Future of Work - SABPP

THE OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION FOR ALL HR PROFESSIONALS

HR VOICE MARCH 2018 · ISSN 2304-8573

Future of Work

SABPP IS NOW REGISTERED AS AN NPO 117218

INSIDE HR VOICE MARCH 2018

BOARD DESK •

Introducing the SABPP Future World of Work Initiative

COO’s DESK •

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CONTACT US LEARNING & QUALITY ASSURANCE Naren Vassan [email protected]

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KNOWLEDGE & INNOVATION [email protected]

SABPP Staff Affairs

MARKETING & STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS Ceanne Schultz

HR STANDARDS •

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Three key focus points for building great organisational culture

[email protected]

HR AUDIT Annetjie Moore [email protected]

HR STANDARDS

[email protected]

INDUSTRY NEWS • • • • •

ETHICS •

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Key trends about the Future of Work Finding a new way of doing things - Reforming the global economic order - Where are HR practitioners in all of this? The Workplace Revolution of Flexible Work Practices Competencies Expected from Knowledge Workers in the New Economy Email Etiquette: A guideline for professional office and virtual workers

Zanele Ndiweni [email protected] or Tebogo Mahesu [email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA Jaco du Plessis

[email protected]

ADDRESS 223 Jan Smuts Avenue, PAGE 31

Workshops running for two years

STUDENT CHAPTER

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EVENTS

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March Events

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES & PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATIONS

Rosebank, Parktown North, PO Box 2450 Houghton, 2041, South Africa. T: 011 045 5400 / F: 011 482 4830 010 007 5906 www.sabpp.co.za

DESIGN BCORE www.bcore.co.za ADVERTISING HR Consultants and providers who want to advertise their products and services in the HR Voice, should please contact Ceanne Schultz from SABPP. T: 011 045 5413 [email protected] EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Please send

editorial submissions to Lathasha Subban. [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS Marius Meyer Dr Penny Abbott Dr Shamila Singh Prof Deseré Kokt Robert Louw Xolani Mawande

INSIDE · PAGE 2

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

BOARD DESK INTRODUCING THE SABPP FUTURE WORLD OF WORK INITIATIVE - Marius Meyer

On behalf of the Exco of the SABPP Board, it is our privilege and honour to welcome you to this special edition of HR Voice focusing on the future world of work. The speed of digital and technological developments, coupled with the increased need for flexibility and employee centred work spaces, has created an environment for knowledge sharing, talent management, virtual offices, increased freelance work and employee wellness. Moreover, smart phones and other devices have evolved into multi-functional work stations, making it possible to replace or compliment the more traditional laptops and notebooks. Thus, work can be done from anywhere at any time, not requiring traditional approaches to office hours, single time zones and physical office spaces. The SABPP Board decided last year to prioritise research on the future world of work. The purpose of this study is to provide HR and line managers with best practice guidelines on how to adapt current work environments to the needs of the future world of work. In essence, the future world of work requires the rise of the virtual office worker – a dynamic digital savvy virtual worker who is empowered to serve clients better while not wasting three to four hours in the traffic every day. We now need digital savvy employees and HR professionals who are ready to do things differently. Should any of you want

to participate in the research, please contact me on marius@ sabpp.co.za so that I can include you in the research team. Furthermore, youth empowerment is a key imperative in the new world of work, especially in young populations such as South Africa. SABPP would like to encourage companies to focus on youth development and to provide employment and learning opportunities to the youth. We are therefore proud of the launch of our latest student chapter, i.e. the University of Johannesburg (Auckland Park Kingsway Campus) last week. Congratulations to the elected UJ Student Chapter leaders, Alex Mahlangu as chairperson and Zanele Buthelezi as vicechairperson. We look forward to some great HR professional youth work at UJ. Diversity is another top priority in the new world of work. Unfortunately, most South African companies are making insufficient progress in employment equity. However, SABPP is aware of some great work done by some of our registered HR professionals at their companies. To reinforce this good progress in employment equity, and to encourage other companies to follow their example, we are launching seven employment equity awards.

BOARD DESK · PAGE 3

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

The awards are as follows: 1. Employment Equity, Diversity and Transformation Overall Award 2. HR Enabling Environment Award 3. Diversity and Inclusion Award 4. Affirmative Action Measures Award 5. Employment Equity, Diversity and Transformation Change Agent Award 6. Disability Employer Award 7. Gender Employer Award Interested parties can contact our office on ceanne@ sabpp.co.za to participate, or to visit our website for more information (www.sabpp.co.za) The awards will be issued on 14 May, followed by a conference featuring case studies by the winners on 15 May, and then a workshop on 16-17 May to build skills in accelerating employment equity implementation. I also want to thank the HR and learning provider community for their understanding and patience during our temporary evacuation from our Rosebank, Johannesburg office due to a potential safety risk on 1 February. Our structural engineer provided us with feedback on the improvements needed, and some work is currently done to improve the situation. While the safety improvement work continues while engaging key professional advisors, we operate from the Regus Business Centre at the Clearwater Office Park in Roodepoort. Our telephone number there is (010) 007 5906 and all our email addresses are the same. I also want to thank Regenesys Business School for providing us with an additional temporary office during the month of February. The support from the HR and learning community was very encouraging during this period of inconvenience while implementing our contingency plan. We will operate from the Roodepoort office until further notice.

FACEBOOK/SABPP JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Wishing you all a productive and successful month of March. Let us all accelerate the journey of creating and building the future world of work. This is a unique opportunity for HR professionals to design the future workplace and it will be essential that we pool our resources and expertise in planning the way forward in creating a conducive environment for future-fit workers and workplaces.

CEO Marius Meyer TWITTER/SABPP

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

BOARD DESK · PAGE 4

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

COO’s DESK Vutivi Mavuyangwa At the end of January 2018, we bid farewell to Vutivi our Finance Intern after the full six months internship. Vutivi left to take up a full time lecturing post. We thank her for a selfless service and we wish her all the best in her career as an academic HR professional.

Lathasha Subban On the 14th of February 2018 we also bid farewell to Lathasha Subban after a two-year stint at SABPP. Ms Subban served selflessly as the Head of Knowledge and Innovation. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Dr Shamila Singh The SABPP confirms that Dr Shamila Singh has left the employ of the SABPP to pursue other interests with effect from 14th of February 2018. We bid farewell to Dr Shamila Singh after almost three years of service. Dr Singh joined as an interim Head of HR Audit and after three months she was appointed as the first Head of HR standards. We sincerely thank her for serving with pride and diligence. We wish her all the best in her new endeavours.

COO’s DESK· PAGE 7

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

Student News On the 22nd of February 2018 SABPP launched the 13th student chapter at the University of Johannesburg APK campus. SABPP CEO Marius Meyer and SABPP COO Xolani Mawande officiated at the function. Further details appear elsewhere in HR Voice magazine. We wish UJ students all the best with their studies and in growing the SABPP HR Student Chapter. SABPP wants to visit your campus in 2018 More and more universities are launching student chapters. Please don’t be left behind otherwise history will judge you harshly. If you want to be part of the future, please contact us to arrange a free visit to your campus to address your HR and Industrial psychology students. Call Reabetswe on (010) 007 5906 or alternatively email [email protected]. SABPP wants to visit your Organisation in 2018 Do you want your HR staff to be motivated and find pride in being HR professionals? Do you want to know more about the benefits of professional registration? Do you want to know more about how you can be a Commissioner of Oaths? Do you want your company to align to National HR standards? Do you want your company to be prepared for HR Audit? Do you want your in-house programmes to be accredited? If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, then call SABPP on 011045400 or alternatively email any of the following: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Until next time, let’s keep the SABPP engine of HR professionalism running smoothly.

COO Xolani Mawande

COO’s DESK· PAGE 8

HR VOICE MARCH NOVEMBER 20182017

HR STANDARDS

Three key focus points for building great organisational culture - Robert Louw In 2017, we saw too many leadership failures in South Africa that dragged whole organisations down. Stronger organisational cultures should have been in place to mitigate such failures. The question is: How can we lead the development of productive and sustainable organisational cultures? Eunoia Leadership in Sweden has a fresh perspective on this challenge. Eunoia Leadership is a specialist firm focused on leadership and organisational culture development. The following content is from their assessment-based workshops to be held in South Africa, which are hosted in partnership with Prefrontal Constructs and are endorsed by the SABPP. 1. Reflect on the capacities that make up quality leadership Consider the challenges of diversity and inclusion, for example. It is an area where people can really feel their leaders’ quality, specifically with issues like these: •

How the company resists or leverages socio-economic transformation;

• •

How it attracts and retains skilled employees of specific demographics; and How it makes the best of South Africa’s diversity.

Reflecting on these organisational issues can wake your internal consciousness of leaders’ quality: their attitudes and capacities. Eunoia Leadership’s strategy to develop high quality leaders is to build leadership capacities. Leadership capacity is the time and space to include new inputs towards growth opportunities. For example, we can build leaders’ capacity for inclusion: the ability to have new, valuable and relevant connections wherein value exchanges are a win for both parties. Another relevant capacity to build for managing diversity is thinking capacity: the ability to think in additional or alternative ways and not to be constrained in old ways of thinking that were most probably given by others. Investing in these leadership capacities is key, as they create capacity in the organisational culture for growth.

HR STANDARDS · PAGE 9

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

2. Notice which stories are the seeds of your culture A single decision cannot solve cultural issues. Culture is built by leaders’ small daily decisions, actions and responses. The impactful decisions can be as small as whom to select to discuss a problem. It can be as small as greeting a group of male and female colleagues with “hello guys.” All the small things leaders do add up to stories that justify the exclusion of contributions and the de-activation of people. Indeed the cultural impact of leaders goes beyond issues of diversity and inclusion. Eunoia Leadership has developed precision instruments to quantify other forms of capacity. They have found that just like leaders can exclude people through a lack of capacity, they can exclude other inputs. Leaders’ can neglect effectiveness factors, ignore innovations, overlook quality considerations or omit to make capacity for any other input. Leaders’ capacities inadvertently result in stories that shape the performance culture. 3. Don’t stagnate – do build capacity Eunoia’s team told me of a specific case of a stagnant organisational culture. Such stagnation is seen across the world (research by Gallup Inc. shows 87% of employees are actively disengaged or not engaged worldwide.) In this one corporation, there was very low diversity, but few people felt engaged and included. Only a select few actively contributed to the organisation while most employees merely showed up physically. An employee explained: he showed his payslip and said, “this is the best thing this company is doing.” The alternative to such stagnation is to actively build leaders’ capacities. Eunoia Leadership has invented and proven a way to build leadership capacities, which help build aligned organisational cultures. Their innovative approach starts with a detailed analysis to show which of a broad range of capacities have been neglected and which are in extreme focus. They develop leaders on an intuitive level, once they have opened leaders’ eyes through precise analysis.

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About the author Robert Louw is a director at Prefrontal Constructs, a local partner of Eunoia Leadership. If you would like to learn more or comment, you are welcome to email him at [email protected] or call him at: +27 10 035 2514.

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The result is that leaders can create space and time for what the organisation really needs most. Leaders can – through the development of their capacities – set the frame for growing a more sustainable high-performing culture throughout the organisation.

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HR STANDARDS · PAGE 10

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

INDUSTRY NEWS KEY TRENDS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WORK

- Penny Abbott Frequent mention is made of key trends in the Future of Work. What is quite interesting is that these key trends seem to be relatively long-lived and slow-moving, in that trends identified from 2010 to 2013 are still top of mind and accepted as a valid view of the future today, five to seven years later. So perhaps: • •

The future is coming more slowly than we thought; and The identified trends do highlight some fundamental truths about the way the human world is unfolding.

In 2013, the futurist Jacob Morgan published an article on Forbes website which identified five key trends: 1. New behaviours which are shaped by social media and the internet – “creating communities, being open and transparent, sharing information and ideas, easily being able to find people and information, and collaboration”; 2. New collaborative technologies. “Being able to find subject matter experts and connect with colleagues (known or unknown) across the globe is now a possibility that didn’t exist. Hierarchies are being flattened as virtually any employee can connect or communicate with anyone else at the company regardless of seniority and information is being opened up instead of being locked down. Systems are being connected and opportunities for business process improvement, customer experience, and overall efficiency improvement abound. These new technologies are also allowing simple actions to have big impacts, for example the CEO of a company ‘liking’ or commenting on an idea that an employee might post publicly inside of the company. These same employees now have a voice within their organizations and have the ability to become leaders without having to be managers.”; 3. Shift to the Cloud. “Virtually every collaboration platform today has a cloud-based deployment option. This means that the barrier to entry is virtually zero. Business units no longer need to wait for corporate approval or the blessing of IT to make investments in these areas. Anyone with a credit card and access to the internet now has the ability to deploy what-

ever technology best fits their needs. This is a huge shift inside of organizations which traditionally had to rely on IT to deploy any type of new technology, the costs used to be high and the deployments complicated.” 4. New workforce – the Millenials with different attitudes, expectations and ways of working. “Millenials are used to sharing with each other, communicating through social platforms, working from anywhere, having a voice, and learning about what interests them”; 5. New mobility where people can work anytime, anywhere, on any device. His latest book is The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization. It explores how the workplace is changing and was endorsed by business leaders such as the Chairman of KPMG, CEO of Whirlpool, CEO of Intuit, CEO of SAP, CEO of Schneider Electric, Gary Hamel, and many others. Jacob also co-founded the FOW Community which is a network of the world’s most forward thinking organizations who come together to explore the future of work (https://www.fowcommunity.com/ ). Jacob’s classification of trends compares quite neatly with the CIPD’s 2013 publication “Megatrends – the trends shaping work and working lives” which identifies important trends affecting the work itself, the workforce and the workplace as below: It is useful for HR practitioners to develop their own frame of reference for thinking about the future of work as it affects their own organisation. The SABPP’s 2016 publication Scenarios 2030: People and work – how will the South African labour market change over the next 14 years? is a valuable resource for this. SABPP will continue to study the future and support HR Managers to apply HR practices relevant to the latest trends and developments. Dr Penny Abbott is Research & Policy Advisor at SABPP.

INDUSTRY NEWS· PAGE 11

HR VOICE MARCH DECEMBER 20182017

FINDING A NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS REFORMING THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER WHERE ARE HR PRACTITIONERS IN ALL OF THIS? - Penny Abbott

INTRODUCTION Over the last few years, social movements across the world have noisily and energetically protested that the way our modern society works, as expressed by the global economic order, is not meeting basic human needs while at the same time dangerously unbalancing nature. It would seem therefore that the ways things are currently done is not sustainable for future generations. In South Africa, this lack of sustainability is brought home to each one of us forcibly just about every day as we battle to fix our inequality, unemployment and poverty levels while public and private resources are squandered and stolen and people’s trust in institutions decreases. Recent publications by mainstream and non-mainstream economists and a wide range of other disciplines seem to indicate that it is becoming accepted wisdom that modern capitalism, certainly of the “neo-liberal” persuasion, needs some fundamental reform. Two of these publications are reviewed in this article. Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti’s Wellbeing Economy and the book by Mervyn King (retired Governor of the Bank of England) “The End of Alchemy – Money, Banking and the Future of the Global Economy”. These two books complement each other – the Wellbeing Economy book covers issues affecting natural and social capital but also talks about the political economy and the money system. The money system is covered in depth by Mervyn King. WELLBEING ECONOMY Fioramonti’s starting point is that the main measure we use for the health of the economy is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that we believe that growth in GDP is the ultimate aim of economic development – this he sees as confusing means and ends. He points out that the aim of development is to actually improve quality of life for everything in the ecosystem – progress against the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations being a useful way to measure any such improvements. He argues that the GDP measure in itself is toxic in its effect, because included in its calculation is every single transaction that takes place in the economy – whether “good” or “bad”. A “bad” transaction, in his argument, is one which causes harm to our natural or social capital – and these would therefore range from extractive industries such as mining and oil/gas which pollute the land and air, to medical costs arising from road accidents and breakdown in social relationships. Following his argument, fighting a war raises GDP and

the huge increase in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity raises GDP. Economic analysis can show that much of the economic growth since the 1970’s in the US has come from transactions which have a negative effect on natural and social capital. He does not argue against aiming for economic growth, he argues that we must be sure that the growth comes from positive activities, and we should not seek economic growth at any cost. In fact, a mature society and economy such as Japan, can maintain excellent quality of life for its citizens even though the economy has not grown for over 10 years. His book covers extensive arguments around preserving natural capital and social capital, the latter concentrating largely on empowering local communities and rebuilding family life. This empowerment perspective underpins his approach to re-thinking economic development – he wants to see small business development of businesses which produce goods or services which will enhance quality of life rather than fuel consumerism and pollution. For example, he sees 3D printers as tools for small local businesses to repair goods to avoid dumping broken goods, thereby offering artisans the opportunity to work locally. He also advocates acting locally and circulating money locally as being more empowering and more efficient. His arguments provide a basis for resolving the apparent conflict between closing the gap in living standards between developed and developing countries while preserving the environment and also provide some thoughts around how we can live and work with technology (the Fourth Industrial Revolution). THE END OF ALCHEMY This book, by the Governor of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2013, is a masterly yet understandable macro-economic overview of the global economy, the causes of the various financial crises of the last decades including the 2007-8 crisis, and King’s ideas to transform the way the financial underpinning of a market-based economy works to make it more sustainable and how the inequalities brought about by capitalism can be better addressed. He sets out why he believes the present world economic order is unsustainable and what ideas he has to set the world back on a sustainable path. The book, which carries accolades from other eminent thinkers in the field, is useful reading for people who would like to have a framework in which to read daily business news, analysis and opinion. The book also provides evidence and argument on which to consider the role of Central Banks, which is extremely relevant in South Africa right now with calls to review the mandate of the Reserve Bank.



The title of the book refers to the apparent “alchemy” through which financial systems create the money which fuels market economies. The book contains a well summarised explanation of the history and development of banking institutions and the development of the role of central banks. “Alchemy” can be defined as “a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination” – so in the analogy used by King, the banking system “magically” converts deposits into much larger investments, which traditionally have fuelled economic growth. However, more recently, banks have not invested in channels which fuel economic growth, rather, they have invested in complex financial instruments. The book explains how it is that the size of “financial assets” has increased so rapidly – King quotes figures such as that in the US, the total value of bank assets, which had for a long time been around 25% of GDP, increased to 100% of GDP, while in the UK, bank assets exceeded 500% of GDP. The effects of this include that risk is much increased - banks were borrowing 50 times as much as the capital provided by shareholders. (And the increase in the size of financial assets resulted in the very contentious huge amounts of bonuses paid to executives in the banking sector.) King believes that “money and banks need to be reshaped and redesigned to support a successful and more stable form of capitalism”. He says “money and banking proved not to be a form of alchemy, but the Achilles heel of capitalism – a point of weakness that threatens havoc on a scale that drains life out of a capitalist economy”. The problem with the banking system identified by King is that over the years the balance between the liquidity of assets and the liquidity of liabilities has been hugely destroyed. Banks take in deposits (liabilities) which are liquid, because you or I could ask for them back tomorrow or in the short term, and lend or invest money (assets) to finance activities which lead to economic growth. These loans or investments are typically long-term and have become less and less liquid (less and less able to be disposed of in the short term at market value). Thus, banks are vulnerable to “runs” where depositors collectively lose confidence and want their deposits back. Banks are less able to deal with this if they have insufficient shareholder capital (equity) to fall back on. Banks which have a high ratio of assets to equity capital (are “highly leveraged”) are highly exposed to risk – for example, with a leverage ratio of 25:1, it would only take a 4% decrease in the value of the bank’s assets to wipe out the shareholder equity and leave it unable to service its debts. At the time of the 2007-9 crisis, many banks had leverage ratios of 30:1 or more, while Northern Rock, the UK bank which failed, had a ratio of over 60:1. Due to the actual or threatened failure of major banks in the 2007-8 financial crisis banks have been subjected to increasing regulation around capital ratios and other matters to the extent that compliance is a huge consumer of resources both public and private. The role of central banks has been defined in most countries as managing the supply of money (through setting of interest rates) in order to balance inflation and employment. In advanced economies, central banks have been successful at this, but their other roles, of overseeing private banks and

directly managing the supply of money, have been central to the management of the recent financial crisis. Central banks have directed huge amounts of cash into banks which found themselves short of cash (by buying up or lending against their various assets) and have also printed money to put into circulation. As King explains, printing money is an acceptable strategy where the government is stable and solvent (which is why this strategy can work in the US and UK, but not in Zimbabwe, and why Iceland had such a big problem). As regards bailing out banks through buying or lending against their assets, this has become highly problematic due to a decreased ability to put an accurate value on those assets as those assets became increasingly complex and thus opaque as to their true nature. King quotes the Chairman of J P Morgan in the 1990s and 2000s who recognised that financial “products” were becoming much too complicated, so he set a rule that if the proposer of the new product could not explain it to him in a total of 3 x 15 minute sessions, he would not authorise it. Anyone who has sat in Trustee meetings of pension funds or the equivalent and has had to listen to banks and financial advisers pitching a new idea will sympathise. King’s idea to reform the banking sector is to move central bank roles away from “lender of last resort” (because this leads to banks thinking they are “too big to fail” and taking improper risks) to being a “pawnbroker for all seasons”. (Whilst this might be an accurate analogy, the “pawnbroker” term does carry unfortunate connotations). This would involve requiring private banks to declare their assets to the central bank and receive a valuation on them which would have to be reflected in their financial statements. The valuation by the central bank would take into account the riskiness of the various assets and “haircuts” (the term King uses) or discounts would be applied to the valuations. In the event of a liquidity crisis, the central bank would be able to buy or lend against those assets at the pre-determined price and thereby provide the bank with the required cash. With this simple and flexible requirement, King believes, other detailed regulations could fall away and the compliance “burden” would be considerably lessened. King identifies four concepts which together form the “rules of the game” of achieving a new equilibrium in the world economy. His central idea is that the world has been in an ever- increasing disequilibrium post World War II, the effects of which were masked during the period called The Great Stability, but which have now become unmasked and have to be dealt with. The four concepts, and his ideas for dealing with them, are set out below: 1. Disequilibrium of saving and spending both within and across nations. The global economy is characterised by large economies with huge trade surpluses (Germany and China for example) and other large economies with huge trade deficits (US, UK, France and Italy for example). Effectively, King believes, the debts incurred by those countries with trade deficits can never be repaid. The situation of Greece is a case in point – where



in fact international institutions are being asked to fund the Greek government so that they can make payments to international debtors who are the same governments which are funding the international institutions. Under perfect market conditions, this would not occur because exchange rates would fall or increase accordingly. However, for various reasons, exchange rates do not move in accordance with economic norms, and the disequilibrium becomes worse and worse. This, King argues, is a fundamental problem with the European Monetary Union which contains different economies being run in different ways but the exchange rate cannot compensate. King believes that a) huge sovereign debts (debts owed by governments) should be effectively written off whilst b) measures to prevent the continuation of the imbalance are taken, such as allowing exchange rates to fall or rise and allowing internal inflation including wage inflation to rise. 2. The reality of radical uncertainty and why economic models in use today fail to accommodate uncertainty. King argues that “we cling to the ‘illusion of certainty’ in monetary matters”, believing in economic forecasts although the behaviour of the economy is determined by human behaviour. We do this largely because we are uncomfortable coping with unquantifiable uncertainties. He distinguishes between risk, which he says is a quantifiable probability (and can therefore be insured or planned for), and genuine (or ‘radical’) uncertainty where a probability cannot be assigned. The probability of dying at a certain age can be calculated (risk), whereas changes in patterns of longevity cannot be calculated or predicted – we do not know how life expectancy will change in the future. The current economic model assumes risk rather than uncertainty – and depends on the idea that people ‘optimise’ in making investment and purchasing decisions. However, where uncertainty exists, people cannot ‘optimise’, so they cope – they respond and adapt. This is where behavioural economics comes in, which studies cognitive processes and how they may appear irrational but are actually systematic biases.

4. Trust. The money system we use today (cash and credit) depends on trust in the stability of the value of money over time. Stability has been achieved, argues King, through the design of successful institutions such as independent central banks, whose mandate has been to maintain the value of the country’s currency through managing interest rates and therefore through managing inflation. However, he argues, trust goes beyond everyone trusting the value of money. In this argument, ‘generational cooperation’ is the basis of world order – in which older and younger generations cooperate – the younger one supports the older one by passing on income (through taxes) and the older supports the younger by maintaining the value of invested capital, such as housing. The situation where house prices have been driven up beyond affordability by young people or where older people over-spent on consumption during their productive years has, some economists argue, destroyed this intergenerational implicit agreement. Ultimately, King argues, a reform programme should rest on three legs: • Improving productivity through such means as reducing monopolies and increased competition; amending tax

3. The “Prisoner’s Dilemma” where the advantages of collaboration over competition in certain situations are not achieved because of a lack of agreed protocols. The application of this to the global economy is that countries cannot solve the problem of the global economic order on their own, they must cooperate. King believes this cooperation cannot be achieved through institutions such as the European Union where nations are asked to give up aspects of their sovereignty, thereby undermining democracy. Instead, true independent collaboration through a reformed International Monetary Fund (IMF) is required. King argues that countries must choose their own path, but on an agreed overall timetable, and that the price mechanism (exchange rates) must be allowed to operate freely.



policies to reduce distortions between spending and saving; reducing the cost of public services; less regulation of the private sector; and improving public infrastructure. Promotion of trade based on new ideas about products and processes. Floating exchange rates.

• •

He concludes that innovation drives productivity growth, which is what drives economic growth. “Only when people are free to pursue, develop and market new ideas will they translate those ideas into increased output.”

•

• •

This brings us back to the Wellbeing Economy, where the central idea would be to add to this last sentence that those new ideas should bring positive, not negative, changes to natural and social capital. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HR PROFESSION It would appear that we are in a period of fundamental shift in social attitudes in relation to the current “rules of the game”. Fioromonti said, at a GIBS Forum event in July 2017, that now that a significant part of South African debt has fallen below investment grade (is “junk”), we have plenty of room to experiment and innovate, as existing recipes are patently not working.

•

Repair rather than throw things away. Look at using solar or wind power for your own energy needs. Familiarise yourself with the requirements of the SABPP’s HR Competency Model Core Competency - Citizenship for the Future which looks at Innovation, Technology, Sustainability and Active Citizenry. Plan how you can use your HR skills to promote innovation, empowerment, localisation and sustainability.

Against the backdrop of new economic models, the new world of work will be totally different to the one we know today. Perhaps the end of alchemy and the rise of the wellbeing economy is part of the solution. This reality positions the HR Manager as the Head of Employee Wellness in a key position to be one of the most important stakeholders in the wellbeing economy. If HR can succeed in creating real wellbeing in the workplace and society at large, HR can fulfil its role in creating and sustaining the wellbeing economy for the benefit of all stakeholders in society. Dr Penny Abbott is Research & Policy Advisor at SABPP.

So some useful points for HR practitioners to consider could include: • Educate yourself on the issues. (Start by reading these two books!) Start following social media on the subject. • Question your organisation to see to what extent it is producing goods and services (whether in the public or private sector) that are enhancing rather than destroying natural and social capital. Look at the costs of your organisation to natural and social capital. Interrogate your Integrated Report critically. Raise this in strategy sessions and encourage debate and seeking of alternative options. One example given by Fioramonti at the GIBS session is a Belgian mining company, Umicore, over 100 years old (and previously Union Minière) which switched its business model completely to ‘mine’ precious metals in junk, discarded items. From this switch it has accelerated growth and is now one of the largest ‘mining’ companies in the world. • Look at the small business up and downstream in the organisation’s value chain to see to what extent local enterprise is encouraged, particularly in the rural areas. • Consider investing the organisation’s small business development B-BBEE spend into 3D printers for local artisans. • Be an active citizen in your local area to direct community activities into enhancing and preserving natural and social capital. • Look at your own personal investments – are they in companies which add positively or negatively to quality of life? • Add to the currently unmeasured social capital by volunteering in your community. • Look at your own consumption patterns – are you fuelling consumerism or sustainability?


HR VOICE MARCH 2018

The Workplace Revolution of Flexible Work Practices

- Dr Shamila Singh This article provides a summary of the 10-year research of flexible working amongst a sample of 20 000 senior managers around the world (Regus, 2013). This report reveals how businesses are adapting to this change, one of the most significant developments in flexible working practices. The report acknowledges that technology is an enabler of mobility (working outside the office) by using Wi-Fi, smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The speed at which technology has evolved is a key factor driving increased mobility and flexibility. There are now effective solutions to use for business like instant messaging and using data to make cost effective calls. However, without strong and fast internet connection mobile working is severely limited. Changing workforce Literature indicates that millennials have a different attitude towards work life balance and therefore they support flexible working. The older workers, that may postpone retirement may find flexible working better to combine their personal life with continued workforce participation if they are not required to commute. Latest research demonstrate that the workforce is comprised of freelance workers, consultants and part-time workers who actively seek out the opportunity to work more flexibly. Flexible working and its benefits Flexibility is becoming a key differentiator and is part of an organisation’s retention strategy. Research shows that an array of reasons was cited for flexibly working which extend from better work-life balance and reduced commuting times. From an employer perspective, productivity and improved levels of concentration are cited as benefits of flexibility. Organisations are required to become more agile and hence are assisting workers to achieve greater personal happiness and work-life balance. An upward trend is that organisations acknowledge that flexible working will result in the use of flexible work locations.

Research reveals that 50% of workers now report that they work outside the main office 2.5 days a week or more. Almost a third report they work from different locations in the same city and a quarter say they are working from other cities suggesting that business people are finding they need to remain productive while on the move and between meetings. The 36% of workers that exclusively work from home claim that homeworking affects productivity with family members, pets and household noises disturbing calls and concentration levels. In addition, workers do not have access to key office equipment and internet connection. The research revealed that working exclusively from home affects productivity. There are many configurations of flexible work that must be contextualised for the type of position and the nature of the organisation’s core business. The importance of technology and connectivity Technology is an enabler of flexible working and there are many tools like laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc to remain connected and productive. Similarly, more solutions are sought to access files and desktops remotely through Cloud applications. Specifically, VoIP calls and instant messaging apps are increasingly used by workers on-the-go to keep in touch with colleagues and staff cost-effectively: all that is required is a fast internet connection to make them feel as though they are in the office. And management agree, reporting that rather than relying solely on expensive and invasive IT to track productivity, workers should simply be having regular meetings and catch up phone calls. EU studies have shown that average speeds of broadband are actually 75% of those advertised hence negatively affecting efficiency and productivity. Moreover, without suitably fast connection business cannot provide access to servers in the cloud or to desktops. Furthermore, file sharing devices and uploading of documents become cumbersome and time-wasting if the IT infrastructure is not suitable.


HR VOICE MARCH DECEMBER 20182017 Worker demand for flexibility Businesses are reporting that more consultants and freelancers are part of their workforce profile and hence the need for flexible workspace is also expected to continue to grow. Generally, there is a call for better work-life balance actively instigated by millennials and also allowing workers to work beyond pensionable age. However, flexible working necessitates agility in that employees must learn new habits and employers must develop and refine systems, policies, procedures

and processes to accommodate such practices. Employers will also be able to reduce fixed office costs and avoiding fixed leasing arrangements. Flexible Working in the Global Context The workforce of today is well connected and available over email or telephone and hence this has given rise to a greater need for work life balance in a world where professional and leisure ‘space’ have become increasingly blurred.

Statistics on flexibility 1. 2. 3. 4.

Over half (54%) of global respondents now confirm that they work remotely 2.5 days a week or more; Only a minority work exclusively from home (36%) when remote; Workers report that they mostly need to work from different locations around the same city (32%), or from other cities (25%); This suggests that it is the need to remain active while going to and from business meetings that is driving their need for remote working; 5. Among the most popular locations for remote work, apart from the home office, a fifth (20%) select business centres; 6. Only 13% report working from noisy cafes when on the go; 7. A key interpretation of these findings is that the face of the global workforce is changing and with it are its needs; 8. Global business people in fact report that over the past two years they are seeing more consultants (30%) and freelance workers (29%) and part-timers (22%); 9. Workers demanding a better work life balance and more freedom to choose their own hours and location, combined with businesses focusing on being more agile, have no doubt contributed to increasing the number of freelancers and consultants; 10. Interestingly, business people also report older workers are remaining beyond pensionable age (13%); 11. These new types of workers are almost certainly in part responsible for the increase (66%) of respondents who expect to see increase in the demand for flexible workspace be it business lounges, co-working spaces, short-term offices or drop-in centres. Table 1: Statistics of flexibility (Regus, 2013)

Figure 1: Business people working remotely half the week or more in key geographies (Regus, 2013)



Expectations for flexible work demand in key geographies Australia – 48% of business people in Australia work remotely half the week or more Belgium – 17% of Belgian business people work from a business lounge when remote Brazil – 81% of business people expect to see an increase in demand for flexible workspace in the next year Canada – 11% of business people in Canada report that they work remotely all week China – 65% of Chinese business people work outside one of their main office locations half the week or more 34% say they work within 20 minutes commute from their home when they work remotely France – Whereas a fifth of French workers use business centres when remote, only 4% opt for cafes Germany – 40% of German business people say that when remote they are working from different cities in the same country India – 81% of business people say they expect demand for flexible workspace to grow in the coming year Japan – 60% of Japanese workers expect demand for flexible workspace to increase in the coming year Mexico – 63% of business people work outside one of their company’s main office locations 2.5 days a week or more Netherlands – 19% of Dutch workers use business centres when remote, but only 2% opt for cafes South Africa – 28% of South Africa business people say that when remote they are working from different cities in the same country UK – 28% of business people say they are seeing more consultants than a year ago USA – 14% of business people say that they work remotely all week Table 2: Expected flexible working in key geographies (Regus, 2013)

The limitations of home working • • • • • • • • • • •

Global respondents confirm that working from home puts productivity at risk: 45% confirm they find it hard to concentrate; This could be due to the demands for attention of family members (48%), but also difficulties accessing key office equipment (30%); A slow or unreliable internet connection (22%) is also a hurdle encountered by home workers; But respondents also reveal another key issue with working from home and that is background noise: 40% say family and pets disturb phone calls; Household noises such as the door bell ringing, the washing machine, or the dishwasher (29%) are also a distraction and sound unprofessional to callers; A fifth find not being able to access sensitive company documents as a set-back; In spite of this, working closer to home could improve productivity (64%) by slashing commute times and costs; Work life balance would also benefit (54%) as workers could spend less time travelling; helping workers juggle personal and work demands; It follows that relationships with loved ones could benefit (23%) from additional time freed-up from pointless commuting; 18% even think that flexible working improves health; From a business perspective working closer to home, but from a professional location provides access to technology (31%) and helps make useful business connections (31%).

Table 3: Limitations of working at home (Regus, 2013)

Productivity-boosting technology Along with communications, mobile workers are also using more and more online tools to help them work remotely more efficiently and productively. Regus research shows that these tools that enable remote working, whether by providing access to desktops remotely or making document sharing easier, are gaining popularity: Dropbox, the most popular solution,

was used by 56% of workers in January 2015, but by 63% a year later. Similarly, Google Drive was used by 43% of workers and now by 50%. Interestingly, mobile workers also clearly opt for having an efficient smartphone over a tablet computer or iPad to enable them to work.



Figure 2: Communication tools used the previous month by business people (Regus, 2013)

Guidelines for managing flexibility Although flexibility is attractive, the issue of tracking productivity is required. Approximately 66% of business people think that their business should use IT systems that track and measure levels of activity and productivity, however, favouring more traditional systems such as monthly meetings (82%) and phone calls (81%).

More and more businesses are adopting a flexible mind-set when it comes to managing remote workers, but their views on how to achieve good management are surprisingly traditional; rather than simply investing in IT systems to track staff productivity, they reveal that conducting regular meetings (videoconferencing and in person) and telephone calls are proving critical. Instant messaging is also seen as akey way of keeping teams connected.

Figure 3: Online tools used the previous month for flexible working (Regus, 2013)



A growing business trend With businesses reporting all these benefits it is hardly surprising that flexible working is expected to continue in its growth trajectory over the next year and longer. A third of firms (34%) report that they expect to see businesses of all sizes opting for flexible work locations rather than fixed term leasing contracts: 28% expect the trend to specifically concern boot-strapped small firms, but 18% think it will be large firms divesting expensive assets and moving staff to more flexible locations. While the main driver is of course the reduction of fixed office costs, many businesses have made agility a key part of their business plan and are choosing services and solutions that allow them the flexibility to expand and contract rapidly in response to market changes. The necessity of fast, connected technology The research shows just how wide-spread flexible working is becoming and how fundamental technology is as an enabler of mobility. As the world of work continues to evolve, with more and more flexible workers such as consultants, part-time workers and freelancers composing the workforce, business-

es and their employees only stand to gain from their intention to continue embracing agility and to break free from the fixed leasing arrangement mentality. These agile options range from co-working spaces to temporary office locations and business lounge membership for employees. Building a new business model Over the next decade the workforce is set to radically change becoming location agnostic. A growing number of flexible types of workers such as freelancers, contractors and parttime workers will make the demand for large fixed office locations rare and will instead drive the need for small, flexible office leasing arrangements, business lounges, co-working spaces and professional meeting rooms. Businesses need to be future-proofed for these changes so they are able to embrace agile work trends and manage growth efficiently. Dr Shamila Singh is a lecturer in HR Management at Mancosa. This article draws significantly on the research done by Regus, one of the top co-working providers. More information about Regus in South Africa is available on www.regus. co.za


HR VOICE MARCH 2018

COMPETENCIES Expected from Knowledge Workers in the New Economy

Deseré Kokt Associate Professor: Human Resource Management Department of Business Management Central University of Technology, Free State Bloemfontein, South Africa E-mail: [email protected] Introduction It is an undisputed fact that we have moved into the so called ‘new economy’ where the mass production associated with the industrial age has made way for the knowledge and information age. The new economy has changed the ways in which organisations operate as well as the way in which individuals interact on a social and technological level. These changes are driven by the massive advancement of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs), as well as the unprecedented growth in the Internet. The Internet enables interaction that was unfathomable 20 years ago and changed the whole notion of work and the way in which organisations operate. The Internet has also opened up new and exciting business opportunities for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs (such as web designers, business coaches, re-selling agents, online store, etc.). Organisations cannot escape this ‘technological revolution’ brought about by the new economy. Castells (2010) refers to this

as a ‘new information paradigm’ and notes that it contributed to the creation of a post-modern society. The notion of work in the post-modern society displays the following characteristics: Growth that emanates from knowledge creation, a pertinent shift in economic activity from the production of goods to the provision of services and the need for employees to have advanced information processing skills (Castells, 2010). Having advanced information processing skills is especially pertinent in an environment that requires knowledge work, creativity and problem solving. Many of these skills are prominent in intellectual, managerial and engineering occupations that are projected to outgrow all other professions to create a new social structure. This is already evident in numerous technological developments such as artificial intelligence and nanotechnology that is re-shaping modern existence. With this in mind, it is imperative for those that want to enter the labour market to have a good under-


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standing of the types of competencies they require in order to work in the new economy. Knowledge workers and the new economy Working in the new economy or the new world of work poses some significant changes compared to how things were done in previous generations. The most prominent of these are the digitalization and virtualization of the workplace, as well as a tendency for decentralization, delegation and the implementation of work teams. These developments imply a workforce that is able, committed and flexible in adapting to the new challenges organisations face. This is in contrast to performing work in the industrial age where workers were not expected to make inputs or contribute to the organisation. They were also generally dispensable and inadequately compensated. The situation started to change when Fredrick Taylor presented ‘scientific management’ in the beginning of the 20th century. Scientific management implied methods of analysing and synthesing workflow leading to greater efficiency in organisations. Taylorism, as the approach was also referred to, did not focus on the well-being of employees and whether they were motivated or satisfied in their work environment. As the post-industrial economy began to emerge in the 1960s the term ‘knowledge worker’ was coined (Goncharuk, 2011). Peter Drucker, who is considered to be the founder of modern management, described knowledge workers as professionals that need to engage in problem solving and creative thinking. The capital knowledge workers possess is their knowledge and generally includes vocations such as engineers, physicians, architects, scientists, lawyers and so forth. Knowledge thus drives modern organisations and there is a significant global shift to white-collar, highly-skilled employees. What competencies are expected from knowledge workers? A competency involves a broader set of capabilities and/or proficiencies that can lead to success in a particular job or profession. It comprises of a combination of observable and measurable knowledge, skills, attributes and abilities that are likely to contribute to employee performance. The four components of a competency can be explained as follows: Knowledge implies an understanding of facts, truths and principles an individual gained through formal training and experience. Skills imply a developed proficiency (mentally or physically) that can be acquired through specialized training. Attributes imply the characteristics and qualities individuals possess. Individual attributes are a combination of genetics and experience gained. This component is often neglected by employers as it is the most subjective. The fact however remains that specific personality traits have been linked to individual performance. Ability implies the aptitude to perform the mental and/or phys-

ical activities that are expected from individuals that want to work in a particular profession. With this in mind the following competencies are pertinent for working in the new economy:

Knowledge:

1. In terms of knowledge technological literacy is a main requirement as well as being able to interact and use the various forms of ICT. 2. Individuals need to have technical and specialized knowledge of their chosen profession, e.g. a potential engineer needs to have the basic knowledge of engineering. 3. Individuals need to have broad knowledge related to the industry they work or intend to work in. They should have a basic understanding of the operational requirements associated with working in a particular industry. 4. Knowledge workers should possess a basic understanding of business management. 5. Knowledge workers need to have rudimentary knowledge about human resources issues such as human behaviour, leadership and motivation.

Skills:

1.

As there is an increasing demand for team work in organisations, it is imperative that individuals have good interpersonal and communication skills and be able to work as part of a team. This also implies cultural intelligence due to the fact that most workplaces have individuals from different cultural and religious groups. 2. Individuals need to have negotiation skills in order to enable them to position themselves in an organisation. 3. Knowledge workers need to have the skills to work on multiple projects. This relates to the so-called gig economy, where individuals are contracted to projects and they move on once a project is completed. It is estimated that by 2020 40% of Americans will be independent contractors. This allows lots of flexibility as workers can choose the types of projects they want to be involved in. 4. Knowledge workers also need to have the skills to interact with customers and co-workers alike.

Attributes:

1. As the new economy places an emphasis on team work, decentralized authority and decision-making more em-


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phasis is placed on individual attributes. Attributes like flexibility, adaptability and the openness to learn on a daily basis have become an indispensable part of knowledge work. 2. Emotional Intelligence is a key ability as this enables individuals to make appropriate decisions regarding their careers and personal lives. Emotional Intelligence requires self-knowledge and the ability to organize oneself. It necessitates an understanding of the behaviour of others and the ability to show empathy. It also implies that individuals need well-developed social skills and the ability to fit into the social structures of society, including organisations. 3. Self-efficacy is also a necessary component of individual performance as it relates the belief a person has regarding their own capabilities to perform specific tasks. 4. As life presents numerous challenges and set-backs individuals need to be resilient in order to be able to recover and move on after experiencing set-backs.

Ability:

1. Individuals need to have good understanding of their own abilities as this will affect the types of career decisions they are likely to make. This links to Emotional Intelligence, discussed above, in the sense that emotionally intelligent individuals are more likely to make more informed decisions. 2. Individuals with higher levels of intellectual ability are more likely to process information more quickly and solve problems more accurately. They are also more likely to avoid logical errors and false interpretations. This is not to say more intelligent individuals are infallible and not prone to inaccurate judgements. 3. Physical abilities refer to the capacity to perform tasks that require stamina, dexterity, strength and the like. Although the changing nature of work places more emphasis on intellectual abilities physical abilities remain important and valuable in many professions. Summary As the world of work continues to evolve it is imperative for employees to recognize the importance of continuously developing their competencies. This paper provided a brief reflection on the emergence of the new economy and the competencies required from knowledge workers. References Goncharuk, A.G. 2011. Knowledge workers, competencies, virtuality and management. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 12: 67-77. Castells, M. 2010. The rise of the network society, (2nd Ed). Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell

It’s difficult to find an organisation today that would openly reject innovation. This buzzword has become the mantra of every company seeking to provide the latest and greatest solutions to its industry’s problems. But if a company hopes to produce a steady flow of new and creative ideas, it must first realize that innovation is more complex than forging ahead with the first decent suggestion that comes along.

How different would your life be if someone didn’t tell you about

SABPP?

“Innovation requires continual evolution,” said Scott Jewett, CEO and founder of research and development solutions provider Element-Y. “An innovative company can have an advantage in the marketplace, but it must also balance the investment and cost with the potential outcome. The problem is that most companies focus on building an innovative infrastructure rather than on teaching their team a structured way of thinking that delivers great results.” An innovative workplace requires a leader who can provide the right combination of people, processes and focus. Leadership experts offered their tips for finding and harnessing innovation in any company or industry. [How to Cultivate Innovation in Real Time] Hire the right people All leaders strive to bring the best talent into their organisations, but hiring employees for their innovative abilities can be a particularly challenging task. The key is to recognize personality traits in candidates that correlate with innovation, said Rod Pyle, author of “Innovation the NASA Way” (McGraw-Hill, 2014). “Finding individuals who embody the characteristics needed for true innovation — imagination, inspiration, knowledge, boldness, persistence and, occasionally, a contrarian mindset — has become essential,” Pyle told Business News Daily. “Innovation is rarely easy, and these traits provide the tenacity to excel.” Seeking diverse candidates who are aligned with a common mission is also extremely important in fostering an innovative environment. “An organization’s mission, clearly defined and articulated, supports the inspiration that precedes innovation and invention,” Pyle said. “As NASA and other organizations have learned, diversity in hiring provides different viewpoints that, when combined with other cultural backgrounds, can provide a rich basis for this innovative thinking.” Have a structured thought process for innovation A common misconception is that structure is the enemy of creative thinking. Jewett disagreed, noting that only through a structured thought process can you measure tangible results. He outlined concrete to the innovative process: DeSABPPfour A VOICE FORsteps THE HR PROFESSION fine the essence of the problem; embrace constraints; generREFER HR PROFESSIONALS ate, quick-test and select ideas; and execute.

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“You must do steps 1 and 2 before you start having idea fun [email protected]


HR VOICE MARCH 2018

EMAIL ETIQUETTE:

A guideline for professional office and virtual workers - Marius Meyer Over the last three decades email has become the main channel of business communication at most organisations. However, most employees have not been trained on the professional use of email communication, resulting in the ineffective use of email in the workplace. Hence the need for email etiquette as a clear guideline on how to use email and how not to use it. The following guidelines are useful as practical tips for effective email communication. Rule 1: If you can communicate the message in other ways, don’t use email: Don’t send an email if you can phone a person, send an SMS or simply go to the office and tell the person what you want to say. There is absolutely no reason for a person in an open plan office to send emails to the person sitting next to you. Use your common sense and simply go and talk to the person. Remember phones and even smart phones were invented as phones first, and their main and original purpose is to make phone calls. There is nothing more frustrating for email users to have more than half of their inboxes full of irrelevant emails or spam. Rule 2: Respect boundaries: Never send emails to people you know who are simply too busy to read more emails. Think about this – every email you send adds to the workload of the next person. Even if the person only reads the message and does not respond, you have added some time to his or her work day. Never send emails to your CEO, unless if s/he asks you to do so. Most CEOs already have a 14-17 hour work day, and you are extending this long work day of this person if you waste his or her time with more emails. Also bear in mind that

CEOs already have thousands of emails in their inboxes, your matter is simply not a priority for an overworked senior or top manager. Rather send your message to the PA of the CEO. An average CEO has between five and ten meetings a day. When the CEO returns to his laptop after seven meetings, his box is full with another 200+ emails. Do you really think the person will pay attention to your one email out of 200+, and how happy will she be with you? He or she will be tired and upset and will not even have the time to respond to your issue. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you simply get ignored. Rule 3: Have a clear subject line: Keep your subject line short, clear and focused on the topic so that it adequately describes the issue. This will also help when old emails need to be retrieved. Rule 4: Don’t copy dozens of people: Only copy the one, or two or more people who really need to be informed about the issue. The whole world does not need to be informed about every little issue affecting you. In addition, rather use blind copy for multiple email addresses so that the privacy of the party is protected and that email addresses are not distributed in the open market. Use bulk email in a professional way to communicate essential information only. Rule 5: Be professional: Use professional generally accepted business language and avoid slang or abbreviations. Double-check your email for accuracy, spelling, language and professionalism before you press send. Your email message represents your personal and company brand and protecting


HR VOICE MARCH 2018

your reputation is of utmost importance. Therefore, if you use a work email address, don’t communicate with friends and family members via your work email. Offensive, rude, derogatory and abusive language should never the used in email (or other) communication. Rule 6: Provide the right amount of information: Balance being detailed and being to the point. Communicate what you have to say in a clear, comprehensive, yet succinct way. Keep messages as short as possible, but don’t leave out key information that will prompt the receiver to ask many questions. The clearer your message, the less chance that you will have continuous up and down communication. Email communication is not supposed to regress into an ongoing question and answer session taking too much of the senders’ and receivers’ time. Rule 7: Don’t reply to all: Never reply to all, unless if instructed to do so in an emergency situation by a senior manager or very important project leader requiring a reply. It is not necessary to say “thank you” or “noted” for every single message you receive. Rule 8: Don’t use ALL CAPS: In Internet language ALL CAPS messages mean that the person is shouting at you. Similarly, avoid any exclamation marks (!). This is also seen as shouting. Rule 9: Avoid humour and sarcasm: When communicating with people who are not close personal friends, don’t use humour or sarcasm that could be interpreted differently by different people. Remember that an email receiver can not see your face, smile or body language and may therefore not realise that you are joking. Rule 10: Don’t respond on the same day if you are upset: If you are upset about an email message, do not respond the same day. Think it through and you will notice that your response will be more professional and balanced the next day. Also, don’t use email for dealing with conflict or sensitive situations, rather arrange face-to-face, skype or teleconferences for dealing with sensitive or conflict matters. Rule 11: Keep emails formal: Emails constitute a formal record of your communication. Sometimes you simply communicate your feelings or well-intended information to other people. Always remember that if things go wrong in future, this message may be kept against you, especially if you consider that it is a formal record of communication about a sensitive issue at hand. Furthermore, consider the reputational damage if your message is forwarded to other people who may use it against you in future. Rule 12: Don’t forward emails to other people: The general rule is to only forward emails if it is absolutely essential for another party to receive the message as essential information to take action. And of course, don’t get involved in chain letters or any form of spam.

Rule 13: Create a personal account for personal stuff: Never use a formal organisational email platform for personal emails. Create a separate gmail or other private email account for personal emails and tell your friends and family members to use your private address and not your business address. Rule 14: Self-manage your email time: Schedule specific times during the day to answer emails so that you can manage it in a focused way. If you create the impression that you are “always on” ready to answer emails at any time, people will expect you to answer immediately. Prioritising urgent, important, and less important responses is a skill you need to develop to self-manage your email communication. Rule 15: Design a professional signature box: A professional signature box specifying all your contact details, including phone numbers is not only a sign of professionalism, but also adds to your personal and/or company brand. A job title makes it clear who you are and provides a clue about the type of communication that may be relevant or irrelevant to you. This facilitates effective communication and helps to channel the right message to the right person who may be in a better position to answer. Tony Snapshak says in Financial Mail that you should be aware that an image designed on a laptop will be too wide for a smart phone screen and the text will be too small to read. Rule 16: Respect diversity: Like other forms of communication, also realise that your emails reach people from diverse backgrounds. Respect this diversity and do not assume that other people think or behave like you. Thus, like in any other office or professional environment, avoiding extensive political, religious and other cultural discussions should be handled with sensitivity and respect. These type of discussions can really go wrong via email when body language and faceto-face interactions can not be observed and responded to. Rule 17: Limit the size of your message: Limit the size and number of attachments. Many companies impose limitations in terms of size and this means that messages may not even reach the intended receiver. It is possible to copy text directly into the body of the email. Tony Snapshak warns strongly against large image files of several megabytes because they shred data bundles. Rather use Dropbox or Wetransfer or other similar platforms for large files. Rule 18: Keep it short and simple: Most people do not want to read a 20+ line email message. Keep it short, simple and focused highlighting essential information, but the over-use of italics, colour and bold text is inappropriate and unprofessional. Rule 19: Be aware of cyber criminals: South Africa is one of the top five countries in the world attracting cyber criminals. Do not click on any requests for updating your ID or bank details, if you are not 100% sure that the source is authentic. The


HR VOICE MARCH 2018

general rule is to assume that these messages are fake and intended to commit cyber crime.

narios, these professionals may even lose their professional registration and their jobs if dismissed by their employers.

Rule 20: Apply the law, policies and codes: While it is indeed essential to conform to general principles of netetiquette as outlined above, bear in mind that there are several pieces of legislation governing the appropriate use of electronic communication, such as the Electronic Communications Act, as well as the Protection of Personal Information Act. Personal and data security underpins these laws and compliance is therefore important. Moreover, many companies have email and other electronic communication, social media and IT governance policies and guidelines. Make sure that you understand these policies and comply with it. In addition, the inappropriate and unprofessional use of email communication may violate the professional code of conduct of professionals such as IT professionals, engineers, accountants, psychologists and HR professionals who are expected to always behave professionally, including when using email platforms. In fact, professionals are reminded that any unprofessional communication on email or social media goes viral in seconds and could therefore pose significant personal and reputational risk to professionals and their employers. In worse case sce-

The above “rules” are not intended to regulate email communication, but rather to serve as conventions or guidelines to ensure the effective use of email as a tool for business communication. Applying these guidelines will promote a more professional way of using and leveraging the use of email. Email is a great tool for employee empowerment and it makes all of us virtual workers in an increased flexible work environment. Let us use it professionally for the benefit of all our stakeholders, while limiting risks, frustrations and unprofessional use. Marius Meyer is CEO of the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP). This article was inspired by Tony Snapshak of Stuff Magazine and expands on some of his views published in Financial Mail on 7 February 2018. SABPP would like to encourage HR Professionals to also read Financial Mail available at retailers every Friday. The inputs and review by Tony Parry, CEO of the IT Professionals Association and Jaco du Plessis, CEO of BCore are also acknowledged.


Call for Committee Members!!!!!!! SABPP is looking for Professional Registration Committee Members. The Committee meets quarterly for two hours to finalise the applications. Anyone who is registered at an HR Professional or above is welcome to join the committee. Given the large increase in professional registrations throughout the country and the use of the online registration system, it is now possible for committee members to do their work from any province while using the online system and the conference facilities for meetings.

Renewals!!!!!! SABPP would like to thank all members who have paid 2018 renewal fee. A call to all members who have not paid for 2018 membership fees. Please pay your outstanding fees to keep your membership and Commissioner of Oaths and SAQA status active and avoid penalties in the process. Contact [email protected] or log on to your profile for more information.

Commissioners of Oaths Birthday Celebrations!!!!!! SABPP is celebrating three years since its HR Professionals were granted the status of Ex-officio Commissioners of Oaths. In Government Gazette R10370 dated 23 February 2015, it was approved that HR Associates (HRA), HR Professionals (HRP), Chartered HR Professionals (CHRP) and Master HR Professionals (MHRP) of the SABPP are now ex officio (by virtue of the designation they hold) Commissioners of Oaths in terms of section 6 of the Justices of Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act, 1963 (Act No. 16 of 1963). In terms of this ex officio status, SABPP membership must be maintained in order to retain the Commissioner of Oath status and to legally fulfil the function as a Commissioner of Oaths. The Act states that the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, designate, amend or withdraw the holder of any office as a Commissioner of Oaths for any area specified in such notice, in order for such person to become an ex officio Commissioner of Oaths. A guide with the details is available from the SABPP office. Enquiries can be directed to [email protected]

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

ETHICS WORKSHOPS RUNNING FOR TWO YEARS - Penny Abbott

SABPP’s ground-breaking workshops in HR Ethics have been running now for about two years. Some pilot workshops were run in 2014, and we launched the public workshops in 2015. The workshops are structured as a series of three morning workshops (4 hours): • • •

Foundations – dealing with personal and professional ethics of HR practitioners; Organisational Ethics – dealing with how HR practitioners should lead ethics within their organisations; Courageous Leadership – dealing with the difficult areas of taking a stand in the face of pressures to behave unlawfully or unethically.

It is important that members attend the workshops in the sequence above, as the material is structured accordingly.

Although the regular monthly workshops are run in Gauteng, provision is being made for members outside Gauteng. So far, we have only offered the Foundations workshop, but from the second half of 2018, the second workshop on Organisational Ethics will also be offered. The SABPP’s CPD policy, launched in June 2015, requires newly registered SABPP members to attend the Foundations workshop within their first year of registration. Other members are required to complete at least 4 hours of ethics development every year, which could be attendance at one of these workshops or other ethics development, including, for example, a workshop on general business ethics, reading the SABPP publication Ethical Competency in HR Management, attending an SABPP Ethics conference or other such development activity.

ETHICS· PAGE 31

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

Many members have availed themselves of the opportunity to attend the Foundations workshop, and the large majority have given extremely positive feedback. From the public workshops (we have also run a few in-house workshops for HR teams), the average overall rating on a five point scale, where 5 is high and 1 is low, has been 4.7. Comments have included:

Course well presented/knowledgeable/helpful Communicated in an easy to understand manner and made sense The workshop was very effective and continuous engagement kept the workshop interesting and informative The discussions kept the workshop lively I learned a lot and I will put that into practice Good course Everything was explained clearly, relevant examples were made Fully enjoyed the debates and delivery I have learned a lot from the workshop It met my expectations. Very interesting The workshop was so helpful to me as an HR professional to know and live by organisational values Excellent, please keep it up! This will help to market OUR profession and our organisation I am excited about this drive as the standard of the profession needs to be upheld SABPP is doing a great job, I personally feel like this is a wake-up call to the HR practitioner The workshop was interesting and raised the relevant issues affecting HR currently in organisations. The facilitator was clear, interesting and effective in delivery of training Highly recommended that all members go through this training/workshop It will be helpful to do workshops for students so that it’s clear what is expected of them when joing the HR field

We will continue to update the workshop materials regularly to take in new developments in the field. For example, the publication of the King IV Report on Corporate Governance has meant we needed to update some of the material. We look forward to seeing our members at these workshops. It is a great opportunity to meet and interact with SABPP staff and other members in lively and constructive debates about HR ethics.

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HR VOICE MARCH 2018

STUDENT CHAPTER

VUT My Varsity Experience at Vaal University of Technology 2018 “Starting the first year at university can be a daunting experience and a big adjustment for new students. Registration at the Vaal University of Technology can be a nightmare, especially if you do not know your way around the institution. I had to do everything myself. I am doing my final year and registrations were a piece of cake, simply because I knew who to go to this time. I sometimes feel so sorry for the first years, whenever they arrive, because they arrive with different academic and social skills, from different backgrounds and cultures, which can be hard to adjust at times, for example by living away from home for the first time. As for myself I work hard and spend a lot of my time at campus between classes and practices, but I never let that get in the way of having fun and making new friends. Like most students, I think we all hate workload, especially on the first day of school or the year, but we get used to it later on. “There is so many things to learn and many new people to meet - I love being able to challenge myself...” Mudau Phumudzu, Vaal HR Student, Chairperson of Student Chapter Good day to our readers. SABPP student chapter featured students in this month’s HR Voice magazine. The need for this article is to embrace Human Resource Management among other fields of study on campus.

This is my sixth year as a student here at Vaal University of Technology. The first two years of study I enrolled in what I thought was my dream, however I didn’t make it. I saw an article on one of the best-selling newspapers in South Africa showing the career choices that are relevant to today’s economy and HR was on the list. I enrolled HR after two years. I didn’t know of HR in my high school days nor heard about it. I thank the article I saw because it was a wakeup call for me on what to do. During the course of study, it came in to my senses that I need to love what I’m studying and to embrace it. Yet today am a proud B-Tech student continuing with what I have started, and the aim is to finish strong. The professional body on campus makes us HR students shine among others because we know where we belong, through the seminar the feeling of being a student who knows that the path to the future is wide and good. Being a member of student chapter in campus it is my responsibility to embrace HR to other students and let them know the value of it. Ramovha Lucia, HR student VUT is at the tip of everyone’s lips when it comes to studying HR. The first years HR students of 2018 seem to be very enthusiastic and inquisitive. This makes the environment of learning good as classes have just recently commenced. The SABPP is setting HR standards and the SABPP VUT student chapter is there to help the students with keeping up to date with the current trends in HR. Current ongoing registration provide unique opportunities for networking, bonding over common interests amongst students. I found it quite interesting compared to previous years.

STUDENT CHAPTER· PAGE 33

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

Therefore as my experience it would be of great interest if we introduce ourselves as the student chapter to our new students as early as possible and SABPP in general and try to get them to join. As SABPP is the professional body for HR practitioners in South Africa it serves as a gateway to forums, panel discussions, and symposia that further a student’s professional development. The purpose of presenting SABPP to our fellow HR students is to provide them with opportunities to develop relationships with other students, and professionals in the HR department. Bopane Mahase, Secretary of the student chapter VUT. North West University: Mafikeng Before I begin, I would like to express my gratitude to our Industrial Psychology and Human Resource department for the support and commitment towards the chapter. In the year 2018 we are hoping for the same. The year 2017 was exciting

for the North-West University. The SA Board for People Practices launched the first ever student chapter on their Mafikeng campus. Students were very excited because the presence of such student body meant a lot to them as this would allow students many open opportunities in the human resource profession. At the launch, the COO Mr. Mawande together with the students, elected a new committee to lead the chapter at this campus. The year 2018 began on a high note. As the committee, we are excited to rectify the mistakes of the previous year and have decided to align our year plan with our University’s motto which goes as “it all begins here”. We saw it fit that in whatever event we plan, we must always remember the people we represent and to share our opportunities with them too. In the year 2018, we are hoping for a better academic year and a better environment to lead our constituency, as we believe that leadership is about consultation. Anwani Thusa, NWU SABPP student chapter chairperson.

STUDENT CHAPTER· PAGE 34

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

EVENTS

6 Mar

20 Mar

Free State Breakfast Session When: Tuesday, March 6, 2018 8:00 AM Where: The University of Free State 205 Nelson Mandela Dr, Park West Bloemfontein, The Free State South Africa

Strategic Workforce Planning: Gauteng When: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 8:30 AM Where: SABPP Office 223 Jan Smuts Avenue Rosebank, JHB, Gauteng South Africa Contact: Ceanne Schultz [email protected] 0110455400

EVENTS· PAGE 35

HR VOICE MARCH 2018

22 Mar

22 Mar

Strategic Workforce Planning: Western Cape When: Thursday, March 22, 2018 8:30 AM Where: Bellville Park Campus University of Stellenbosch - Room 2059 Carl Cronje Drive, Bellville Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa Contact: Ceanne Schultz [email protected] 0110455400

The National Leadership Standard: Breakfast Session- Western Cape When: Thursday, March 22, 2018 8:30 AM Where: University of Stellenbosch Business School, Main Building - Auditorium Carl Cronje Dr, Bellville Cape Town, Gauteng South Africa Contact: Ceanne Schultz [email protected] 0110455400

27 Mar

The National Leadership Standard: Breakfast Session- Western Cape When: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 9:00 AM Where: Chapman High School Bell Road Gelvandale Port Elizabeth, The Eastern Cape South Africa Contact: Ceanne Schultz [email protected] 0110455400

EVENTS· PAGE 36

2018 ACSG Conference Adapting to Disruption: Assessment Centres in the Future

You are invited to join us for the annual ACSG conference at The Hilton Sandton, South Africa. This year’s event includes AC Academy training workshops (Monday, 12 and Tuesday, 13 March 2018), pre-conference workshops (Wednesday, 14 March 2018) and the conference on Thursday, 15 and Friday, 16 March 2018. Seats are limited - Register Now! Ute-Christine Klehe will be the keynote speaker at this year’s conference. She chairs the team of Work and Organisational Psychology at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. Ute-Christine’s keynote address on 15 March 2018 is titled: Candidates’ self-presentation when responding to personality inventories, interviews and Assessment Centres. Ute-Christine will also conduct two pre-conference workshops on Wednesday, 14 March 2018 – titled: Developing structured selection interviews and Conditional reasoning tests as alternatives to self-report questionnaires on assessing undesirable personality traits. The opening address will be given by Cathy Sims who is the executive director of the South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA). Cathy’s opening address is titled: Key trends and assessment practices in assessing future graduate talent. SAGEA represents more than 330 talent managers across 200+ organisations. Her previous experience includes HR management at Accenture and Head of Employer Relations / Deputy Director of Careers at the University of Cape Town. Marius Meyer is CEO of the SA Board for People Practices (SABPP), the HR professional and quality assurance body of South Africa. He has lectured at the Unisa and University of Johannesburg and is currently involved in the HR master’s programme at North-West University (Vaal Campus). Marius has 24 years experience as an HR professional, manager and academic in the field of HR Management. His areas of expertise are leadership, people development, HR standards, governance and organisation development. He is author of 400+ articles and 24 books. Under his leadership, SABPP developed the first national HR Standards in the world, as well as the first leadership standard in 2017. He also provided leadership in ensuring that HR professionals are approved as Ex-officio Commissioners of Oath by the Minister of Justice. Marius has a master’s degree in HR Management, and is a member of SABPP and the Institute of Directors. Visit www.acsg.co.za or contact Judith Williamson on [email protected] or +27 83 304 6068 for more information

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Committee: Anne Buckett (Treasurer); Patricia Chaba; Jaco de Jager (Chairman); Petrus Nel; Sandra Schlebusch and Judith Williamson (Company Secretary)

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