Selecting for Excellence
A systematic approach to recruitment reduces risk The LRA became law on 11 November 1996... Read More
Perfecting the basics!
News & Articles
Employment Equity Compliance – Now is the time to act!
In the last 2 years we have seen a significant increase in the Department of... Read More
Is the Employment Equity Act still relevant today?
The purpose of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1998 is essentially to eliminate unfair... Read More
CUSTOMER SERVICE
An employee relations barometer! Some people are born to shop! I am not one of... Read More
INSUBORDINATION vs INSOLENCE
Act in haste, repent at leisure! One of our clients, a trucking company, had won... Read More
INTOXICATION: Zero tolerance?
Way back in 1969, when I started work with a well-known international soap manufacturer, I... Read More
MISHANDLING OF PERSONAL FINANCES
A major problem, or an opportunity for employers? It’s that time of the year again... Read More
CHANGE NEEDS LEADERSHIP
Coming from a psychological background, one of the fundamentals that I worked with was change.... Read More
MOTIVATION IS LIKE HAPPINESS
There is no simple magic formula A long time ago while employed by well-known soap... Read More
LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE
Empowerment is more often used as a buzz word instead of an action. Empowerment should... Read More
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY: ARE YOU IN BREACH OF THE ACT?
Non-compliance to Employment Equity is risky and could be costly, as highlighted by the attached... Read More
What Employers need to know… B-BBEE and the impact on HR initiatives
What is B-BBEE and how is it different to Employment Equity? The Broad-Based Black Economic... Read More
SHOP STEWARDS AS LEADERS
Time for a rethink? One our consultants had an interesting experience at a printing and... Read More
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Changing attitudes requires courage and leadership Most disputes going before the CCMA still are unfair... Read More
WORK ETHIC
“Men are respectable only as they respect” Ralph Waldo Emerson It is clear from recent... Read More
PASSION & COMMITMENT
When a job means more than just a meal ticket! I was listening to the... Read More
Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill
The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill (‘the Bill’) was approved... Read More
THE ROLE OF HR IN DISCIPLINE: Best Practice in 2017
I wrote of a case in 2013 where an employee was paid compensation for procedural... Read More
LEADERSHIP: A journey to becoming emotionally intelligent
I heard a most disturbing comment from a top executive about the CEO of the... Read More
Way back in 1986 my partner at the time, Felix Dlamini and I did an... Read More
ANNUAL LEAVE ENTITLEMENTS
Employees are entitled to 21 consecutive days paid leave (three weeks – 15 working days... Read More
Quote of the day
“Responsibility only exists when there is accountability. When we don’t hold people accountable why should... Read More
LIFESTYLE AUDITS CURB ERRANT BEHAVIOUR
By Terrance M. Booysen and reviewed by Megan Grindell (Director: Carter DGF Risk Management) In... Read More
ABUSE OF SICK LEAVE
Address the problem pro-actively We regularly receive calls from clients asking what to do in... Read More
LEADERSHIP: Maintaining the momentum of change
The shortfall of any training is creating the momentum of excitement for change to continue. Reverting... Read More
THE TRUE PURPOSE OF LEADERSHIP
One of the cornerstones of leadership is the responsibility to unleash peoples’ potential – taking... Read More
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Use them wisely Virtually all authorities on leadership recommend ‘management by walk-about’ and an ‘open... Read More
WHY LOW WAGES ARE BETTER THAN NO WAGES
Representatives of organised labour and their political allies often accuse advocates of a more flexible... Read More
WAGE NEGOTIATIONS – It’s that time again. Are you prepared?
Once upon a time there was a bear who was hungry and a man who... Read More
Do your homework before you employ new people!
The attached 2015 Annual Report on employee screening makes interesting, if not disturbing reading: 11,8% of... Read More
WHY DISCIPLINARY RULES ARE IMPORTANT!
What is Discipline? The process of maintaining compliance with the rules of the Company. There... Read More
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY & DIVERSITY
Instead of squabbling let’s exploit our differences! “Affirmative action an insult to black talent” so... Read More
RACISM: DO NOT WHITEWASH THE REALITY
This article is worth reading. Intolerance based on misunderstanding each other is the biggest challenge... Read More
An employer’s recourse against an employee’s social media blunders
The attached article on employers’ responses to employee social media blunders is well timed. Two... Read More
SERVING THE ORGANISATION: A DIRECTOR’S PLEDGE
04 November 2015 Article by Terrance M. Booysen One wonders how many people have misunderstood... Read More
INTERESTING BUT UNSETTLING FACTS
INTERESTING BUT UNSETTLING FACTS from the recently published 2014 INDUSTRIAL ACTION REPORT as published by the Department of... Read More
B-BBEE: ALL ORGANISATIONS ARE AFFECTED BY BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AND THE CODES
A few critical success factors when developing your transformation strategy are: Make your transformation strategy... Read More
DRESS CODE POLICY
What is the purpose of a Dress Code Policy? To ensure that employees are APPROPRIATELY... Read More
LEARNING / TRAINING / PERFORMANCE BARRIERS
Training can only be effective if these are addressed A few years ago we were... Read More
B-BBEE: COULD THE NEW CODES BE A ‘STALEMATE’?
Johannesburg 30 September 2015 Article by Terrance M. Booysen and reviewed by Dr. Robin Woolley... Read More
PETER IS ON MATERNITY LEAVE…
For a long period of time since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the... Read More
WORKING SHORT TIME
As an alternative to retrenchment In terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act... Read More
THE VALUE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST GUIDELINES
What is the purpose of conflict of interest guidelines? To avoid conflict between the interests... Read More
WHY COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IS FAILING IN SOUTH AFRICA
In response to NEASA’s article. NEASA’s article correctly highlights the damaging effects of centralised collective bargaining... Read More
FALSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS
What to do when you suspect a sexual harassment complaint is not genuine. Since the... Read More
Why has the business penny not dropped in SA?
There is no doubt that there needs to be transformation in South Africa but after... Read More
Loadshedding Implications
While some in Government would like us to believe that Eskom’s inability to supply a... Read More
The Power of a Person’s Name
I sometimes think that leadership principles are idealistic in relation to practice. The focus of... Read More
March Bulletin
Before dismissing an employee (whatever the reason) the employer must properly investigate the case... Read More
The Venomous or Toxic Employee
Creating the antidote for the poison Leadership is about people. The challenge with this is... Read More
Skills Development
Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Reports From the inception of the National Skills Development... Read More
Leadership from the heart
Putting others first has become a scarcity in today’s self-serving society. Money and power easily... Read More
STRONG LEADERS…To break the mould of past practices!
In South Africa, poor education and training perpetuates a climate where assumptions remain that lower... Read More
The Labour Relations Amendment Act: Bottom Line Impact for Employers
The Labour Relations Amendment Act: Bottom Line Impact for Employers The Labour Relations Amendment Act... Read More
From Leadership With Love
A few years ago I was on a family vacation. At the resort was an... Read More
The Generous Leader – Accountable and Responsible
True fulfillment is a feeling that does not come from material wealth. Wealth can bring... Read More
Are We Going To Have A Busy Strike Season In 2015?
Our news in 2014 was dominated by the AMCU strike on the Platinum mines, followed... Read More
Pitfalls of Limited Duration Contracts for Temporary Employment
The Facts Many companies are not willing to appoint employees on a permanent basis due... Read More
SA Losing R12 Billion A Year Due To Absenteeism
Absenteeism It is common knowledge that absenteeism costs South Africa billions of rands every year... Read More
Labour Court Declares Neasa Lock-Out Legal
Lock-out The Labour Court in Johannesburg has rejected with costs an application by the National... Read More
Employment Equity Act
Bruniquel Bulletin #6 Isn’t it time to reassess the impact of this legislation? Twenty years... Read More
Get Back To Basics
Employee Commitment “Employee commitment is currently an important factor in the effective operation of most... Read More
Unemployment because of SA labour laws – Neasa
Unemployment South Africa (Neasa) disagrees with recent comments by Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant, suggesting... Read More
Fake Sick Certificates
Fake Sick Certificates An HR Officer was off work for 3 days claiming family responsibility... Read More
Union leader speaks on labour alignment at Royal Bafokeng Platinum
Labour alignment JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The alignment of labour with company objectives at the black-owned... Read More
Labour Relations Training
Labour Relations Training Labour relations training is not like other training in South Africa and... Read More
Leadership Training
Leadership Training Leadership needs to be an inside-out process that focuses less on competencies and... Read More
Let’s take up Madiba’s baton!
Bruniquel Bulletin #5-2014 Support the SABPP initiative to practise HR according to recognised and consistent... Read More
Metal Industry Lock-Out: Neasa Press Release
Metal Industry Lock-Out: Neasa Press Release The National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA) is... Read More
The Face of the Strike
The Face of the Strike Dear NEASA member, NEASA constantly receives reports from our members of violent... Read More
Poor Performance Is Often Linked To Ill Health
Performance A number of years ago – long before we became aware of the HIV/AIDS... Read More
Selecting A Training Provider
Selecting A Training Provider Since the introduction of the Seta system the number of training... Read More
Absenteeism At The Workplace
Absenteeism At The Workplace Absenteeism is a major problem in South Africa, particularly in the... Read More
Violent Strikes
Violent Strikes Our news over the past couple of years has been dominated by the... Read More
When the Ancestors Call
When the Ancestors Call One of South Africa’s unique features is its diversity which is... Read More
Grievance and Recruitment
Grievance and Recruitment An examination of unfair labour practice cases referred to the CCMA, shows... Read More
Sexual Harassment In the Workplace
What is sexual harassment? Put simply, sexual harassment constitutes as any unwanted attention of a... Read More
It’s Strike Season again!
Bruniquel Bulletin #4-2014 A time for cool heads Our national news has again been dominated... Read More
Assault / Fighting at Work
Assault / Fighting at work When I started work for a major soap manufacturer in... Read More
Drunk and Sleeping on Duty?
Drunk and Sleeping on Duty? A technician (we will call him Puzi Gologo), working on... Read More
Drunk Driving
Drunk Driving In 2009, Heather Clark, one of South Africa’s top female surfers of all... Read More
Disciplinary Enquiries
Disciplinary Enquiries One of the fundamental rights of an employee called to appear before a... Read More
Poor Performance
Poor Performance During a training course learners advised me that in the past 10 years... Read More
Ill Health
Ill Health A number of years ago – long before we became aware of the... Read More
Don’t fight it, use it to your advantage!
Bruniquel Bulletin #3-2014 One of the major complaints of South African employers is that it... Read More
Notice of A Disciplinary Enquiry
Disciplinary Enquiry After a preliminary investigation shows there is cause to initiate a disciplinary enquiry,... Read More
Assumptions
Assumptions In doing research for our leadership training programmes, I came across a story dating... Read More
The Role of a Supervisor
Supervisors It’s 20 years since our readmission to the international community and, South African business... Read More
False IOD Claims
False IOD Claims If an employee is injured on duty, the Occupational Health and Safety... Read More
Should Expired Warnings Be Removed From Employees’ Files?
Expired Warnings No! Expired warnings should not be taken into account for purposes of progressive... Read More
Accomplices
Accomplices Unfortunately, crime being what it is in South Africa, most employers are likely at... Read More
Disciplinary Training
Disciplinary Training Employee engagement has been recognized by the world’s top performing organisations as a... Read More
Don’t allow it to be abused
Bruniquel Bulletin #2-2014 The 1997 amendment to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act introduced a... Read More
Middle Managers – The Ham In The Sandwich
Middle Management In an article on middle managers, Mark Muller of American consultants, the Oliver... Read More
Coaching Towards Leadership
Coaching Coaching is integral to effective leadership. Effective leadership allows others to realise their potential... Read More
The 1925 General Miners’ Strike – lessons for today
Miner’s strike The 1922 General Miners’ Strike, also known as the Rand Rebellion or Red... Read More
Headlines – 4 Miners shot dead, 40 wounded!
Headlines – 4 Miners shot dead, 40 wounded! This is not a report on the... Read More
The History of Trade Unions and its Impact On Today’s Industrial Relations
Trade Unions To understand why Industrial Relations is such a heated, divisive issue in South... Read More
The 1973 Strike Lessons Still Relevant Today
The 1973 Strike Lessons Although the 1976 Soweto student riots are often seen as the... Read More
The Role of HR in Discipline
The Role of HR in Discipline NUMSA Obo Daniels / DCD Marine (2009) 18 MEIBC... Read More
Poor Performance or Misconduct
Poor Performance or Misconduct If you ask managers whether everyone under their control gives a... Read More
Know Yourself
Know Yourself Does the man make the suit or the suit make the man? This... Read More
Insubordination
Insubordination What do you do when an employee refuses an instruction? Common law requires employees... Read More
Leadership
Leadership Employee engagement has been recognized by the world’s top performing organisations as a force... Read More