2. The fastest way to kill company culture is to let bad behaviours be tolerated and rewarded.
3. Work-life balance is not a perk. If you want a happy and healthy team, it is a necessity.
4. Firing people is as important as hiring people. Leaders must act on the values.
5. People don’t quit jobs. They quit managers. Train your managers to manage well and not just work.
6. Bean bags and free beer is not “culture”. A great culture does not start with perks.
7. Culture is about values, and values only become accepted once they are deeply understood and acted upon.
8. Culture is not something that HR does. It starts with leaders, acting on the values and removing bad behaviour and promoting good behaviour.
9. Promoting a "family culture" can harm employees with blurred boundaries, excessive loyalty leading to burnout, and enabling a power dynamic; instead, promote a supportive, performance-driven culture with clear boundaries and a defined purpose.
10. A strong and lasting culture is not about “fitting in”, it's about a brilliant diversity of thought, ideas and every other aspect of life.
11. To create a truly inclusive workplace, organisations must treat diversity, equity, and inclusion as integral cultural values, not mere buzzwords, requiring employees to embody these values in their actions and behaviours.
12. Recurring meetings can create a lot of problems. They fill up calendars that often feel like a waste of time, they go on for too long and they include people that should have been removed ages ago.
13. Always “being nice” will become your crutch. It's a convenient rationalisation to avoid hard decisions, uncomfortable conversations, and controversial actions.
14. Disagreement is here to stay. Normalise it. Healthy debate and shared outcomes are critical for progress.
15. Loud does not mean right. The quietest are often doing incredible things and want to just do the job rather than talk about it.
16. If your team cannot describe your culture, it is not because they “don’t get it”, it is because your communication is poor.
17. Psychological safety is often overlooked, but it's key to helping teams produce their best work.
18. You can never over communicate. Brevity, regularity and clarity is key to communication.
19. No one is above the rules. No one is irreplaceable.
20. An enduring culture needs to embrace change and adapt behaviours. Society evolves all the time, focus on seeking feedback from employees and continue to evolve.
A company culture is not just about work. It is about creating an environment where people are the best version of themselves.
“Culture” is not something you do once. It is a continuous journey.
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Originally posted on LinkedIn
Anyone in the thick of the hiring process will tell you that waiting, in the words of Tom Petty, is the hardest part. The pathways between candidate screening and signed offer letter are often long and windy, strewn with hurdles that can stretch days into weeks into months.
This slow roll to filling roles can be a thorn in the side of hiring managers too.
“I think a lot of us needed to lose a candidate because we were slow to make a decision,” says John Vlastelica, founder of Recruiting Toolbox and a frequent Talent Blog contributor. In a recent LinkedIn post, he conjured the image of a grimacing Ron Burgundy, the fictional anchorman played by Will Ferrell. The caption reads: “When that great candidate informs you they have already accepted another offer.”
For anyone working in talent acquisition, having a top prospect slip through your fingers can feel, as one commenter put it, “like a punch in the gut.”
But gut punches can be incredibly effective teachers. John says that losing a candidate to glacial hiring practices taught his team to “engage and respond and communicate and set up a basic process for getting feedback from our interviewers to make a decision faster.”
It’s just one of the lessons that hiring managers have to learn on the job. In his post, John solicits others from the LinkedIn community. Here are four important lessons every hiring manager should learn. (Visit the comments on John’s LinkedIn post for a host of other ideas.)
1. Stop chasing pedigree
“Avoid fixating on candidates from shiny brands and fancy colleges,” says hiring veteran Chetta Crowley. Often they fall short of expectations, she warns. Instead, Chetta suggests embracing undiscovered talent — what she calls “happy accidents.”
Rather than falling in love with a candidate’s bio, she recommends clearly defining your hiring standards and measuring job seekers against that.
“Remember, you’re dealing with living, breathing candidates,” she says. Chetta believes hiring managers should take into consideration everything from qualifications to background to whether or not the person is genuinely excited about the job. “Don’t waste time,” she says, “chasing imaginary ideal candidates.”
Indeed, the concept of the “ideal candidate” has been reexamined recently, leading to a rise in skills-based hiring. “A degree is no guarantor of success,” says talent strategist Sarah Fell. She thinks managers should be attracted to candidates who continue their education while on the job. “Success depends on the slope,” Chetta says, “not the candidate’s starting point.”
2. Never hire on the cheap
You get what you pay for — it’s an age-old adage and one that many business leaders ignore, especially during a downturn in the job market.
Daren Mongello, a talent advisor in New York City, shared a cautionary tale in which a manager hired a team of engineers at a cut rate, only to struggle later when the market rebounded. “He realized significant raises to catch up to market rates would be nearly impossible,” Daren says.
The results were catastrophic. Glaring pay disparities between new hires and current employees breeded discontent, roles remained unfilled, and eventually the manager was dismissed.
Lowballing candidates during a rocky labor market may be a tempting way to cut costs, but in the long run it almost never pays off, often leading to employee dissatisfaction, poor performance, and high turnover rates.
A similar lesson hiring managers should learn: Be practical about the talent they can afford. Senior recruitment consultant Cheryle Elder perhaps sums this up best: “You can’t afford a Porsche on a VW budget.”
3. Let the competition inspire you
Talent acquisition isn’t always a level playing field. No matter how solid your pipeline is or how many college fairs you’ve posted up at over the years, there’s always someone with deeper pockets and bigger promises waiting to snatch up your dream candidate.
No one knows this better than Ron S. Williams, a global TA consultant and lecturer who speaks on such topics as career transitions and military hiring. His advice for getting a leg up on the competition: See what they do and let it inspire you.
He shared a story about a time when he took a group of business leaders to a career fair for engineers. When the team arrived, they were astonished by how fierce the competition for talent was. Upon their return, the recruitment budget was immediately increased and a strategy was put in place.
The takeaway: It’s a lot easier to get buy-in from leadership once they see up close how the game is played.
“You have to pay to play!” Ron says. “It was a great lesson for the whole organization.”
4. Maximize your time — all of it
“I would love for hiring managers to understand that recruiting is a team sport,” says Jennifer Anker Kaufman, head of global talent acquisition for Wiz, a cloud security firm. Even during hiring lulls, she says, there’s plenty that a recruiter could, and should, be doing to add value to the team.
For Jennifer, the winning lesson is that you don’t have to wait for there to be a job opening before you start networking. “Build your personal brand, take those coffee chats, stay in touch with people you meet who’ve impressed you,” she advises. “This way, when a job does open, you already have a network of candidates to pull from instead of starting from scratch,” dramatically decreasing your time to fill.
In fact, time management was a recurring lesson on John’s thread: how to speed it up, how to slow it down, and how not to squander it.
Adrian Holtham, a senior recruiter at Atlassian, says that one of the biggest and most common time guzzlers is when hiring managers chase unicorn candidates. Doing this, he says, often takes longer than hiring and onboarding someone with comparable skills who’s more likely to be motivated by the job.
How does he communicate this lesson to managers? By getting others in the organization to share their success stories. “Peer persuasion can be useful here,” Adrian says. Highlighting the tension between job requirements and speed to hire lets managers know that “they have something to lose from wanting too much.”
Jennifer’s words bear repeating: Recruiting is a team sport.
...
Originally posted on LinkedIn
About 97% of Gen Z workers say work is part of their identity, yet 83% consider themselves to be job hoppers, according to a Sept. 4 report from ResumeLab.
However, for Gen Z, job hopping isn’t a sign of instability. Instead, it’s a strategic way for these workers to diversify skill sets, pursue new challenges, and seek environments that align with their values and ambitions.
“The top three Gen Z work-related goals cover having a good work-life balance, starting their own business, and achieving success and recognition,” Agata Szczepanek, a career expert at ResumeLab, wrote in the report.
“Employers should be prepared that Generation Z workers are not just passive consumers of workplace dynamics but active contributors to a transformative journey,” she added.
What motivates Gen Z workers?
In a survey of 1,100 U.S.-based Gen Z workers, the top driving forces that motivate them to work were personal development (35%), ambition and desire to prove themselves (28%), family responsibilities (28%). About 1 in 4 cited money, the desire to make a difference, or a sense of purpose. Likewise, 24% said “passion” was a driving force behind their professional pursuits.
In Resume Lab’s survey, Gen Z workers prioritized a healthy work-life balance, satisfying job duties, a good relationship with coworkers, and meaningful job and career development over a high salary.
What makes Gen Z workers want to quit?
At the same time, money is still important. For 70%, a competitive salary plays a major role in deciding whether to stay with their current employer. Among the top reasons for leaving a job, Gen Z workers mentioned working too much overtime, having a clash of values, feeling unhappy due to their job, having a low salary and having a bad manager or boss.
In addition, more than 70% of respondents said they would quit their job if the working environment was toxic, if they lacked development opportunities and if the job hurt their work-life balance. About 75% said they’d quit without having another job lined up.
How can HR attract more Gen Z employees?
In terms of recruitment and talent acquisition, Gen Z workers named several “must-haves,” such as a flexible work schedule, a healthcare package, regular pay raises, regular development opportunities, remote work opportunities and mental health days off.
Gen Z workers also noted that a “perfect boss” would have good decision-making abilities, a focus on employee development and growth, and the ability to inspire and motivate.
In the tumultuous landscape of the current economy, marked by the lingering impact of businesses slow to adapt to the digital age, as a byproduct of the pandemic, business resilience has been put to the test. Statistics SA recently revealed that over 900 South African businesses shut their doors in 2023, underscoring the complex interplay of factors influencing business viability.
Business liquidation emerges as a significant consequence that struggling companies might face. This refers to a process of winding down a company's operations, selling off its assets, and distributing the proceeds to creditors and stakeholders. This procedure is typically set in motion when a company becomes insolvent (incapable of settling its debts) or when it proves incapable of attaining profitability over a prolonged period of time. More often than not, economic uncertainties and the challenge of business adaptation contribute to business liquidations.
Through economic uncertainties, the role of a Professional Accountant (SA) becomes paramount. Accountancy experts are not mere number-crunchers confined to producing historical financial reports. Armed with a profound understanding of business dynamics, they possess the unique ability to delve into the intricate web of financial data, extracting narratives that unveil a company's financial health. By deciphering these narratives, Professional Accountants (SA) are able to identify internal and external factors that could lead to business liquidation.
To effectively navigate unprecedented challenges, businesses must consider the subsequent factors and trends and adjust their strategies, under the guidance of experienced advisors.
Economic challenges and disruption
In today's dynamic business landscape, economic challenges such as recessions, market fluctuations, and unforeseen disruptions can create a domino effect on businesses. Sudden changes in consumer
behaviour, technological advancements, and shifts in global trade dynamics can significantly impact a company's profitability and sustainability.
Uncertainties in the business environment
The ever-evolving business environment introduces uncertainties that can catch unprepared companies off guard. Legislative changes, regulatory shifts, and geopolitical events can swiftly transform a once-favourable market into a hostile one. Businesses that fail to anticipate and adjust to these uncertainties often find themselves struggling to stay afloat.
Financial distress and cash flow challenges
One of the primary culprits behind business liquidation is financial distress. Insufficient cash flow, mounting debt, and an inability to secure necessary financing can cripple a company's operations and growth prospects. Inadequate financial planning and failure to adapt to changing financial circumstances can accelerate the descent into liquidation.
Inadequate business management and decision-making
Effective business management is integral to survival. Poor strategic decisions, lack of innovation, and failure to respond to competitive pressures can erode a company's competitive advantage. Weak governance, ineffective leadership, and insufficient risk management strategies further amplify the risk of liquidation.
The intricacies of the current economic climate offer a stark reminder of the challenges at hand. Yet, they also unveil a pathway toward resilience and growth. Professional Accountants (SA) stand as crucial navigators on this path, equipped to support government roles and contributing to economic growth and transparency through principled action, broad expertise, and a commitment to excellence. Their capabilities support enhanced governance and better decision-making, helping to transform challenges into opportunities for South African businesses.
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1. Tell us a bit about yourself?
At home, I am a proud mother to a wonderful boy who is the apple of my eye and truly my motivation. I enjoy the outdoors and find myself re-energising on a hike, river rafting, game drives or a walk through the botanical gardens. Exercising, yoga and running has also been a healthy outlet that I partake in. I have ADHD so when I feel like I’m stuck in a rut or need a new perspective, I enjoy going to quaint restaurants and experiencing good food and hearing the stories of these businesses’ success.
Additionally, I review these places on Google maps as a hobby. In my spare time, I enjoy remodelling houses as I am a visionary of possibilities, and it is the achievement of creativity that brings me the satisfaction of leaving something in a better way than I found it. Spiritually, I have a wonderful teacher Lucua, that does body talk, which I believe is a good “check in” for me to make sure I don’t overextend myself or lose myself in too much doing and not enough living. In my career, I am a leader without a title – a fire starter; I enjoy identifying, implementing, and delivering valuable solutions for business issues.
2. What work do you do?
Professionally, I began my career as a financial accountant and payroll administrator. I then joined Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC) in 2011 as a financial accountant, working my way up to Assistant Manager in 2015, thereafter moving into an Enterprise performance role with a fintech focus. Following this, I joined Absa in 2017 as a Functions Business Partner, becoming a Senior Developer in 2019 on accounting systems for treasury, risk and finance businesses.
In 2022, I moved into a more operational role with a focus on design and implementation of governance, control, and benefit frameworks, as well as managing the implementation of strategic technology initiatives. A large part of my job is having conversations and drawing pictures, which I thoroughly enjoy as I constantly charter through complex and challenging environments. This bridges the gap between finance and technology to deliver solutions. My passion is creating structure, process, and innovation and through this adding value to business.
3. How long have you been in the industry?
My perseverance and lifelong dedication to learning has earned me some great experiences in consulting, insurance, and banking. That makes it 16 years that I have been in the financial services industry in different roles ranging from finance, project management, development and management.
4. Has your work always been your passion? Tell us why?
Yes, it has. The reason I became interested in accounting and how businesses works was because of my mother who is a mechanic by profession and an entrepreneur. She had several small businesses, and I used to help her with admin work. In the process I learnt about quotations, invoicing and how debtors work. Seeing her being able to manage these businesses and doing what she loves, especially as a woman in a very technical, male-dominated industry, was quite inspiring. In hindsight, my mother was hoping for me to be in a more technical career but through spending time with her, I came to enjoy the accounting side more.
5. Being a woman in the industry – what does it take?
In the financial services industry, it is very tough and stressful. Being a woman in the industry you can find yourself in challenging situations. What I prefer to focus on is the growth I get from challenging situations. I have had numerous leaders in my career that have taught me many skills, both work and personal. It takes determination and open mindedness to survive in the industry.
To realise you can learn from anyone and to challenge your own thinking constantly. If I reflect on my days at PWC, I learnt from leaders how to build good client relations, and to ask for advice when you’re not sure of something.. I learnt how to be a better manager to the article clerks as I practiced balancing empathy with delivery. Finally, during my time with Absa I learnt from leaders that there is a softness to a woman that is an enormous strength that we try downplaying in the hardened industry, which we really should be showcasing and using to uplift others.
6. What has been the most difficult challenge of your career?
Learning how to juggle being a career woman, a new mother and a student pursuing my BCOM Management Accounting degree through Unisa was a challenging, but fulfilling, period of my life. The road to becoming an accountant is long and not without its challenges. I am particularly grateful for the Project Achiever programme, which I took part in through the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA).
The programme helped me to prepare to write the SAIPA Professional Evaluation Exam and become a Professional Accountant (SA)– which was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream! Learning how to balance my many priorities took a lot of focus and perseverance, but I can confidently say it was worth it.
7. What advice do you have for other women in your industry?
Being a woman in a male dominated industry, you need to learn from the environment that you find yourself in, adapt by adopting what works and what doesn’t work, without losing the strengths that you bring to the table. In business there is a fine line between emotions and getting the job done; having the emotional intellect to navigate through these situations will be a vital tool in your toolbox to success.
I would encourage any woman that feels unheard or unsupported to reach out and find a mentor or sponsor that can guide them to becoming more confident – there is much to learn from our counterparts! I recently read an article about women needing to find their voice and different ways organisations can help them in doing so, which I would recommend all women read.
8. Plans for the future?
I assist graduates and new joiners in the financial industry to become the best versions of themselves and would like to continue doing so as I believe in “paying it forward” as many leaders have done for me. This is reiterated by Shakespeare’s quote “The meaning of life is finding your purpose; the gift of life is giving it to others.” I am also currently studying through the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), and I would like to use this to continue to make a difference on strategic initiatives in business, while focussing on some of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) that the United Nations has set out.
I would especially like to work with initiatives to understand how to breach the inequality gaps and promote social mobility, ensure lifelong learning opportunities as I am passionate about education. With my professional SAIPA qualification I would like to help the informal sector grow their businesses which in turn would grow the economy of our beautiful country.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Operation Vulindlela says that three big changes for South Africa’s visa regime are almost ready to be presented to the public for comment.
These measures should go a long way to assisting businesses to draw critical skills to the country, while also making it easier for these skills to actually get here.
This is part of a comprehensive review of the visa regime and immigration changes, it said, which the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will gazette in August for public comment.
The three key changes include:
- Creating new visa categories for remote workers and start-ups;
- Establishing a points-based system for work visa application routes;
- Introducing a trusted employer scheme.
These three changes would work alongside reforms that have already been implemented, the group said, which includes expanding visa waivers to more countries and publishing a revised critical skills list for priority positions.
“Operation Vulindlela reforms to the visa regime achieved a critical milestone with the completion of the
work visa review and publication of a detailed implementation plan by the DHA,” it said.
Among the coming changes, the group said that other key policy and process updates that will be introduced include streamlining document requirements for work visa applications to ease the burden on applicants.
These changes which are currently awaiting approval by the Office of the State Law Advisor before they can be published for public comment.
In addition to the coming changes – and those already in place – Operation Vulindlela said that the DHA is also expanding its visa waiver programme to additional countries.
South Africa currently waives visas for visitors from about 132 countries and is in negotiations to extend this to a further ten countries.
“Where countries do not have a visa waiver, they have been included in the eVisa system rollout,” it said.
South Africa’s eVisa platform currently covers 34 countries, up from an initial 14 countries. This means that visitors from 164 countries – potentially up to 174 – have or will have eased access into South Africa, accounting for countries with access to the eVisa platform and those where visitor visas have been waived.
Over the next quarter, the group said that it will support the implementation of the recommendations made in the work visa report.
“Operation Vulindlela will continue to work with the DHA to ensure that these reforms are implemented swiftly and to a high standard,” it said.
South Africa’s current visa regime has been described by immigration companies as being a nightmare to work with, while the processes have been called chaotic.
While a backlog peaking at over 62,000 at the the start of the year – and only expected to be cleared by mid-2024 – workers have not been able to enter the country, and businesses have been unable to draw in the necessary skills.
The promised reforms of expanded visas, easier processes, and new systems have been welcomed – however, doubts remain about the efficacy and ability of the DHA to implement them.
...
Originally posted on BusinessTech
Dear Members of BUSA,
We hope this email finds you well. Please find attached slides presented to the Presidency and a joint media release by the SA government and business.
PROGRESS REPORTED IN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP, WITH COMMITMENT TO FURTHER ACCELERATE KEY ACTIONS
- The partnership between the South African government and business has mobilised teams to start delivering meaningful progress toward South Africa’s economic growth
- Key actions have been agreed to urgently accelerate progress across the priority focal areas of energy, transport and logistics, and crime and corruption
Pretoria, 1 August 2023 – The South African Presidency, various government departments, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Business for South Africa (B4SA), and Business Leadership South Africa today announced that progress has been made within the key focal areas of energy, transport and logistics, and crime and corruption, in order to grow the economy and restore investor and public confidence.
In a meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa, members of Cabinet and senior business leaders, government and business agreed that we have a window of opportunity to urgently implement initiatives in these priority focal areas to reverse the economic downturn and rebuild confidence in the country’s trajectory.
President Ramaphosa commented, “This collaboration is built on the recognition that we need to take bold and urgent action to confront these challenges and place South Africa on a trajectory of growth and job creation. It is built on a shared vision for our country – as a thriving constitutional democracy in which the rule of law is sacrosanct, as a dynamic and fast-growing economy, and as a society in which no person is left behind. We welcome the emphasis on strategic partnerships and focused interventions, which has enabled us to make significant progress in a short space of time.”
After the first year of the implementation of the National Energy Crisis Committee’s (NECOM) Energy Action Plan (EAP), significant progress has been made on key objectives, including a focused plan to end load shedding, numerous regulatory reforms and streamlining of regulatory approvals, as well as implementing key steps to rapidly increase private sector investment in energy.
Business’ support has been mobilised in critical areas, including Eskom technical support on optimising the diesel supply chain at Ankerlig, supporting the return of additional units at Kusile and four key power stations to assist Power Station managers with turnaround plans at those facilities. Business technical teams are working through NECOM to assist the planning and implementation of key energy reforms, including planning for efficient grid access and expansion. All these interventions aim to recover c.5.4GW over the next 12 months.
“We are pleased with the progress we have made in ensuring that a block exemption has been granted from certain terms of the Competition Act to both energy suppliers and users. This will enable greater collaboration between competitors on specific energy matters. Government has also launched the One Stop Shop which is an important step to streamline and assist with regulatory approvals, and bring GW’s onto the grid as soon as possible,” said Hon. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade and Industry and Competition.
The National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) has been formally constituted with participation from relevant government departments, Transnet and business. Four Corridor Recovery Teams have been established focusing on strategic commodity export supply chains in coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome and magnetite to jointly address performance constraints. An additional Container Corridor Recovery team is being constituted with representatives from all major shipping lines, agriculture and automotive sectors. A significant milestone was achieved with the appointment by Transnet of an international terminal operator to partner in the Durban Pier 2 container terminal.
The Joint Initiative against Crime and Corruption (JICC) has also been constituted, with senior representatives from law enforcement agencies and business. Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) is being established as an independent structure and will co-ordinate the interface with government. A special purpose vehicle for establishing digital and data forensic capabilities for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) – on an arm’s length basis - is being set up. Initiatives to support the SAPS to aid crime detection and response have been identified, including optimising the 10111 help line. These initiatives are governed by a clear framework and guidelines to ensure that this support respects and enhances the independence of the criminal justice system.
The progress that is being made has led to over 115 leading CEOs already signing a pledge to support the country and assist in realising its vast potential, and ultimately enable increased investment, growth and employment. More CEOs and their companies are committing every day.
Adrian Gore, Group CEO of Discovery and BUSA Vice President commented, “What makes this CEO commitment different is that it isn’t simply a pledge, but a broad group of business leaders from multiple industries and sectors, actively involved in the various focal areas, who have offered resources and capacity to assist. This, coupled with active engagement by key decision makers within government, is what makes this intervention different.”
Cas Coovadia, CEO of BUSA, emphasized the importance of adhering to established timeframes and achieving deliverables for each priority area: “The focus is on achieving agreed targets and improving performance in key action areas. If we neglect or delay critical decisions needed to accelerate our much-needed growth ambitions to build the economy and tackle poverty, inequality and unemployment, there will be many more years of challenge, frustration and despondency. We need to act, together, with immediate urgency.”
Research conducted by PWC and Sanlam demonstrates that if progress is made within the three focal areas, they are likely to make a contribution to GDP of at least at 3%. A higher rate of economic growth is essential to create meaningful jobs – the majority of which (88%) are within the private sector.
In order to build on the progress made thus far, the meeting agreed on a number of critical next steps to restore confidence. These include the following:
- Working to expedite the passage of the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill within the Sixth Parliament, following its tabling in the National Assembly on 20 July 2023. The ERA Bill is crucial to ending load shedding, expediting energy development, expanding transmission infrastructure, establishing a competitive electricity market, and attracting investment in the energy sector.
- Completing the establishment of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA). This is necessary to create a level playing field for electricity generators and enable increased investment in transmission infrastructure.
- Fully operationalizing the One Stop Shop to fast-track renewable energy projects. This includes ensuring that adequate capacity and systems are in place to facilitate authorisations for energy projects and reduce lead times to construction.
- Finalising the Freight Logistics Roadmap. This will outline the short-and long-term actions to support operational recovery and fundamentally reform the logistics system. Implementation of the roadmap will be coordinated by a dedicated work stream of the NLCC, focused on structural reform. Implementation of these actions could increase export revenues by an estimated R50 billion by 2024. It is expected that a draft roadmap will be agreed by the end of August 2023, with the objective of Cabinet approval by September 2023.
- Addressing procurement challenges and putting in place a fit-for-purpose procurement regime for state-owned enterprises. This is necessary to enable greater speed and efficiency while preserving and strengthening the integrity of the procurement system.
- Finalising the NPA Amendment Bill to establish the Investigating Directorate (ID) as a permanent entity within the National Prosecuting Authority with investigating powers. This is a key commitment of the response to the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, and will bolster the independence and capability of the ID to fight complex corruption-related crimes. The NPA Amendment Bill will be approved by Cabinet and tabled in Parliament by the end of August 2023 to give effect to this goal.
- Operationalising the Joint Initiative on Crime and Corruption. The JICC is being operationalised, including identifying clear focus areas and establishing appropriate structures to facilitate support.
B4SA SteerCo Chair, Martin Kingston, added, “This national response has started well, and has again highlighted the opportunity to harness the resources and goodwill of all groups in society. There is still much to be done and many specific interventions to be agreed and urgently, and properly, implemented. Added momentum and impetus will be provided by harnessing the combined skills, expertise and other resources of the business community, which we firmly believe will help reset the country’s economic and social path. South Africa no longer has the benefit of time to address these issues and all B4SA workstreams will continue to focus on urgently driving the immediate, rational and pragmatic choices to guide our collective actions, ultimately to achieve economic restoration and sustainable, inclusive growth for all South Africans.”
“Another vital component to the collaboration between business and government is the ongoing enablement of small and medium sized businesses, which are at the coal face of some of the challenges we are seeking to resolve. We need to enhance funding and access to market support as an instrument for job creation. Recognising the importance of SMMEs and the informal economy in this regard, further work is being undertaken to identify what we can do to support their growth,” said Hon. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Small Business.
“I look forward to receiving further progress reports on the work that is underway in each of these areas, and to identify the critical next steps that we need to take to consolidate our efforts. As we do so, we must not neglect the importance of putting forward a coherent and consistent public narrative to restore confidence in our economy. Without minimising the steep challenges that we face, we must respond to the relentless negativity about our country which has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We must be realistic about the depth of these challenges, while recognising the extraordinary potential of our country and our economy if we work together to overcome them,” said President Ramaphosa.
ENDS
About 36% of hiring managers say they’ve lied to job candidates about a job or the company during the hiring process, according to a Aug. 14 report from Resume Builder.
Among those, 75% said they lie during the interview, 52% in the job description and 24% in the offer letter.
“Lying to candidates undermines an organization’s integrity and is bad for business,” Stacie Haller, chief career advisor for Resume Builder, said in a statement.
“Candidates are making decisions based on the information they receive, and deceit only leads to bad outcomes for both the organization and candidate,” she said. “Honesty not only upholds an organization’s reputation but also is critical for cultivating success for both the company and the individuals it seeks to attract.”
In a survey of 1,060 hiring managers, 80% said lying is “very acceptable” or “somewhat acceptable” at their company. In addition, 6% said they lie “all the time,” 24% most of the time, 45% some of the time and 25% not often.
Most frequently, hiring managers lie about a role’s responsibilities, followed by growth opportunities at the company and career development opportunities overall. They also said they lie about company culture, benefits, commitment to social issues, compensation and the financial health of the company.
The recruiters said they tend to lie to “cover up negative information about the company” or “make the job sound better than it really is.” They also lie to “attract more qualified candidates” and “deliberately say things that will please the candidate.”
Among those who lie to job seekers, 92% said they’ve had a candidate accept a job offer after being misled. However, more than half said an employee has quit after being hired and discovering they were lied to during the hiring process. These employees often left within a week, a month or after the first few months of being hired.
According to the survey, hiring managers who lie during the hiring process also ghost job candidates, typically sometime during the interview portion. About 10% said they’ve ghosted a potential employee after sending an offer letter.
“Just as organizations seek professional and courteous behavior from candidates, the same should be reciprocated,” Haller said. “Failing to communicate honestly and transparently not only damages an employer’s reputation but also undermines the broader hiring ecosystem.”
Lying and ghosting during the recruitment process could lead candidates to withdraw their applications, particularly if a company gains a reputation for an unfavorable hiring process. In fact, job seekers have said they’ve exited the hiring process for several reasons, such as scheduling delays or a lack of transparency.
Creating a positive recruitment experience can serve as a retention tool as well. Employees have said they’re looking for a new job outside of their organization due to unfair internal hiring practices. Employers can increase the perceived fairness by improving internal mobility through upskilling, boosting awareness of internal opportunities and providing access to these opportunities through professional coaching.
Ultimately, the hiring process is a brand experience, and candidate engagement is crucial, according to a report from Modern Hire. That includes a seamless and timely hiring experience, authentic brand storytelling and prioritization of candidate dignity.
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Article originally posted on HRDive
As one of the largest engineering companies in Australia, UGL knows how to overcome obstacles when building everything from power plants to rail systems. Last year, the North Sydney–based company was faced with a hurdle of a different kind — finding engineers in a tight talent market.
UGL, which has over 7,000 employees, needed to hire more than 70 engineers and project managers to work on transportation infrastructure projects, wind farms, and other major construction projects. Among the critical roles UGL had to fill were rail systems and rail signalling engineers, highly specialized fields where talent is scarce.
Hiring engineers locally, in Australia, posed major challenges. Australia is in the midst of an infrastructure boom and is facing an engineer shortage. Just 8.5% of Australian university students graduate with engineering degrees — compared with more than 12% in Canada and more than 23% in Germany — not enough to keep up with growing demand.
To meet its target, UGL would have to recruit workers internationally and convince them to move to Australia. That task, as well as other ambitious recruiting assignments, fell to the company’s hard-working recruiting department which had fewer than 40 people on board last year.
UGL’s recruitment team turned to LinkedIn Talent Insights, a talent analytics tool, to pinpoint where engineers were concentrated across the globe. With the data in hand, the engineering company was able to focus its advertising and outreach in the appropriate places.
The upshot: UGL met its hiring goal, landing 70 specialized engineers and project managers, and cut an estimated three weeks out of the usual hiring process.
Companies can move from decisions based on gut instinct to data-driven action
Things could have easily turned out differently. UGL’s hiring managers had their own ideas about where to look for talent, much of it based on instinct rather than on research, says Jane Wood, national resourcing manager at UGL.
“Everyone,” Jane says, “had an idea on where they thought the talent would be hiding, but this was based on individual research or a gut feel. Once we were able to show them the data, it made the sourcing a lot more structured, contained, and easier to manage and led to a more cost-effective approach.”
UGL’s recruitment team generated a LinkedIn Talent Insights talent pool report that showed the distributions of different types of engineers globally, as well as engineer workforce trends. The report highlighted regions around the world where various categories of engineers worked, the growth rate for that role in that region, the hiring demand for that role in that area, as well as the top employers for that role in the region.
Among the important takeaways for UGL: The United Kingdom has a high concentration of a number of the types of engineers UGL was seeking. For example, the data showed that the U.K. had twice the number of engineers with railway systems experience as did Australia, Dubai, South Africa, and the Philippines combined. As a result, the recruitment team decided to focus a portion of its advertising dollars in the U.K.
But UGL mined the report for other opportunities and found, for example, that the demand for engineers with railway systems experience was quite low in the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. They also found that South Africa had a rich supply of schedulers and project controls managers.
In addition to looking at global talent pools, UGL’s recruitment team pulled company reports on the top employers of engineers around the world. These reports showed the average tenure for different types of engineers at those companies. UGL then used that information when planning its outreach to potential hires. Employers with high attrition rates became obvious targets.
“Once we had the report,” Jane says, “we were able to target companies that had higher attrition or where the employees had three to five years tenure. We believed that these were the candidates who were more likely to be seeking new opportunities.”
Insights into Australia’s talent market prompted UGL to adjust its employer branding
LinkedIn Talent Insights also provided some important information about local talent. While Australia is facing an engineer shortage, the country still ranks among the regions with the most engineers in the world.
That finding led to some questions: How can UGL do a better job tapping homegrown talent and what message does it want to send?
UGL decided that being a place where local engineers work on game-changing projects in their home country is a powerful message for both retaining its current employees and attracting new ones. The company began weaving employee stories into its employer branding efforts.
Data helped persuade hiring managers to change their search criteria
LinkedIn Talent Insights also helped the UGL recruitment team overcome another obstacle: convincing hiring managers to adjust their search criteria.
The recruiting team was able to demonstrate that engineers who had fewer years of experience than hiring managers initially sought were working on major construction projects. By lowering the number of years of experience they were seeking, hiring managers could greatly expand the talent pool without sacrificing quality.
“A lot of the hiring managers,” Jane says, “had a preconceived view on the criteria and location of the engineers that they wanted. But once we were able to show them the Talent Insights report, where we had broadened the search criteria, they could see that the target list increased. This was beneficial as hiring managers drew on their own experiences and started to provide more input into the search criteria.”
Final thoughts
UGL turned to LinkedIn Talent Insights to gain real-time insights into the global talent pool for engineers. As a result, the company was able to focus its recruitment marketing efforts in the right locations and avoid wasting time and resources in the wrong places. That helped cut a significant amount of time from the hiring process.
On top of that, LinkedIn Talent Insights helped UGL’s recruitment team build credibility with the company’s hiring managers and with the UGL executive team. By using the data effectively, the recruiters showed they have a strategic plan for how to approach the international market.
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by Phyllis Furman
It was 1999. The world was partying per Prince’s instructions, anticipating what was projected to be a catastrophic global technology failure as computers turned over to the year 2000.
Meanwhile, the first members of Gen Z were finding their voices and cutting their teeth on plastic toy flip phones.
The metaphor couldn’t be more appropriate. The radical shift in technology that coincided with the dawn of Gen Z ushered in a generation born into a digitally connected world, and the cultural impact of that urgent rush to globalization is now being felt as the oldest members of the new generation settle comfortably into their jobs.
For learning leaders, fostering these innovators and cultural change-makers presents a massive opportunity. Let’s get to know Gen Z a little better and explore what you need to know to tap into their potential.
How Gen Z is already impacting company culture
One of the defining characteristics of this generation is their purpose-driven mindset. They seek meaning and fulfilment in their work, and they are passionate about aligning their personal values with the organizations they choose to work for. This self-selecting process has had a profound impact on the corporate world.
Gen Z’s emphasis on purpose has prompted many companies to reevaluate their workplace culture and brand voice. Emerging generations have challenged the traditional notion that work is solely about earning a paycheck and have pushed for a greater sense of meaning and social impact in their careers. Gen Z’s demand for authenticity and transparency is compelling organizations to bridge the gap between what they claim and what they actually do.
As Gen Z seeks out organizations that genuinely embody their values, companies have been prompted to enhance their employer brand to attract and retain this talented generation. Younger employees are more likely to join and stay with companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion, social and environmental responsibility, and employee well-being. In response, corporations have had to evaluate their policies, practices, and values to create a work environment that resonates with Gen Z’s purpose-driven mindset.
By shaking things up and challenging the status quo, Gen Z has played a crucial role in improving company culture.
Gen Zers seek opportunities to learn and grow
According to the LinkedIn Employee Well-Being Report, employees see “opportunities to learn and grow” as the top driver of work culture. This finding underscores the crucial role that L&D leaders play in driving employee engagement among Gen Zers. By promoting a culture of continuous learning, organizations not only engage their current workforce but also position themselves as attractive employers for young talent.
It is evident from the data that Gen Z employees, who have clear agendas when it comes to job hunting, place great importance on opportunities for career advancement and skill development. In fact, a majority of Gen Z respondents expressed a desire for more opportunities to move up or increase responsibilities (61%) and more opportunities to learn or practice new skills (76%).
Gen Zers surveyed were also more likely than any other generation to agree with the statement, “I used to think learning was not worthwhile, but now I think it is.” This shift in perception indicates adaptability and agility — two qualities that should be nurtured in a workforce.
Gen Z is hungry for learning opportunities, and L&D teams are well positioned to meet their expectations.
Here’s a look at how to best provide Gen Z employees with the learning experiences they’re after.
Three key strategies to retaining Gen Z employees
Retaining Gen Z employees is a top priority. After all, it has been proven time and again that investing in an existing workforce is far less expensive than hiring new employees. And what better investment is there than building your future leadership from the ground up?
These key strategies will help L&D teams ensure they keep Gen Z’s top talent engaged and committed.
1. Tie learning to career paths and internal mobility programs
LinkedIn asked people what would motivate them to spend more time learning. Gen Z employees led all generations in selecting “if it helped me get another job internally, be promoted or get closer to reaching my career goals” as their No. 1 motivation for learning. Their close second choice was “if it was personalized specifically for my interests and career goals.”
“Much is defined around careers, so define career possibilities early on for new Gen Z hires, including job movement,” advises Sophie Wade in her LinkedIn Learning course Attracting, Hiring, and Working with Gen Z. “Clarity gives them comfort about the company’s interests in their ongoing employment and professional development. Involving them in the discussion engages them through increased ownership of their career path. Exploring different roles also helps keep [them] engaged by allowing them to discover what really interests them, understand more about the business, and build new skills.”
Connecting skill building to career pathing and internal mobility programs shifts learning from a series of one-off courses to an impactful, sustainable business strategy. When skill building is directly linked to career pathing and internal mobility programs, it creates a clear and tangible way for employees to advance within the organization. This connection helps employees understand how their learning efforts contribute to their professional growth and align with their long-term career goals.
Make sure to leverage your people managers to drive this home. Many of them already understand the importance of learning when it comes to career development: The No. 1 reason managers recommend learning opportunities to their direct reports is to help them grow in their career.
2. Help Gen Z learn the skills they want, in the way they want
Online learning is second nature to Gen Z, who experienced a large-scale shift toward digital learning during their academic careers. This is reflected in the behavior they exhibit in their free time as well, with high engagement in microlearning through various social media apps.
“Gen Z is truly one of the most DIY generations in history,” notes Jonah Stillman in the LinkedIn Learning course Managing Generation Z. “We are intense do-it-yourselfers. From the day we were born, we’ve had the ability to simply log on and learn at any time, whatever we need to learn.”
And despite a renewed focus on building soft skills, LinkedIn data reveals that Gen Z spends 12% more of their time on LinkedIn Learning building their hard skills when compared with the average learner. One thing that likely won’t come as a surprise though: Gen Z strongly prefers learning on mobile devices.
3. Let Gen Z blend personal development with professional
Perhaps even more important than the how, where, and what behind Gen Z learning is the why.
As a result of improved work-life balance combined with an uptick in flexible work, hybrid work, and remote work, younger generations have become more comfortable bringing more of themselves to work.
Development opportunities that enable personal growth can be just as important as career growth for impacting business outcomes like culture and retention. At the same time, 69% of Gen Zers say they want to learn about a topic they are personally interested in.
When personal learning and career development initiatives go hand in hand, organizations not only foster an environment that supports individual growth but also increase the likelihood of retaining more of their workers. By enabling Gen Z employees to pursue their passions and personal interests within the context of their professional journey, L&D teams tap into their natural curiosity and foster future leaders.
Find ways for personal learning and career development to go hand in hand, and you’ll keep your youngest learners coming back for more.
Final thoughts: Retaining Gen Z talent is a cross-functional effort
Learning professionals have always understood the importance of knowing their audience. As Gen Z continues to make up more and more of the workforce, it’s essential that you work to understand these learners and build programs and mentorship opportunities that meet the needs of the youngest working generation. L&D teams can’t do this alone, though.
L&D leaders will need to partner across the HR function to tie learning programs to career paths, build personal development into performance reviews, and build a learning culture that leads to strong employee retention. Do this well and you’ll play a large part in helping to future-proof your organization.
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by Laurie Moot