Benefits of caring for employees’ wellbeing

Jonathan Goldberg & Grant Wilkinson Global Business Solutions

According to the 2022 Sanlam Benchmark Survey, moreand moreemployers areoffering employeebenefits that aimat supporting their employees holistic wellbeing.

This emphasis on employeemental andphysicalhealthhas beenseenin many countriesabroad which havegone so faras to pass legislation mandating that employeesare ableto enjoy theiroff timewithout beingcontacted bytheir employers after hours.

For instance,Belgium passeda lawinFebruary 2022protecting civilservantsfrom reprisalsfor switchingoff workemails, textsand phonecalls received out of hours. the option of a flexible employment contract, you needto keepin mindthat thesecontracts needto bein keeping with the standards as set out in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA).

Post-pandemic, many South African employers have takento offeringtheir employees flexible work contractsand onlyrequiring themtocome totheofficeon certain days of the week.

Although this new arrangement hasintroduced anumberof benefits such as loweredoffice-related expenses ithas also broughtalong anumberof complexities interms of,for instance, rethinking the company s performance management system.

Forinstance, theactstates that employeeswho earn below thethreshold of R224,080.30 mustnot work morethan45 hoursinany week, nine hours aday if an employeeworks fivedaysor lessa weekoreight hoursa dayifa workerworksmore thanfivedays aweek.For those employerswhich have employees whohave the ability to workmore hours from homethis doesnot mean that theycan be compelled to do so.

You Cannot Use A

Contract As A Means Of Discrimination

The EmploymentEquity Act (EEA) promotes equity in the workplace, ensuresthat all employees receive equal opportunities andthat employees aretreated fairly by their employers.

The lawprotects employees fromunfair treatment and any form of discrimination. You cannotoffer flexible employment contractsto employees basedon arbitrary grounds.These contractsneed tobe awardedto staffmembers basedon afair system that has sound reasoning behind it.

The perception of bias also becomes adifficult thingto manage between employees from differentdepartments with different arrangements.

Take Any Collective Bargaining Agreements Into Account

During yourdecisionmaking processsurrounding flexible employmentcontracts, alwaysconsult any collective bargainingagreements that you may have withany unionsthat areaffiliated toyour organisation. These agreementsmay contain clauses that address the issue offlexible employment contracts although at the normal level ofcollective bargaining this is notan issue. It isimportant wherethecollective bargaining agreement has been expanded to office and clerical employees. Some challengescan be expected here.

Overall, flexible employment contractscan provide manybenefits foremployers including:

● Increased productivityas employees areable towork inenvironments thatare most suitable for them;

● Lower absenteeismas employees who are on these types of contracts are often moremotivated andless likely totake time offwork as they havemore controlover theirworking hoursand environment;

● Increased employee engagement asemployees feel valuedand supportedby their employer; and

● A competitive retention strategy.

As withany decisionin your business,weigh upthe pros andcons offlexible employmentcontracts sosee if it will bring a tangible ROI to your organisation.