the reins of editor from Eldene for this, my first edition of People Dynamics, I am both nervous about the shoes that I have to fill and excited about the prospect of change for myself and PD. Change can be something that frightens or excites, but it is sometimes inevitable and often necessary. This is true in both a personal and professional sense. Recruitment and retention, the focus of this month’s issue, both have connotations of change. Recruiting new blood and different, fresh ideas in an organisation can revitalise the office environment and transform thinking – both of which are imperative for growth. Retention is always an important focus of any organisation; we all want to keep our staff happy, and we should. However, there may come a time when staff decide to explore different avenues or start a new journey.This is not a reflection on the company’s retention policy or how well or badly the person has been treated, but rather a personal choice to initiate change. Although hard, this is possibly the best way to have people leave your organisation – happy, motivated and thankful for the support and experience your company has provided. While we bid farewell to Eldene we also wish her well on her new journey and the exciting new projects that await her in foreign lands. PD will miss you.

Editorial Alex Bouché E-mail: alexandra@eaglepub.co.za Advertising Bookings Helen Bennetts Tel: 011 326 0303 Fax: 011 501 2878 E-mail: helen@eaglepub.co.za Publisher The Eagle Publishing Company Tel: 011 326 0303 Fax: 011 501 2878 E-mail: rob@eaglepub.co.za www.eaglepub.co.za Rob Furney Tel: 011 326 0303 Fax: 011 501 2878 E-mail: rob@eaglepub.co.za Tony Proudlock Tel: 011 326 0303 Fax: 011 501 2878 E-mail: tony@eaglepub.co.za Design Margie Carter Tel: 011 326 0303 E-mail: studio@eaglepub.co.za IPM Central Office 287 Kent & Harley Street, Randburg PO Box 3436, Randburg 2125 Switchboard: 011 329 3760 Keith Pietersen Tel: 011 329 3760 Fax: 011 329 3765 e-mail:keith@ipm.co.za www.ipm.co.za

People Dynamics is the monthly journal of the South Africa Institute of People Management (IPM). The IPM is dedicated to the effective development of human potential. In terms of fast emerging global challenges, it is critical to champion the strategic role of human resources and to acknowledge that both development and management are catalysts for growth. In the spirit of progress and support, the IPM provides members with effective leadership and access to appropriate knowledge, information and the opportunity to network with key local and international players. People Dynamics provide a forum for debate and discussion on all issues affecting people managers in South Africa, the African continent and beyond. People Dynamics is distributed to all members of the South African Institute of People Management (IPM), and to other key decision-makers in the industry. To receive People Dynamics regularly and enjoy additional benefits, including discounts on HR-related services, professional networking events and HR vacancy postings on the IPM web-site, contact the membership manager of the IPM.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS

WORLD FEDERATION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written approval from the IPM.

ISSN 0261-2399 The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the values of the IPM.

RECRUITMENT SURVEY

South African companies embrace recruitment technologies By Gillian Meier

he 2010 South African Recruitment Survey unveils the outcome of the aftermath of the recession on SA’s recruitment industry; and reveals how South African companies are shifting towards embracing multiple online platforms and technologies to deliver higher return on their recruitment budgets. The survey (conducted by the SA Recruiters Network in association with Jobs.co.za) was completed by 213 South African corporate HR and employment agency participants. The intention was to review the current status of the recruitment market in South Africa having come out of last year’s stressed economic climate. In addition, the survey aimed to better understand how these companies are addressing their recruitment strategies to align themselves with current recruitment trends. The results of the second annual SA Recruitment Survey were revealed to the participants and industry leaders at events held in both Johannesburg and Cape Town in November 2010. Over 140 companies and employment agencies gathered to hear how the adoption of social media, open job boards and integrated recruitment technologies will impact SA’s employment industry in the coming year. The key findings were as follows: l 77% of companies are currently hiring, with an average of 27% showing an active increase in headcount. Over 34% of companies plan to fill more than 100 positions in the coming financial year.

People Dynamics February 2011

RECRUITMENT SURVEY l The majority of companies (65%) are making use of their internal recruitment departments or line managers to find talent. l 84.4% of companies still use recruitment agencies, paying a placement fee of between 11% and 15%. 41% of agencies had to reduce their placement fee as a result of the recession in order to meet their client’s expectations. l Both companies and agencies feel that it is important that a company has its own careers website, yet 18% of agencies still do not have their own website. Most companies list their job openings on their own website. l Only 38% of employers and 37% of agencies are currently using a recruitment management system (RMS) to manage applications and build up their own talent pool. l There has been a 25% increase in the use of job board advertising, which is 7% lower than the rise in social media recruitment. Agencies use of job boards has increased by 32% since the previous year, while employer postings have increased by 18%. l There has been a 29% increase in companies accessing CV databases since last year, while agency access has dropped by 15%. Unlimited CV database access and application filtering tools are considered the most important online recruitment tools by both companies and agencies. l There has been a 32% increase in use of social media to find talent, with LinkedIn being the most frequently used by both agencies and employers. Most agencies are sourcing better quality candidates from job boards (56%) over social networks such as LinkedIn. l Most companies (57%) find the quality of candidates received from recruitment agencies better than those sourced from job boards, while agencies consider job boards to offer the highest ROI over other recruitment media. Companies consider their own careers websites as their highest ROI. l 64% of companies and agencies still advertise jobs in print media such as newspapers or trade publications; however, agencies consider print advertising to offer the lowest ROI. 67% of companies see value in advertising their brand in print media to attract talent.

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Executive summary: There has been a substantial increase in recruitment activity since last year. Although the majority of companies prefer to use their internal recruitment teams for staffing, and find their highest return on their recruitment budgets coming from their own careers websites, most are still using recruitment agencies to assist them in finding talent; however, the average placement fee has dropped from previous years due to economic pressures. Adoption of social recruitment has increased, although companies and agencies are still finding better quality candidates coming from other sources such as job boards (best ROI for agencies) and recruitment agencies (considered most effective by companies). Print media advertising has declined and is predominantly used by companies for branded recruitment campaigns. Both companies and agencies consider a company website to be important; however, some agencies still do not have their own websites, while most companies are using their recruitment websites in conjunction with a recruitment management system to manage applications and build up their own talent pools.

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Go to www.jobs.co.za/uploads/jobs/pdf/recruitment_ survey2010 public_results to download the complete PDF report of results. Gillian Meier, Chief Executive Officer, ,obs.co.za, gillian@jobs.co.za, http://www.jobs.co.za, 011 367 0018

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ADVERTORIAL

A qualification worth its weight in gold By Natalie Zimmelman

btaining a professional qualification is one thing; having the confidence to apply that knowledge in the workplace is something else entirely. It is precisely this that makes the internationally recognised AAT certification such a valuable asset, not only to accounting technicians who are already employed, but also to people wishing to enter the profession. The programme’s competence-based approach means students don’t learn just the theory, but its practical application too, providing training in everything from double-entry bookkeeping through to the preparation of annual financial statements. It’s tough to achieve, but worth its weight in gold. It gives accounting technicians insight into the full cash flow cycle, so that they are no longer following instructions blindly but understand what goes on behind the scenes. This, in turn, gives them the confidence to show initiative and take greater responsibility, as well as the wherewithal to fix mistakes easily, adapt to change quickly and operate more effectively. Recognised by SAQA, AAT (SA) offers qualifications at three levels on the National Qualifications Framework: a Certificate in Accounting (NQF3); an Advanced Certificate in Accounting (NQF4); and a Diploma in Accounting (NQF5). As a registered learnership with the Department of Labour it can be studied part time within the workplace, which usually takes about three years to complete. Other options include full-time study at the Central University of Technology in the Free State, or registering as a private part-time student with an accredited training provider (a full list is available on the AAT (SA) website. Full-time study is flexible but usually takes about two years to complete. An important advantage of acquiring the AAT qualification is membership of AAT(SA), a professional body formed as a joint venture between the South African Institute of Chartered

People Dynamics February 2011

Accountants (SAICA), which has a membership of about 30 000 and the internationally renowned Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), which has 120 000 members. While AAT has offered the qualification internationally since 1996 it only became readily available locally in October 2008 with the establishment of AAT (SA). It is a relatively young organisation, but already boasts about 3 000 members, including 500 students at various stages of completing the programme. A large proportion of members have completed AAT (SA)’s local government programme, while others have qualified for membership either through recognition of prior learning or having acquired the qualification internationally. Until recently, there wasn’t a professional body in South Africa with whom people in this category of employment could associate. AAT (SA) membership is a statement of competence and status that has the added benefit of being endorsed by SAICA and AAT, both of which have long-standing reputations. Members qualify for numerous benefits including access to SAICA and AAT support services, preferential rates to attend seminars and CPD sessions, copies of the AAT (SA) magazine and access to the SAICA vehicle discount programme. More importantly membership brings with it a sense of community, networking opportunities, recognition and professionalism. There are five levels of membership, each level is qualified on academic competence and workplace experience. People who have completed the full qualification (Platinum members) may use the designation MAAT (SA) behind their names and Diamond members may use the FMAAT (SA) designation. Natalie Zimmelman, Business Development Manager, Association of Accounting Technicians of South Africa - AAT (SA)., 011 621 6888 , www.aatsa.org.za

Mentor matters

The blurring lines By Gary Taylor

he one policy which seems to be updated more frequently than most in organisations today is the Acceptable Use Policy within IT. Now that the Baby Boomer generation is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook, the issue has a new twist. Many employers already have long-standing policies which deal with the acceptable use of company time and resources, such as e-mail and the Internet. Others have even further prescriptive regulation of areas such as the telephone, photocopies, smoke breaks and refreshment facilities. Initially, employers began with the policing of Internet addresses, primarily to eradicate visits to porn sites – more because of its content than because of the time spent on non-work issues. The advent of social network sites has been largely regarded as an irritation by bosses, who have tried to be reasonably tolerant for the sake of the precious Generation X and Y intake, who they don’t really understand, but for whom they are told to make allowances. The cost of upgrading bandwidth to accommodate YouTube clips and other non-work material has sharpened the mind, and got many employers clamping down again – some trying to schedule “open” times for staff to use the bandwidth when not in competition with work requirements, others banning it outright. The more conservative policies have now had to grapple with sites like LinkedIn, which are arguable not purely social at all, and prove to be very useful business networking sites, and can be valuable job search sites for corporate talent. This and other such online groups blur the line between work and personal use of technology. At the same time, some employers are horrified what is said about them in the CVs posted on LinkedIn. What does HR do if a current or past employee posts bold falsehoods on their LinkedIn profile? Have you seen some of those claims?

A tolerant attitude is seen to be progressive if you have an output-based work environment, but more than one company can attest to two-thirds of their bandwidth being consumed by visits to PEST sites. There are some employees who spend literally hours passing on high resolution photos of pretty sunsets, cute puppies or parodies of Julius Malema – can you remember the increase of frothy e-mail attachments during the World Cup? A block on executable files at the firewall frequently reveals that less than 10% of such incoming files are work related. “So much for trust,” say the sceptics. Of course, there’s the flipside. Blackberrys, iPhones and the like are ubiquitous and now blur the lines between working hours and people’s personal lives. It is wonderful for an employer to have its professional people on call without an on-call allowance, receiving and answering e-mails on vacation and at ridiculous times of the night. Some people even save their e-mails written during the day in their drafts box, only to send them from a smart phone just before bed to create a workaholic impression. This never-off-duty syndrome freaks out the workplace wellness people, but it is the way of the world, and it is rare to see a professional ignoring his device. Some employers have already made sure that overtime claims are regulated by policies covering those who are issued with smart phones, to avoid the kind of lawsuit now being faced by the Chicago Police Department which had issued its cops with smart phones, only to find them using their phone records to substantiate expensive overtime claims. Then there are some sneaky (progressive?) employers who facilitate vendors selling healthy meals at the workstations, so that their staff do not stop working over lunchtime. This is all the more attractive in bad weather conditions or with unsafe streets outside, as staff are happy to stay indoors, enjoy the air conditioning and work right through – not good for ergonomics, but the medical aid will pay for the chiropractor. Our personal and working lives continue to converge to a point where the lines are very blurred indeed, and I would venture that the employer is getting a better deal in respect of productivity and responsiveness, compared to when Dad used to leave the office and all his work on a desk at the end of the day. Conceding some personal technology time at work (often more fleeting than those long chats at the tea station which we never regulate) to an employee who has measurable deliverables is not soft – it’s just realistic. Gary Taylor, gary.taylor@kaust.edu.sa

Gary Taylor has written several articles for People Dynamics over the years. His Mentor Matters is a regular column in which he addresses topical HR issues from the perspective of a career HR practitioner (and mentor) and offers some new perspectives on regular issues that HR practitioners face daily. Gary has been in HR for 25 years, in National Mutual and Unilever, HR director at Medscheme for 14 years, and three years as Executive Director: HR at Wits University.Two years ago, he was appointed to start up HR for a new university in Saudi Arabia, where he is now Director of the Policy Office. He is registered as a Master HR Practitioner and Mentor with the SABPP, served as vice president for the IPM for two years, and received the IPM President’s Award in 2008. He has written a chapter for an HR book, been published in People Dynamics and HR Future, and was the SA correspondent for the UK magazine, People Management, for a year.

February 2011 People Dynamics

RECRUITMENT

Employer branding By Ayanda Mbanga Mhungu n my view, the latest Matric results were less than satisfactory, regardless of the much celebrated 67% pass rate. According to published reports, of the 104 000 000 or so learners who registered for Grade 1 in 1999, only 640 000 of them sat for their Matric exams in 2010. The fact that you need only 30% in three subjects and 40% in another three subjects (languages) to pass, just boggles the mind. What happened to 50%? What about competitiveness, globalisation? Somebody, anybody, hello! As it is, our economy is fighting to remain viable in an extremely competitive global business environment. The financial strain on companies is not letting up, thus negatively affecting the pace with which we are able to create jobs. The other challenge is even fewer top-class candidates to fill the few positions that are available, hence the term “war for talent’. As a myriad companies battle to attract, recruit and retain the best talent available in the market, the same amount or even more don’t quite know how to tackle the problem. Worse still, some companies believe that it’s enough to offer a job and the right people will just come. In this “war” zone, employers need more ammunition. And that starts with having fertile ground from which to mine viable dynamos. Given the small size of the pond from which to fish, and the sometimes onerous rules that govern our labour market, companies are left with no choice but to tussle, trying to catch the attention of the best candidates available. A closer look at Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies – Google,Apple,Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric and Procter & Gamble – suggests common attributes and consistencies of all these brands, such as: talent acquisition and retention is a strategic imperative; succession planning/nurturing of future leaders/ employee engagement; consistent delivery; stable leadership; fearless innovation; excellent financial performance; and they are all admired by their competitors.

Naturally, an employer brand is inextricably linked to corporate reputation and it is this corporate reputation that feeds directly into the established set of attributes and qualities – often intangible – that make an organisation distinctive, thereby promising a particular kind of employment experience. In the South African context employers will never be short of responses to their job advertisements, no matter how shabby the advertisement. The key question, however, is whether those responses are the right ones. Statistically, for every 100 applications you receive per job advertisement, only 10 will be worth looking at. The trick is to ensure that your advertisement is tailored to speak to the best of the best, first time round. In addition, your advertisement should set the tone for things to come. The balance of the recruitment process that follows should support the advertisement’s promise and continue to do so until the candidate’s first day at work. Even unsuccessful candidates should come out of your recruitment process impressed and ready to try again. The process of building an employer brand does not have to be cumbersome and expensive. Building a reputation is always about the small things that you do, and consistently so, that leave candidates wanting more. Once you’ve recruited the candidate the process of building the employer brand continues in earnest and feeds directly into the retention phase. Contrary to popular belief, retention does not kick in when a person is threatening to resign. The aim is to keep employees constantly engaged throughout their career with the company, so that they spread the word to friends, family, clients, barber, butcher and anybody else who will listen. Although staff may be committed to your company, it may not always mean that they will be happy, but at times such as these it is important to keep them committed to your cause by being committed to theirs. If you don’t believe me, watch the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” and see that to get commitment from your staff, you don’t have to be Miss Nice Guy all the time. Consistency is key. For us to get anywhere as a business and as a country we need a more globally competitive education system that pumps out consistently good Matric results, thereby widening the pool and creating more opportunities for all. Ayanda Mbanga Mhungu, Managing Director, Ayanda Mbanga Communications, www.ayandambanga.co.za

People Dynamics February 2011

Internships

Empowering the intellectually impaired By Sandra Dunn

he Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) has launched an internship programme for the intellectually impaired, which is helping equip young adults who have completed their training, to gain valuable experience in the workplace, ensuring their competitiveness in the open labour market. In South Africa, there are at least 2.5 million people with impairments. Those with intellectual impairments form a significant part of this group and have traditionally faced a number of different barriers that prevent them from gaining access to opportunities. A major barrier to employment of these young adults can be attributed to myths, misconception and apprehension about people with disabilities. Employers must ensure that workplace sensitisation training takes place to dispel perceptions and create a more inclusive workplace. There is a significant need for this type of initiative that INSETA is facilitating. The main objective is to give those with intellectual impairments the opportunity to be a part of the workplace and to help facilitate their transition from school to work to independent living. The ultimate goal is for them to participate meaningfully in the workplace and the economy. It is a pilot internship that has been long overdue. Employers who wish to embark on such an initiative must ensure that reputable partners, like Living Link, are used to ensure that the right fit is done with the learners and the workplaces. Partnering with The Living Link, the project is running from April 2010 until April 2011 and is already proving to be a success. The Living Link has successfully challenged barriers by working towards economic participation, inclusion and social justice for people with intellectual impairments, enabling them to participate in mainstream society. The non-profit organisation was founded by Ingrid Menzel and her daughter Julia. Menzel’s other daughter, Nadine, has an intellectual impairment. “This internship is a first for us and means a great deal as the aim of the organisation is to find employment for our graduates. By having such a project in place, we were able to place six graduates at once and these young people can now use the skills they learnt in training and make a valuable contribution to the company where they work,” said Menzel.

Vivienne Delaney, Senior Manager of Learning and Development at Indwe Broker Holdings, one of the companies taking on board the interns, is proud to be involved in the programme. “Indwe has taken on two intellectually impaired learners on a oneyear internship programme. They were selected by the Living Link to make sure their abilities and skills could match the specific needs of our office environment. They are doing a sterling job and have been assisting in our mail room, HR department and with promotional activities,” said Delaney, adding that the company is looking forward to the months ahead. Peter Tippett, Facilities Manager at Alexander Forbes, also reports that the interns they have taken on board have performed excellently. “They have settled in nicely and the support from The Living Link has been fantastic. It has been a learning curve for everyone in the company but one that we have all enjoyed being a part of. Once this internship is over we are keen to take on more graduates down the line if possible as we think it is incredibly beneficial both to the graduates and to the company,” he said. Paula Mendes, Learning Consultant at Hollard, reports that their two interns have settled in well and that all is running smoothly. “Both the staff and interns are very happy and have adjusted well. One intern is working as a data capturer in one of our partner firms and the other is working in our HR department. Reports from both teams are very positive.” INSETA hopes to continue this internship in the future. We will be looking to expand this initiative and for more companies to participate. It is running very successfully and the insurance companies involved have really gone out of their way to make this a success. We are hoping to double the 2011 intake of intellectually challenged interns as employers begin to see the benefits of having a truly diverse workforce. INSETA has exceeded the targets set by the Department of Higher Education and Training in the area of training those with disabilities.These results also show that the insurance industry is succeeding in integrating disabled workers into the workplace and that insurance companies are increasingly trying to create an inclusive work environment. Sandra Dunn, CEO of INSETA February 2011 People Dynamics

LEADERSHIP

South Africa’s leading managers By Samantha Crous

ccenture calls it the “secret sauce”, Clicks Group says it’s a philosophy of “we’re here to serve”, while at Coca-Cola “they make magic happen” – people, and the power of talented people infused by a vision, have emerged as one of today’s most important leadership priorities in the latest annual SA’s Leading Managers campaign. SA’s Leading Managers is a campaign run annually by employer brand research and marketing organisation the CRF Institute, which promotes leadership excellence by researching and profiling successful leadership in the country. The organisations that achieved top ten status as judged by an expert panel are, (ranked from one to ten): New Clicks Holdings,Accenture, CocaCola, Berco Express PTY Ltd, Sanofi-Aventis SA (Pty) Ltd, Weber Wenzel, The Platinum Group, Pfizer SA, Medihelp Medical Scheme and SAP. The best performing managers have a common focus on a strong vision and empowering people, as core elements of their success. These are leaders who have successfully filtered their vision through the company and with this have achieved many victories, including more engaged staff, employees who embrace change, loyalty and commitment from all stakeholders as well as higher levels of productivity and growth. Vikesh Ramsunder, Head of Logistics at top-rated Clicks, says he is particularly proud of how his team has responded to the challenge of turning the group’s distribution centres from loss-making cost centres into profitable entities within six months. “There are a couple of things that helped to drive that change. One is the ability of a leader to take complex things, make them simple and add value. Therefore you’ll find that my strategies are very simple and that employees respond to them. Employees were party to the development of that strategy. I didn’t come in and impose it.We put the challenges on the table and said, ‘How do we resolve these?’”

Ramsunder and his team strive to create a supportive, if sometimes tough, working environment. They believe that if you are supportive and give the right direction, and if you improve the tools, it gives people an opportunity to be successful. The Accenture leadership team, rated in second place in 2010, echoes these sentiments. “We are a people-driven business, and as such we emphasise our employee value proposition, which is based on our values and culture, talent management and promoting diversity and inclusion,” said William Mzimba, Chief Executive of Accenture SA. “It is vitally important that we are able to attract and retain the best brains.” The company invests substantially in building its talent pipeline through local internship and graduate programmes – and employs at least 80% of the intake per year.” Sandy Mohonathan, HR Director of Accenture SA, says that a shared vision ensures synergy in the way that the organisation’s objectives are approached. Leadership must inspire a sense of purpose and a shared vision ensures achievement against this purpose. Accenture have refreshed their human capital strategy in line with their strategic intent; a critical part of this strategy is leadership development. Their leadership strategy integrates behaviour-based interventions. For example, they have implemented a talent development forum to drive conversations about performance and potential – the outcome is a development plan that encourages great leadership that allows current leaders to excel and future leaders to be inspired. It’s a similar case this year for Coca-Cola SA (CCSA), which includes attracting the best talent as part of its strategy. The vision for the company is to double the volume of business and triple value by 2020, and according to CCSA President William Egbe, success lies in the organisation’s two greatest assets: its brands, and its go-getting staff. The organisation’s ability to react to the changing demands of the market in this way is affected by the capabilities of its people. With this in mind, CCSA has a strong emphasis on succession planning, which is supported by the organisation’s graduate programme. The HR division continues to transform itself so that it plays a strategic role. Crous said that many other organisations who participated in the 2010 campaign are also geared towards internal leadership development programmes to ensure leadership succession within their companies. Brian Daniel, CEO and Country Manager of the eighth-rated Pfizer SA, agrees that connecting this talent to a strong vision is critical. “In as much as every company has a set of values, the character traits of the team members should naturally encompass these values. It should easily form part of how we conduct ourselves on a daily basis.The shared company vision becoming a reality is conditional on an alignment between company values, company culture and a real belief in what we do,” said Daniel. Berco Express, ranked fourth in the publisher’s choice, introduced an interesting campaign to get their employees focused and committed to the vision.Their vision project involves all staff member, giving that extra degree in everything that they do. CEO, Andy van der Velde, comments that today the project has a life of its own and it is being driven from all levels of management. CRF have awarded the leaders and executive management teams profiled in the 2010 Leading Managers with a new leadership excellence indicator, a leadership quality mark that indicates these organisations’ commitment to, and outstanding performance in, profitable, responsible, accountable, transparent and inspirational leadership. Samantha Crous, General Manager, CRF Institute, 021 425 0320

People Dynamics February 2011

Survey

Global skilled trades shortage could stall future economic growth By Peter Winn nless businesses, governments and trade associations work together to develop long-term strategies to alleviate talent shortages among skilled trades, economic growth will suffer. Worldwide, skilled trades positions are the hardest to fill, according to Manpower Inc’s recent global Talent Shortage Survey of 35 000 employers across 36 countries and territories. Shortages of skilled workers are acute in many of the world’s largest economies, including the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Brazil, where employers ranked skilled trades as their number one or number two hiring challenge, according to the survey. Here in South Africa, employers are also struggling to find skilled trades workers, as this position is ranked as the most difficult position to fill. In a new World of Work Insight Paper titled: “Strategic Migration – a Short-Term Solution to the Skilled Trades Shortage,” Manpower suggests that as the global economy recovers from recession, strategic migration policies are necessary in order to create a mobile workforce and plug the gap of skilled workers. The lack of skilled blue-collar workers can impede the progress of infrastructure projects and jeopardise national growth. It’s a problem that we must address for the long term to foster economic health and fuel business growth. In the meantime, increasing the mobility of these workers can help ease the shortage. Strategic migration calls for long-term, collaborative strategies to alleviate shortages of skilled workers. This includes promoting positive attitudes towards skilled trades, and ensuring that the technical training workers receive reflects the current demands of industry. Although migration can provide an immediate solution, these domestic policies should take priority to shape an indigenous workforce for the long term. Inadequate training and myths relating to skilled trades are creating a dangerous shortage of skilled workers. Employers and governments need to bring honour back to the skilled trades and ensure that South African skilled workers have the necessary technical and ‘soft’ skills to plug the shortage. While our economy recovers from the recession, providing training programmes and working to promote skilled trades as a viable career choice could open up these jobs to a wider talent pool. This will alleviate unemployment as well as help businesses manage their needs effectively.

According to a survey by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), fewer than one in three 15-year-olds in Germany and the Czech Republic see themselves in a high-skilled blue-collar job by the age of 30.The figure is even lower in Italy, the US and Japan. Long-term approach There are various approaches that may be valuable to alleviate the skills trade shortage in the long term, such as increasing the supply of workers with the right skills, or by enhancing their mobility.The key stakeholders should form effective partnerships to combat the lack of available talent. The four areas where these stakeholders should look to innovate are the following: l Promote positive attitudes toward skilled work – an imperative for organisations who rely on skilled labour, is to find ways to emphasise the appeal of the work l Align technical training with business needs – business and trade associations should work more closely with technical education institutions to ensure that the curriculum is aligned with relevant skills and needs l Develop international certifications to accelerate mobility – ensure quality standards and safety among the various skilled trades areas with international certifications l Use strategic migration policies alongside long-term domestic solutions – immigration can be an important strategic tool in order to increase worker mobility (immigration law may be an easier lever to pull than international certifications). A workforce that meets the needs of businesses in South Africa is vital to ensure that the country’s economy flourishes in the future. Addressing shortages with strategic migration in the short term and changing perceptions and training programmes in the long term is the key to creating an environment which encourages infrastructure projects and national growth. Whereas this insight paper discusses how appropriately flexible or strategic migration of skilled workers is key to plugging a significant portion of the talent gap, it goes far beyond that.The migrations constraints associated with talent mobility is an issue that affects all career fields and therefore affects all countries. It will be one that governments around the world will need to collaborate with businesses, trade, academic and educational institutions, in order to fuel healthy economic growth and prosperity in the future. Peter Winn, Manpower South Africa Managing Director, www.manpower.co.za, www.manpower.com Manpower Inc. surveyed over 35 000 employers across 36 countries and territories during the first quarter of 2010 to determine the extent in which talent shortages are affecting today’s labour markets. To obtain the full Manpower Talent Shortage Survey results, go to: http://www. manpower.com/ResearchCenter. In this survey, ‘skilled trades’ refers to a broad range of job titles that require workers to possess specialised skills, traditionally learned over a period of time as an apprentice. Examples of ‘skilled trades’ jobs include: electricians, carpenters, cabinet makers, masons/bricklayers, plumbers and welders. February 2011 People Dynamics

GRADUATE RECRUITMENT

Good reasons for employing graduates By Nritika Singh

atrics and final year university undergraduates have completed writing their exams and some may be in the job market. How will they fare? There is an opinion held by many employers looking to fill staff vacancies, that unless a candidate is the perfect fit with the required experience in a particular field, they will not be considered for employment. South Africa desperately needs skills in certain industries, yet, although there are a great number of these graduate candidates, employers tend not to consider what the candidate is capable of doing, but rather what experience they may have. This means that employers are rejecting potentially great candidates (with and without experience) due to an “imperfect” fit. Employers should be more flexible in their selection process. Recruitment companies have the track record and infrastructure to assist with a choice of graduate candidates. There are many candidates who have enormous potential to become effective, loyal and valuable employees if given an opportunity. There are a number of good reasons why hiring young graduates is preferable to individuals with experience. These include: l Affordability - graduates earn lower salaries than experienced candidates but have huge untapped potential. l Proven return on investment - their ideas and skills can make a huge difference to your bottom line. Graduates contribute substantially more “added value” to companies. Overseas studies by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) show that graduates add UKP1 billion ( R11.1 billion) to corporate entities on an annual basis.

People Dynamics February 2011

l Ready to mould – companies have the opportunity to shape graduates into what they need, resulting in an easier culture fit. Graduates have developed a habit of learning so will seek to continuously learn in the working environment. They are often perceived as a “blank canvas”, open to new ideas, ways of working and experiences. l Solid business skills - studying helps students develop core transferable skills such as written and oral communication, problem solving, presentation, organisation skills and data analysis. Technical graduates have up-to-date specialist or technical skills gained from studies. Many will have experience of applying academic knowledge through work placements. l Fresh ideas and perspectives - graduates can inject new ideas and apply current thinking from academia. Recruiting graduates can also increase diversity within the work team. l Speed to value - graduates learn more quickly and provide more immediate financial returns. They are more enthusiastic and willing to take on challenges; they understand and are able to adapt to change. l Succession planning - provide a career path for graduates and enable them to reach management level within your firm and solve succession planning concerns. For those candidates who have passed matric and do not intend going on to study further, there are options open in professions such as contact centres and administration. Nritika Singh, Managing Director, Isilumko Staffing, 011 267 2920

Talent Management

Personal branding is king: how to get the top jobs and keep them By Sumay Dippenaar

ndividuals seeking new or improved employment positions often do themselves a disservice by failing to recognise that they in themselves constitute a brand and that by “branding” themselves correctly they increase the chance of getting the job that they desire, or excelling in their existing job. Successful product or services branding is all about creating the right perceptions; it is no different with people. Developing a personal brand is the ideal way for individuals to showcase themselves and highlight talents, capabilities and values. Brand equals reputation and good reputations ensure that people reap the rewards they deserve within their careers. Like it or not, everyone is branded by their peers and others with whom they come into contact. If an individual does not take responsibility for creating and sustaining his or her own brand then prospective employers, partners, business colleagues and others will decide that individual’s brand on the basis of their own perceptions. In terms of job-seeking, individuals need to be aware of what it is that renders them special, unique and worthy and use that to brand and market themselves (unique selling points). The bottom line is that the individual brand is far more important than the content of your CV. In today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing technologydriven workplace environment job seekers and those looking for promotion need to work hard at differentiating themselves from the pack. What constitutes the personal brand? It is a combination of inherent and acquired factors such as personal habits, looks, dress sense, speech, smile, sense of humour, attitude, style, personality and many more. First impressions are always visual and lasting so candidates for positions need to ensure that their personal presentation in terms of dress, grooming, personality and disposition, convey the

most positive signals to those who will pass judgement. An important basic when an individual presents his or her brand to prospective employers for interviews is to be aware of some of the other little things that can go wrong: Make sure that you arrive for the interview on time. Ensure that your cellphone is switched off, that your demeanour is under control and that your CV presentation is clean and attractive. Of course it is all very well to deliver the goods in terms of first impressions and one should be cautious about ensuring that the promise and potential communicated by your personal brand are delivered in full. Strong personal branding is built on consistency and reliability to the point that employers and co-workers become dependent on the individual’s ability to deliver. There is no point in creating brand promise and values if they are not adhered to every day. Actions always speak louder than words in the long run. Make sure your personal brand is founded on fact and not fiction.

Sumay Dippenaar +27 11 304-4190, Sumay.Dippenaar@pastelpayroll.co.za, www.pastelpayroll.co.za

February 2011 People Dynamics

Role of HR

Breaking the relationship mould By Guy Ellis and Chris O’Brien

R professionals tend to fall into one of two camps – we’re either great talkers or great ‘doers’. On their own neither is ideal, so wouldn’t it be nice if HR could not only combine and balance these two aspects but at the same time make sure they’re focused on delivering great value to the business? In other words, HR should become ‘people practitioners’ to the business. The challenge, though, for many HR professionals is that they tend to be seen by business leaders as a cost, an invited member of the senior business team, and treated as a glorified order taker. HR becomes frustrated because it is rarely given the opportunity to show what it can do. The end result is that in HR’s haste to please and to get noticed it ends up becoming noisier and busier but no more effective. This reality facing many HR professionals is what we at CourageousHR call “HR’s Cycle of Peripherality”. To turn this situation around means HR needs to break the existing relationship mould between itself and the business. Until recently the role of HR was fairly well defined – it was about delivering costeffective employee services and solutions more often than not at the request of the business. However, many organisations now recognise that having a responsive and transactionally competent HR function is a tactical solution to a strategic need. The problem though for HR is that it has grown up on a diet of certainty, predictability and lots of activity. What is required now is for HR to adopt a more consultative approach as a way of being more influential, less tactical and deliver greater business value. The challenges of becoming an internal HR practitioner If you key the phrase ‘HR consulting model’ into your internet search engine, you will discover over 7 million responses. So, if HR consulting is not a new idea why hasn’t the world of HR adopted it wholeheartedly? The answer could be that being ‘people practitioners’ to the business is easier said than done and that becoming good at it takes, skills, patience and trust (self-trust and being trusted). At CourageousHR we came to realise some time ago that becoming an internal HR practitioner was a challenging transition for a lot of HR professionals not because they didn’t have the willingness to make the change, but because they lacked the leadership support, personal confidence and skills to actually engage in a new type of conversation and relationship with business leaders and managers. In its simplest terms, HR professionals were still looking at the same organisational landscape with the same HR eyes of old and therefore didn’t know what to say or how to behave. New HR behaviours that last come from new ways of seeing, from a new awareness of what HR could and should be and a greater level of conviction and courage. Being an internal HR practitioner is more about facilitation rather than providing answers. It involves not taking sides and being open enough to be challenged and courageous enough to challenge so that the best thinking emerges; it is about jointly discovering people solutions to business needs which are good enough; it has the potential to powerfully bring people together and jointly commit to a course of action which has confronted assumptions, concerns, fears and territories; it is about creating a common ground and consistent way of working within HR and across the business so that trust can be built and innovative solutions are allowed to emerge.

People Dynamics February 2011

HR consulting model which delivers more than words An HR consulting model is actually a partnership model which can be readily applied to any relationship within any organisation as a way of developing the art of conversation in order to get the most out of and tapping into the goodwill, expertise, knowledge and skills of all those involved. In fact, it has been claimed by Dr Isaacs from MIT’s Sloan School of Management that, “the problems even the most practical organisations have – in improving their performance and obtaining the results they desire – can be traced directly to their inability to think and talk together, particularly at critical moments.”

Therefore, a good HR consulting model needs to be systematic, simple to follow but powerful when applied and flexible. The ‘3As HR Consulting Model’ used at CourageousHR focuses on helping HR professionals gain access into the business, ensures a systematic approach is followed and focuses on business solutions which can be applied in the workplace. It is a 7-step model which at its heart focuses on a business ‘performance gap’ and jointly discovering solutions whether it is at a strategic, operational or tactical level. The trick is to involve the ‘right people’ (i.e. those who are part of the issue) as they are the ones who have the best understanding of what is going on and the most keen to resolve it. By getting

Role of HR people to take ownership for the issue, to talk, to share, to listen, to think and to ultimately come up with the smartest possible solution is what good HR professionals should be doing. What emerges from these discussions and the process is clarity about what the people implications are and that enables HR to identify and negotiate how best it can support the business to address its issues. HR teams which have adopted this HR consulting model have found it not only gives them the confidence to behave differently but it also enables them to get closer to the business and deepen their understanding of the business needs and priorities. It takes away a lot of the pressure for HR to come up with solutions as it generates joint problem solving and develops clarity of ownership and accountability across all the different stakeholders. Inevitably, by working more closely with the business on business issues, HR’s level of credibility, visibility and influence significantly increases. Be careful what you wish for The challenge for HR when adopting a new way of working with the business is that more often than not they don’t know the implications of what they are asking for. So, be careful what you wish for as you will get resistance from the business as well as within HR. The key is to be patient, sufficiently skilled in consulting practice, seek to develop trust and work on business priorities (helps to focus the mind). The first step is for HR leaders to work with the business leadership team(s) to renegotiate how HR will work with the business and ensure they understand that they need to change how they work with HR. Once the relationship contract has been agreed, the next step is to ensure the HR consulting model is adopted across the HR community. This is not always as easy as it sounds as most HR professionals have their own individual ways of working (not always explicit and clear) and they can be as resistant to change as some business managers and leaders. However, our experience shows that once they have actually experienced using the HR consulting model (sometimes being supported by a more experienced HR colleague) they tend not to look back to their old ways of working. Lessons learned However, in the early flushes of success it is quite easy to get carried away. Being a good HR practitioner takes time – it not just a twoday training course learning a process. The best HR professionals make the process their own overtime; however, this has been only after many lessons learned along the way. So, it is important both at an individual level and a HR function level that HR professionals

don’t overpromise and then underdeliver as that will affect HR’s credibility, annoy and disappoint key business stakeholders and may ultimately push HR back to the old days of being busy order takers. In our haste to demonstrate the value of adopting the HR consulting model and in response to unrealistic expectations from business leaders, HR may rush through the process. Making snap judgements normally means that solutions are being recommended before the real problem has been identified. Sometimes, at the start of a consulting assignment, not enough time is spent by HR to identify and engage with the main stakeholders. The end result is that much time may have been spent working with the wrong people so either the real performance issue is not addressed or, when it comes around to making recommendations, the real stakeholders reject them as they have not been involved. Preparation is key and that requires patience. The best internal HR practitioners are subtle in how they work with the business and don’t let the process, language and HR jargon get in the way of the conversation and the analysis. Most business leaders are not that interested in the HR consulting process, just the business outcome. Using the language of the business is a very simple but effective way to demonstrate that HR is part of the business. Finally, using a HR consulting model is not an additional task and activity that is squeezed into an already hectic HR diary and delivery schedule. Moving to a HR consulting model not only involves a significant mind shift and approach to how we do our work, but also means saying “No”. HR consulting is the process HR uses to improve performance issues and not the kinds of interventions. Making it work is worth the effort HR is in a privileged position within organisations as it has the opportunity to see so much of what is going on and is able to influence so many business decisions. Just because HR has generally failed to capitalise on its potential to make a unique contribution to businesses doesn’t mean that there is not a second chance. Adopting an HR consulting model is a very powerful way of getting HR closer to the business, building HR credibility and delivering significantly more business value. Making it happen takes courage, investment of time and money, patience and some tough lessons learnt along the way. However, the journey is worth it as the outcome is HR becoming true partners to the business. Guy Ellis and Chris O’Brien, CourageousHR, www.courageousHR.co.za/resources, enquiries@courageoushr.co.za

February 2011 People Dynamics

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

The desk is dead By Andy Potter

eople are no longer tied to desks. The desk is dead, and perhaps a dangerous place to be. Companies nowadays need to enable employee mobility, and empower communication and decision making on the move. South Africa has an exponentially growing mobile workforce, and as a decision making tool, business intelligence (BI) must be available wherever decision makers are, on whichever mobile devices they choose to use. Over the past few years, many vendors have made BI applications available for mobile devices. These technologies have advanced quite dramatically, allowing for the use of sophisticated applications for a wide range of BI functions on small handheld devices. From sms alerts and notifications using the proven ‘push-type’ technologies, mobile BI technologies now allow for the delivery of rich content that can be navigated on a range of smart devices. All of this combined makes mobile BI a must have accessory for every executive. There is a move away from IT-centric BI to more user friendly, selfservice BI with SAP BusinessObjects’ Explorer for the iPhone and iPad, which was recently voted one of PC Worlds (UK) top 15 must have business applications for the iPad. This solution takes mobile BI to an entirely new level where users can ask questions and search for information in the same way as they would search for something using a search engine on the Internet. Instead of thinking about what they might want to know and then waiting for the IT department to build and publish those queries, decision makers have the power and the freedom to interrogate data

People Dynamics February 2011

based on their specific questions. This allows users to find and analyse the relationships between different variables in a way that has not previously been possible using a handheld device. Although South African companies are not lagging too far behind when it comes to embracing new technologies to empower employees’ mobility, they still have to get to grips with what mobile BI technologies can do for them. Many businesses have invested in BI solutions which have a mobile component but they aren’t using the features. We are at the tipping point where companies have adopted BI tools and their employees are up to speed on the use of mobile devices. More companies are now starting to investigate how they can leverage mobile BI to interact with and empower mobile workers. There are an estimated 170 000 iPhones at play in South Africa, and the iPad, although not yet officially launched in this country, is already pervasive among local executives. Mobile adoption in South Africa has always been on par with developed countries. Smart phones have become mainstream technology and business people are using them for far more complex tasks than just making phone calls and sending e-mails. There is huge anticipation of the launch of the iPad in South Africa. When the demand for this technology meets availability, we can expect the iPad to spread like wildfire. As it does, so the new wave of mobile BI will also gather momentum. This will revolutionise the way in which companies see and utilise mobile BI, making it mainstream technology. Andy Potter, Head of Solution Sales, ASYST Intelligence

Vision Statement

Brave New World By Ken Blanchard

t should be obvious – leadership is about going somewhere! Yet only 10% of the organisations we meet with have a clear vision of where they are heading. In place of a meaningful, motivating, universal vision, you find at best a hollow phrase that resonates with no-one, at worst a company with no clear sense of its operating values, only a hazy picture of the future, and little idea of where it are trying to take its people. Without vision, there is no focus; no direction; no power. Vision is mission critical – without it, you get off focus and waste time and energy. Every company needs to have a great vision to succeed. Having vision statements isn’t good enough. Often, they actively turn people off.They might be framed and up on every wall, but if they provide no guidance, or have nothing to do with the reality of how things really are, then they are simply a waste of space. Too often, these statements are born out of a two-day leadership team retreat for senior executives, who come back to the office buzzing with newfound excitement for a transformative direction for the company. Determined to establish or review a company’s mission statement, they whittle their excitement down to a few words on a page that turn out to be a poor shadow of the executives’ vivid experience. The result is a mission statement very similar to the previous one, and pretty much like the mission, vision, and values statements of hundreds of other companies. So how does it all go so wrong? I wrote a book about the problem with vision statements, Full Steam Ahead! with Jesse Stoner. She has dedicated more than twenty years to helping organisations create shared visions for their organisations, and establish strategies so they actually work in practice. We both believe the biggest mistake leaders make when creating a vision statement is that they usually try to figure out the vision all by themselves, in splendid isolation. As Jesse puts it:“If you want your entire organisation to be as excited about the vision as the senior leaders, you have to involve them, allow them to put their thumbprint on it, and have shared ownership. The people who create the vision understand it and own it because it is in their hearts and minds.The words are not as important as what people understand about them.” Anytime a group of leaders develops a vision independently and then announces it to the organisation, it almost always ends badly.Yet it happens more often than not because leaders think they are expected

to have the answers and to set direction. For leaders looking to create a compelling vision, Stoner recommends focusing on three key areas: l Use a collaborative, involving process that engages people in real dialogue about the vision and provides an opportunity to give feedback. Leaders should ask: “What do you think about our vision? What is exciting about it to you? What would make it more exciting? What could we do differently going forward?” l Create some dynamic tension. Be honest in your assessment of the present. Don’t worry if there is a gap between where you want to go as an organisation and where you are currently.When you hold both your vision and the truth of your current reality, creative tension is generated. This tension creates movement. l Demonstrate leadership commitment. Visioning is an ongoing process; you need to keep talking about it. It is important to share information on a regular basis to demonstrate that the vision is still the driving force. Help people interpret events and changes in light of the vision. Our long experience working with some of the best companies worldwide is that the best way to get people to buy into something is to give them an opportunity to participate in its creation. None of us is as smart as all of us. Doing it this way means you will always end up with something better than if you did it yourself. And, when people have an opportunity to share their hopes and dreams, are involved in the discussions shaping the vision, and are included in making decisions, they have a clearer understanding of the vision, are more deeply committed to it, and move quickly to implement it. Once the vision is established, the job of a leader is to be constantly communicating the values behind it and working them into discussions and conversations.Your goal is to create context for the vision, to show how it plays out in the day-to-day activities that come up, and remind people that they had a hand in creating the vision. Don’t miss an exciting opportunity like this to get everyone involved in forging a brave new world for your organisation. It’s not the words on the wall that will stick in people’s minds—it’s the experience they went through to put them there. Ken Blanchard,The Ken Blanchard Companies, www.kenblanchard.com February 2011 People Dynamics

Labour law

Second-generation outsourcing: a further twist By John Grogan

n a judgment which dismayed some but delighted more, the Labour Court ruled in Aviation Union of SA obo Barnes & others v SA Airways (Pty) Ltd & others [2010] 1 BLLR 14 (LAC) that “second generation outsourcing”—when one service provider replaces another—attracts the provisions of section 197 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA). This meant that employees who had initially worked for the principal and transferred automatically to the first service provider passed

People Dynamics February 2011

automatically to the second when the first’s contract was cancelled, and would presumably pass automatically to the third, and so on, ad infinitum. The judgment also meant that employers might think twice about outsourcing, even once, because they might find themselves saddled with the workers again if the arrangement didn’t work. Before the Labour Appeal Court’s (LAC) judgment, the Labour Court had previously been split over the legal effect of second-

Labour law generation outsourcing arrangements. In COSAWU v Zikhethele Trade (Pty) Ltd [2005] 9 BLLR 924 (LC), the court could see no reason that section 197 should not apply, because workers in such situations are as deserving of protection as workers in an initial outsourcing arrangement. But the judge in that case recognised that a “compelling case” could be made out for the contrary proposition—that by using the word “by” in section 197(1)(b), the legislature intended to limit section 197 transfers to situations in which the “old employer” played an active role in the transfer of the business, which is arguably not the case when a service provider loses a contract and the principal concludes a fresh contract with another. However, in Zikhethele, the judge noted that there was another way of looking at second-generation outsourcing. This was to see the principal as temporarily taking the service from one service provider and passing it to another. Viewed that way, the service would be transferred “by” the principal (which, in the language of section 197 became the “old employer”) to the new sub-contractor, which became the “new employer”. In Zikhethele, the court found this view of section 197(1)(b) to be more in line with the intention of the legislature, and chose it. But other Labour Court judges didn’t agree. In Crossroads Distribution (Pty) Ltd t/a Jowells Transport v Clover SA (Pty) Ltd & others [2008] 6 BLLR 565 (LC) and Aviation Union of South Africa & others v SAA (Pty) Ltd & others [2008] 1 BLLR 20 (LC), the judges followed the “literal meaning” of the provision, and held that section 197 could not possibly apply to second-generation outsourcing. In the appeal against SA Airways, the LAC found that the word “by” has many meanings, and that some of them overlap with the meaning of the word “from”. The literal meaning of section 197(1) (b) did not therefore warrant the confident assertion that the old employer must play an active role in the transfer if section 197 were to apply. The court accordingly ruled that section 197 applied to the facts before it. The facts were as follows. In 2000 the appellant (SAA) concluded an agreement with LGM South Africa Facility Management and Engineering (Pty) Ltd (LGM), in terms of which LGM would take over SAA’s infrastructure and support services departments for 10 years. Importantly, the agreement provided that SAA employees who had previously rendered those services would also transfer to LGM. In 2007, SAA cancelled LGM’s contract, and advertised for tenders for work previously performed by LGM. This time, SAA gave no assurance that the LGM employees’ jobs would be secure. Faced with the loss of the contract, LGM gave notice to affected employees that it intended retrenching them. The unions launched an application in the Labour Court for an order declaring that the business of LGM had transferred to SAA in terms of section 197 of the LRA or, alternatively, that LGM’s business would transfer to any new contractor, and that the employees would automatically transfer to one or the other. Having lost in the Labour Court, the union approached the LAC, which declared that section 197 would apply whether the services that had been provided by LGM reverted to SAA or to another contractor. SAA appealed to the SCA (SA Airways (Pty) Ltd v Aviation Union of SA & others (SCA case no.123/2010 dated 1/01/2011 (Lewis JA & Ebrahim AJA, Mpati P & Mhlantla JA concurring, Shongwe JA dissenting)). To that court, the case turned on this question: whether there has been a second or further transfer of a business as a going concern by an old employer to a new employer where there has been one transfer of a business as a going concern (from A to B) and possibly subsequent transfers (by B back to A, or by B to C or by A to C), but where none of the transactions after the first transfer has been proved to have occurred.

At first glance, the answer seems obvious. Section 197 of the LRA cannot possibly apply to a transfer of business or service which has not occurred, whether the transfer is first, second, or any further generation. This is ultimately the point on which the appeal succeeded. But the majority nonetheless also approached the matter linguistically. The court held that to attract section 197, a transfer of business must have at least two characteristics: first, the business or service must be transferred as a going concern; second, the transfer must be effected by the old employer to a new employer. The majority were unimpressed with the LAC’s generous interpretation of the word “by”, or with that court’s concern that, literally interpreted, section 197(1)(b) would enable wily employers to evade the section by transferring a service briefly to a contractor, then cancelling the contract. The majority pointed out that there is a difference between interpreting a statute to give effect to its purposes and ignoring or altering the plain wording of statutory provisions. To do the latter is to usurp the functions of the legislature. Turning to the facts, the majority found that when the matter had been heard by the Labour Court, there had been no evidence that a transfer of LGM’s business, either to SAA or to another contractor, had actually occurred. Nor was there any evidence that an agreement had been concluded in terms of which LGM’s business would revert to SAA, or be transferred to another contractor. The SCA also rejected the unions’ argument that on termination of the outsourcing agreement between LGM and SAA, the only probable inference was that there would have to be a “double transfer”—i.e., a transfer by LGM to SAA, and a subsequent transfer by SAA to another entity that would provide the services in question. So, without a factual basis for the Labour Court to have concluded that there was a transfer of a business as a going concern by LGM either to SAA or to another entity, the decision to dismiss the application was correct. The Labour Appeal Court erred in upholding the appeal to it. The dissenting judge simply commented that he could not conceive how SAA could award a fresh tender if it had not resumed control of LGM’s business. The actual ratio of the SCA’s judgment in SAA is difficult to detect. There are several indications in the judgment that the majority were of the view that section 197 cannot in principle apply to secondgeneration outsourcing. But the judgment seems to turn rather on the factual finding that the unions had failed to prove that a transfer of the business had occurred. This leaves open the question as to whether the majority might have accepted that LGM’s employees would have transferred to SAA or to another service provider had either of those events occurred. The tenor of their judgment suggests that the four majority judges would not have found that the employees would have transferred in terms of section 197 even if another contract had been awarded. On the other hand, if section 197 does not in principle apply to second-generation outscourcing, the matter would have ended with that finding. Nor does the majority judgment indicate what the situation would have been had LGM’s employees never ever worked for SAA, and whether section 197 might possibly apply to the takeover of LGM’s service by another service provider. If the proposed amendments to the the LRA are enacted, “by” will be replaced with “from” in section 197(1)(b), and a fresh round of litigation over second-generation outsourcing can be expected. John Grogan, Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. Published with permission from Siber Ink CC February 2011 People Dynamics

Interview

Our blood is blue To some it was a miracle and to others a mere metamorphosis. There is little doubt, however, that the story of Spectramed will go down in the annals of great business turnarounds. From a tiny printing industry medical aid with 7 000 families under cover in the 1990s, Spectramed has grown into an industry leader with nearly 100 000 beneficiaries.Tony Proudlock talked to CEO Quincy Beukes. Beukes exudes passion about his job and his product. And so do his employees. The company’s newly developed suite of options for 2011 are themed around the colour blue. “It’s not unusual for people in these offices to exclaim: Öur blood is blue,” says Beukes on his team’s motivation. But the rise of Spectramed is not simply due to enthusiasm. It has been an odyssey guided by inspiration, sound business practice and a willingness to introduce groundbreaking strategies. “The healthcare industry underwent a huge change in the 1990s when the big financial services corporates came into the market,” recalls Beukes. Up until then medical aids simply operated as little more than Friendly Societies. “Thus, healthcare companies were run like stokvels – for the people by the people and in the best interests of the people. It was very much a mutualised business and not for profit,” he says. “When private health care became part of the package offered by the big insurance and financial companies, the market started to grow exponentially.” “The insurance and financial giants had everything stacked in their favour,” recalls Beukes.” They had all the commercial experience, expertise, financial backing, advertising, marketing, sales as well as risk management. In those days we were a tiny scheme dedicated to

Quincy Beukes.

People Dynamics February 2011

the printing industries federation (Our name was Maspif SA which was, thank goodness, changed to Spectramed to represent the four primary colours that embody the spectre of full colour) . We had no brand and no value. “One of my predecessors described the whole scene as going into the ring with Muhammed Ali with one arm tied behind your back. The company got beaten up on a regular basis in those days.” In the face of the fierce new competition, the Spectramed trustees decided that they either had to close the scheme or commercialise and compete. They chose the latter but adhered to the philosophy of caring for the person first – a philosophy that Beukes stresses is still the cornerstone of the business today. And so it was that the new model Spectramed entered the fray. “Those running the business quickly realised that you can’t just take a product to the market and hope it will sell. There has to be a differential, an edge. They developed the philosophy – it’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it,” says Beukes. By 2006 the scheme reached another fork in the road when it was realised that it was competing in a mature market and not a growing one. By 2007 the scheme’s deficit had surged to R87m despite reserves being a healthy R242m. The deficit was largely due to Spectramed’s inappropriate and outdated business model. The whole medical aid industry is plagued by high administration fees as they rely on profit-driven entities to manage their essentially nonprofit schemes. Beukes, who had been a consultant to Spectramed for many years, was appointed CEO in 2007 and inherited the large deficit. “It was my legacy,” he jokes. His priority was to implement a process that closely examined the viability of outsourcing and, most importantly, its costeffectiveness. “We had to decide between the two classic medical aid models – total outsourcing or self-administration,” he says. “What we developed after exhaustive evaluation was a hybrid structure using the best of both worlds – something that was totally different from anything in the market.” The new structure saw the company employing a staff of 130 for in-house operations and 13 outsourcing companies with specialised expertise. It also brought about a significant improvement in the bottom line. “In the first two years of our new business model – the target operating model – we saved in excess of R100m on operating expenses. In 2008 and 2009 we had small, but contextually significant surpluses of R12,5m and R11m as against an underwriting loss of R87m in October 2007. It was quite a turnaround and all without resorting to hiking members’ premiums unduly,” he stresses. Beukes is confident that his first mission – ensuring financial stability – has been achieved. His next mission is to position Spectramed for the future. “Over the next four or five years there is no doubt that the medical aid market will experience radical changes. One of the major contributors will be the introduction of the National Health Insurance scheme. At present about seven million people in this country enjoy private health cover and there is little doubt that some of these people are going to exit private medical schemes when the NHI is introduced. “Whenever NHI schemes have been introduced elsewhere in the world there is an initial drop in those subscribing to private schemes. What follows is a huge disappointment in the NHI which has by then created an expectation of healthcare that doesn’t

Interview

THE HR BUSINESS PARTNER MASTER CLASS: Uniquely Designed for Senior HR Professionals who want to impact the Bottom-line The IPM together with Deloitte are hosting a 3 day highly practical HR Business Partner Master Class on 2-4 March 2011 at Deloitte in Woodmead. The programme is targeted at seasoned HR practitioners and Business Executives, and will provide practical insights, models and tools based on Deloitte’s global methods and tools applied to the South African Business context. The 3 day programme will be very interactive and will encourage best practice sharing amongst participants as well as the application of methods and tools to case studies as well as to the participant’s own organisation. During the 3 days delegates will gain insight and practice in: • Positioning HR effectively within the organisation materialise. Thus you have created a large new group who aspire to having healthcare but need to look beyond the NHI to private schemes. “In time the NHI will actually lead to an expansion in private healthcare but we will have to be able to compete aggressively, which will mean a consolidation of the industry,” says Beukes “Internationally health is now regarded as one of the five pillars of wealth. It’s a simple principle – no matter how much money you’ve got, if you haven’t got health you can’t enjoy it. “I am full of optimism for the future. We have a strong and talented team, a range of competitively priced products backed by great delivery,” he concludes. Witty and urbane, Beukes lives in Rivonia, Sandton with his wife Carren and his two sons aged six and three. He admits to being a dedicated family man and finds them the perfect baffle to stress along with a little music and the odd movie. One of the biggest influences in his life was his first boss. “Right from the start he used to tell me that he was prepared to teach me only what I was prepared to learn,” reminisces Beukes. “One of the most important things he taught was that you never arrive. If you arrive you have failed – tomorrow is always another day for improvement.” Beukes does not have a favourite food and admits to being hooked on being a culinary adventurer. He is teetotal but loves ginger beer – “just like my grandmother used to make”. He reckons Zimbali is his favourite holiday venue in South Africa but rates New Zealand’s south island and New York as “great” overseas destinations.

• Partnering with line executives on the delivery of HR services • Aligning HR strategy with business strategy and effectively engaging stakeholders around the strategy and its execution • Effective HR Strategy and Project Management tools and templates • Approaches and options in undertaking an HR Transformation journey • Best practices and lessons learnt around the high impact Human Capital processes; performance management, talent management and reward • Effective employee engagement and retention practices that work • Key change management models and tools applied to some scenarios At the end of the 3 days, you will leave the session with a strong sense of what business expects of HR and with tools to effectively position HR and develop effective HR strategies, frameworks and practices to deliver on this expectation. Please contact Patricia on 011 329 3760 or email patricia@ipm.co.za or keith@ipm.co.za to book for this exciting event. February 2011 People Dynamics

News and reviews

HR in brief Coca-Cola rated as SA’s Best Empowered Employer The world’s largest beverage company, Coca-Cola, has been named the Best Empowered Employer in South Africa in the latest national Best Employers campaign. Coca-Cola South Africa clinched the number one spot in the diversity management category in the overall Best Employers 2010/2011 ratings.This is the first year that diversity management was included as one of the 11 HR research areas. In the latest campaign, Cola-Cola South Africa, which came fourth in the overall Best Employers campaign rankings, emerged as the organisation with the top diversity management policies in place. Organisations that followed from the number two to number ten spots were: MTN South Africa, Becton Dickinson (Pty) Ltd (BD SA),Vodacom Group Limited,Tsogo Sun Group, SAP South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Industrial Development Corporation of SA Ltd (IDC), Legal Aid South Africa, Edcon, Joburg Market (Pty) Ltd. To arrive at this ranking, the CRF Institute – in addition to looking at standard Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) scorecard elements – also assessed the level to which transformation is embedded in the corporate culture and leadership mindset of the organisations.The latter is critical to the assessment of what they define as an ‘empowered’ employer. This is definitely no small task and we stress that diversity management and BEE is a critical input when certifying all Best Employers.All the certified companies must achieve a high standard in this area in the HR benchmark, which is the employer value proposition policy survey conducted in the Best Employers campaign. Coca-Cola South Africa’s Human Resource Director, Maggie Mojapelo, said that BEE is a top agenda item at the organisation. “We have a dedicated manager that ensures that we are BEE compliant – not just within Coca-Cola South Africa but also within our bottlers. “We are constantly striving for improvements in this area.At present the organisation has 63.18% black employers, 79% of our management is made up of previously disadvantaged individuals, our percentage of women employees is at 52% and women make up 23% of our executive (senior) management. “Furthermore, we also focus on making the entire organisation, its suppliers and the communities in which we work in, more empowered and thus we are investing a lot of time and money in the development of spaza shops, taxi ranks and car washes in the townships and provide them with training and support. We have also made some huge investments in terms of economic development, and have a dedicated team that focuses on this market and develops sustainable small businesses,” said Mojapelo. Organisations that truly emphasise diversity and empowerment are not just trying to meet BEE targets, but are genuinely making an effort to understand what their stakeholders need and value in this area. “Being empowered and to be certified as a Best Employer is great,” said Mojapelo. “It shows that Coca-Cola South Africa is willing to give and support the communities where it does business and that the company is committed to transformation in its entirety. We are very happy about this recent achievement; it is a great accolade for us,” she said. It is fair to say that the Best Empowered Employers are indeed, according to the CRF and the BEST Employers measure, the ‘best-of-the-best’ when it comes to managing diversity. We trust that this first step towards assessing SA’s Best Empowered Employers will continue to evolve and confidently support the critical transformation agenda of SA business.After all, it is increasingly clear that the companies that really know how to value diversity are the ones that value all their people.And that reflects on the bottom line. Samantha Crous, General Manager of the CRF Institute, 021 425 0320, www.bestemployers.co.za Culture fit vital Of all the elements that need to be considered if a company is to be able to

People Dynamics February 2011

select the best candidate for a specific position, the most difficult to gauge or judge correctly is the culture fit. It’s also one of the most important elements in any evaluation of potential employees. Agencies and companies, if they are handling the recruitment in house, need to have a feel for and understanding of the company culture. Culture is usually driven from the top down and is established by the upper echelons of management. However, it is never cast in stone and can change with the appointment of a new CEO or management team. There are many influences on company culture, including the alignment of the company vision, the business objectives and the business ethics.Whoever is conducting the recruitment needs to have a feel for the vision, objective and ethics because they not only shape the company culture but also the various job descriptions and purposes are aligned to them within a specific department. Key performance areas (KPAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) are also important in assessing the culture fit and ensuring the candidate will be able to deliver what the business needs. This is complicated by the fact that not all companies have integrated the business culture and the company values with their KPAs. Whereas these were historically used to measure individual performance, the process is now open to much wider interpretation. Employers need to clearly understand the purpose behind each individual recruitment and employment process.The information for this understanding must come from the person for whom the new recruit will be working. People involved in the hiring process often sway towards taking on someone with a similar personality to their own, which is not necessarily the best fit; and so it is important to also involve line managers and team leaders to provide another perspective. It very often pays dividends to run recruitment workshops in which candidates are given random tasks designed to draw out their natural personalities. The different attitudes adopted towards this process reveal a great deal about people and how they operate in stressful environments. The characteristics most sought after in recruitment are trustworthy, respectful, honest, accountable, integrity and consistency. Honesty throughout the recruitment process is paramount because it saves time and money for both parties. The company should state exactly what it is looking for and the applicants need to present themselves honestly. A complication is the fact that divisions within companies tend to develop subcultures and the candidate fit has to match. Personality traits also need to be examined. There are four main personalities – Analytical, Driver, Amiable and Expressive – and combinations these such as a ‘Driver/Analytical’.This is a whole science in itself, but it is an important area and it is very useful to know a candidate’s personality as it will also be a strong indicator of suitability and culture fit. Lindi Dickinson, placements manager at Softline Pastel, 011 304 4190, www.pastelpayroll.co.za, www.sage.com Does a high-pitched voice turn you on? Forget about cleavage and that little black dress. According to recent report on Oprah.com, men like a woman with a high-pitched voice. In an experiment conducted by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany, 10 men were asked to rate the attractiveness of 10 female voices. All the men preferred the higher-pitched voices, which, apparently, is an unconscious indication of fertility. However, I don’t agree. Your voice is a combination of pitch, pace and pause. Pitch is how high or low the frequency of your voice is when you speak. Yes, higher pitched voices are perceived as being more feminine but in the business world, they can also be perceived as being less authoritative, less credible and, sometimes, just plain irritating. One the other hand, people who speak with a rich, resonant voice in the lower frequencies are generally perceived to be more convincing and sincere. Perhaps some men find the high-pitch more appealing because it indicates a lack of strength, confidence and empowerment, sending a message that the woman will be subservient and pliable.

News and reviews There are several ways to tame a pitched voice or a nasal sounding pitch. You can do exercises to strengthen your neck muscles and relax the larynx so that your voice box is conditioned for creating voice that is deeper and more powerful. Voice training can also help you develop a more flexible vocal tone using proper breathing diaphragm techniques and a selection of vocal exercises to achieve a more flexible and varied tone. A quick tip to get you started is practise breathing “mindfully”.This means breathe deeply, from your abdomen not your chest. In this way your voice will come from the stomach and will be projected out rich and resonant.Another tip is to slow down your speech to generate a more powerful tone. At the end of the day, a husky yet still feminine voice is more sexy and appealing. Good vocal qualities will help to set you apart and sounding sincere and confident starts with learning to use your voice to its full advantage. Monique Rissen-Harrisberg, CEO of The Voice Clinic, 011 880 2334, www. thevoiceclinic.co.za Online social networking can be bad for business Online social networking is a major threat to organisations – and it’s not just about loss of productivity or bandwidth wastage. Research shows that 90% of all security breaches originate from inside an organisation’s ranks; 95% of these breaches are unintentional. With the array of communication channels open to people nowadays, distributing information is easy.The pervasiveness of online social networking sites just makes it even easier to send out information and communicate with a large audience quickly and often without much forethought about the consequences. People have become quite flippant, if not brazen, about ‘airing dirty laundry’ on the likes of Twitter and Facebook. People should be wary of what they publish about themselves on public domains, especially in terms of risking future job prospects, personal relationships and even their own identity. For companies, employees posting information online about the business can be severely detrimental on various fronts. Employees can create liability for a company by publishing inappropriate or confidential business information on profiles or blogs. There is the risk of reputational damage arising from the dissemination of inappropriate or defamatory information relating to the company or its employees that could put the organisation in a bad light or cause it to lose credibility with shareholders, customers and the public, with possible financial repercussions. Intelligence shared, even just from pure excitement, about a new product before it’s launched, could put an organisation at a competitive disadvantage if it lands in the wrong hands. It happens. Online social networking makes it far easier. Management of employees’ online activity is no mean feat and to be effective, requires a multi-pronged approach. Corporate IT security and e-mail and Internet usage policies are obviously part of it. These policies formalise the rules relating to the usage of company assets and Internet access and establish how the organisation intends to secure their infrastructure and data. Employees also need to be aware that online and e-mail usage is being tracked. The complexity and number of technology systems employed by companies nowadays, as well as the multitude of gateways to the Web, make it difficult to enforce rules and polices around usage without technological assistance. The answer is not to block employee access to online social networking and blog sites. Instead it’s about managing what they do, monitoring and protecting the information they send via the company network, and having measures in place to ensure that they do it safely. Specialised software capable tracking and tracing information sent via the network and published online is accessible and affordable even to smaller enterprises if bought as a managed service from a reputable IT security provider. Dries Morris, Operations Director, Securicom

ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY�Management�Consulting�-�Namibia An�exciting�opportunity�has�arisen�for�a�professionally qualified�and�experienced�management�consultant�to acquire�a�significant�equity�stake�in�a�leading�Namibian management�consultancy. The�opportunity�would�be�particularly�attractive�to�a�career�management consultant�with�the�desire�to�manage�and�own�equity�in�a�consultancy�while enjoying�the�involvement�and�support�of�influential�partners. We�seek�an�individual�with�the�following�attributes: a�Namibian�citizen�or�Namibian�work�permit�/�residence�qualification; a��formal�qualification�-�Bachelors�and�ideally�Masters�level�degree�in�a human�resource�based�discipline; at�least�10�years�management�consulting�experience�in�a�predominantly human�resource�based�environment; specialist�skill�in�some,�or�all,�of�the�areas�of�organisation�development; behavioral�and�managerial�training;�remuneration�and�performance management; a�proven�track�record�with�the�ability�to�generate�business�and�deliver professional�and�high�quality�consulting�solutions. If�you�believe�you�have�these�attributes�and�would�like�to�discuss�this opportunity�we�would�like�to�hear�from�you.��Please�forward�your�C.V. highlighting�consulting�experience�and�achievements�plus�a�short�motivation as�to�why�this�opportunity�would�suit�you�at�this�time,�to: e-mail:�martinw@pecs.co.za contact:�Ursula�Borrageiro�-�telephone�(011)�442�4334

I n y athe l o P hi l an thr o p y A wa rd s

NO M I NATI ONS RE QU IRED Do you know someone in your in your community who deserves national recognition for all the good work they do? If so, nominate them for the 2011 Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards. These Awards publicly recognise people whose personal financial contribution has made an outstanding and lasting contribution in South Africa. Inyathelo highlights this kind of giving to inspire others to make a difference. To nominate someone simply go to www.inyathelo.co.za or call Inyathelo on 021 465 69 81 for more information. Entries open 1 February 2011 and close 30 June 2011. February 2011 People Dynamics

Gabriel’s Horn

It’s that time of year again

On the economic front, it was gratifying to see how well South Africa fared in the aftermath of the world meltdown. Praise must go to Trevor Manuel and Pravin Gordhan for the way in which they steered our ship through what must have been the severest monetary storm since the 1920s. Credit must also go to our banking sector which emerged from the storm with its reputation intact, which is much more than can be said for its global counterparts, especially in the West. A recent World Economic Forum survey rated South African banks sixth out of 139 countries in terms of soundness. On the debit side, the savage slanging matches of our politicians reached new and more degrading heights. But all this apart, it’s now time to select the South African who really excelled in 2010. Some of my past players of the year were Reserve Bank Director, Tito Mboweni, ex-Springbok coach Jake White and HR doyenne Professor Shirley Zinn. And suddenly my man stood out like a sore thumb. The medical aid industry affects most of us. In times when serious illness strikes our loved ones it becomes an emotive subject. You really need a medical aid that cares. One man who virtually changed the face of medical aid during 2010 was Quincy Beukes – ceo of Spectramed. Elsewhere in this issue you will read a fascinating interview with him which not only tells the story of how he turned an underwriting loss of R67m into a surplus of R12.5 in just two years, but also his development of a completely new and quite revolutionary modus operandi for the medical aid sector. Hunting for the perfect employee? From serving just 7 000 families, Spectramed Armed with degrees our candidates are prized trophies. now has just under 100 000 beneficiaries, vast reserves, and is among the top ten open medical aid schemes. But what impresses most about our Quincy is the philosophy he and his company enshrine. Despite all the commercial success of Spectramed, he is adamant that caring for the person is the primary concern and the cornerstone of the business. Not only has he achieved a remarkable and creative business turnaround but he has adhered to the principle of caring in a very uncaring world. Quincy is my very deserving “player of online interviewing / highly competitive prices / degreed candidates / authenticated database / shortlisting of candidates 2010”. www.careerjump.co.za / info@careerjump.co.za / +27 11 462 4703 Until next month, all the best. Gabriel Gabriel@eaglepub.co.za ard to believe that a twelfth of 2011 has already passed us by. The only consolation is that the faster time goes, the quicker this year’s Rugby World Cup will be upon us. As usual, the dawn of a new year sees me racking my brains to select my “player of the year”, this time for 2010. And once again it’s a very difficult choice. Last year had more highs than lows for South Africa. Whatever you might think about FIFA, the World Soccer Cup was a triumph for this country. It seems a pity that those heady days and the spirit that accompanied them, have slipped so quickly from our collective memories.