HR 101 – What to do When . . . You’re not sure about Leave – Part 1.

 HR 101 – What to do When . . . You’re not sure about Leave – Part 1.

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

Annual Leave and the various requirements is something that we hear about time after time.

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act – Section 20, deals with some of the conditions that apply to annual leave.

The Act says:

(1) An employer must grant an employee: -

(a) at least three calendar weeks (15 days) annual leave on full pay in respect of each 12 months of employment (the ‘annual leave cycle’)

(b) by agreement, at least one day of annual leave on full pay for every 17 days on which the employee worked or was entitled to be paid, or

(c) by agreement, at least one hour of annual leave on full pay for every 17 hours on which the employee worked or was entitled to be paid.

(2) An employer must grant an employee an additional day of paid leave if a public holiday falls on a day during an employee’s annual leave on which the employee would otherwise have worked.

(3) An employer may reduce an employee’s entitlement to annual leave by the number of days occasional leave on full pay granted to the employee at the employee’s request in that annual leave cycle.

(4) An employer must grant at least three calendar weeks annual leave on full pay in respect of each 12 months of employment (the annual leave cycle) not later than six months after the end of the annual leave cycle or the year in which the leave was earned.

(5) Annual leave must be taken: -

(a) in accordance with an agreement between the employer and the employee; or

(b) if there is no agreement in terms of paragraph (a), at a time determined by the employer in accordance with this clause.

(6) An employer may not require or permit an employee to take leave during: -

(a) any other period of leave to which the employee is entitled in terms of this part of the Sectoral determination; or

(b) any period of notice of termination of employment.

(7) An employer may not require or permit an employee to work for the employer during any period of annual leave.

(8) An employer may not pay an employee instead of granting paid leave in terms of this clause except on termination of employment.

(9) An employer must pay an employee leave pay at least equivalent to the remuneration that the employee would have received for working for a period equal to the period of annual leave, calculated on the basis of the employee’s rate of remuneration immediately before the period of leave.

(10) An employer must pay an employee leave pay: -

(a) before the beginning of the period of leave; or

(b) by agreement, on the employee’s normal payday.

Jot down any issues that you are unsure about and we’ll have a look at what this all means next time. 

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Blogging 101 – Growing Your Visitor List

 Blogging 101 – Growing Your Visitor List

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

I started writing blogs purely for my own enjoyment.  It was a way for me to engage with the creative part of who I am.

As I became more confident though, and as more and more people joined the list of people “following” me – I quickly realized how blogging could be turned, not only into a marketing exercise but also a source of revenue generation.

Clearly, I needed and wanted to grow the list of people following me and in order to do this, logic tells me that I have to, not only entice new visitors but also convert visitors into dedicated readers.

This is obviously a ‘two-pronged approach’.  To entice ‘new’ visitors I would need to write about something that they were interested in and in order to do that, I expanded the topics that I write about.  I also started driving readers to my website by using Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn,  and it worked.  The number of visits to my website increased and the average amount of time spent on the website also increased.

Enticing visitors to become dedicated readers is also not that difficult.  If you are giving people ‘more’ of what they want, logic tells you that they will be back for more.  So giving people what they want rather than what I think they need is very important (incidentally this is how this particular series on blogging started, someone asked for it).

Tag onto the end of that - I asked people to let me know what topics they wanted information on or by using the day to day life experiences with problems and issues that I encounter, I research and write about these individual requirements and share what I have learned.  You would be surprised at the number of similar experiences people in the world of SME’s, Startups and Entrepreneurs, share and strangely enough we always tend to think that we are the only ones going through this.

The length of time that people spend on my website reading my blogs evidence that people are in fact reading what I write and it evidences that the visitors are becoming dedicated readers.

So my message today is this – find out what your readers would like to read about and do something completely different . . .  give people exactly what they want!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 5

 Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 5

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Legislation, the King Requirements, and Best Practice.

This time we look specifically at the issues around the Governance of Information Technology.

If we are to look at the PoPI Act (Protection of Personal Information) here in South Africa, we will notice just how important it is to ensure that our IT governance and issues around compliance are measured, monitored, and met.

Let’s have a look at some of the questions that Directors should be asking.

1. Who is accountable for the IT decisions that are taken and do you understand how they are taken?  What generally happens is that the infamous “somebody” needs a very important “something” and without any discussion to see where and how the “something” would fit into what you’ve already got, the decision is made and the “Something” is purchased.  It soon becomes evident, however, that the “something: that you’ve purchased, usually at great cost, is not compatible with anything that you already have.

2. In view of the above example it is clearly a very good idea to have an IT governance framework in place.  This should define and support all of the decision models and ensure that there is proper and clear accountability.  All of the processes around the issue of governance should also be documented and signed off in accordance with the company Authority Matrix.

3. Is there a budget for IT investment and do you understand how and where that investment is to be utilized? As with any other purchase in the company, budgets need to be set for all IT requirements.  Again, these budgets should be signed off and approved in compliance with the company Authority Matrix.

4. Are you in compliance with the PoPI Act in terms of your client information? It is of the utmost importance to have a documented PoPIA Policy, which all your employees MUST be trained on and be familiar with. Don’t forget that your own IP (Intellectual Property) also needs to be protected too. 

5. Aside from PoPIA, are all the other rules, standards, codes & compliance regulations adhered to as well. It is a good idea to have staff, including senior and middle management to sign off that they have been trained on and understand the requirements.

6. Is your IT value measured and if so how?

7. Are the current IT risks and concerns regularly communicated to the Board? This item should, in fact, be on the Board Meeting agenda for every meeting.  Especially at this time when corporations and even middle to small businesses are being targeted by cyber-crime.

8. Is there regular feedback on progress on all major IT projects or current challenges? Again, this should be an item on the agenda at Board Meetings. 

Feedback and communication are key if the board members are to fully understand and therefore make decisions around the IT requirements and challenges that the company may be facing.

Again, as you can see there are a huge number of issues that need to be managed, measured, and resolved and it is of the utmost importance that the compliance and the best practice methodology around your IT requirements are taken seriously and implemented.

Next time we will have a look at some of the Compliance requirements around Laws, rules, codes, and standards

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Business Tips – Measuring Ourselves

 Business Tips – Measuring Ourselves

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Incredible as it may seem – we all use about 10% of our mental processing patterns in the conscious part of our brains.  That, of course, means that around 90% is stored in our subconscious or unconscious minds, and these are responsible for activating our day to day habits.

This means, that if we are not constantly measuring and adjusting, only some of the things that we are doing will actually end up being productive or effective and a lot of the things that we do automatically will just be completely ineffective and quite frankly, just a waste of time and energy.

So it stands to reason that feedback is essential that if we are completely aware of what we are doing that we are able to measure it too.

So – how do you measure?

Well, the first thing that you need to do is put a plan into place.  Then you need to track your results and take score.

Once your plan is in place, and you have set up what your time frame is, you have to ensure that you are very clear about what actions are required and that your attitude is correct (in case you meet any challenges along the way).

Now you have to ask yourself the following questions from time to time.  These are (but not limited to):

a) Am I on track to achieving my goals and desires?

b) Is what I am doing taking me in the right direction in terms of me getting closer to my goals

c) What variables have come into the situation and does that mean I have to change and/or adjust what I am doing in order for me to continue going in the correct direction?

d) If an adjustment must be made, what is it and what do I have to put into place to ensure that I meet the requirements to ensure that I continue on the correct path?

e) Will these changes still bring about the results that I require and in the time frame that I have set – if not, what do I have to do to adjust it to meet the time frame requirements?

Understand though, that if you do not take the time to ask and answer these questions, you will fall right back into your old habits as these are governed and controlled by your sub or unconscious mind.

So – make the decision and make the choice to become a participant in your own life.  

Remember always to measure and adjust.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Inspiration – It’s A Matter of Choice

 Inspiration – It’s A Matter of Choice

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Jeremy Kitson says “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.  It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

Oh my, that certainly has brought a huge smile to my face!  You see I am of the opinion that not only do most of us do not achieve all that we can, but we do this because of the choices that we make (or don’t make for that matter).

Since working with my mentor and friend Vanessa and meeting Donna McCallum the Fairy Godmother (http://fairygodmotherinc.com), I have become a huge deal more aware of the choices that I make.  In fact, often as I make the choice I realize that it’s the wrong one and then I have to run around un-doing what I have just done. Note to self – stop, think, and then make the choice!

It is imperative though, that once the choice has been made that it is followed by an action, without the action there may very well be a result, but it’s probably not the result you were hoping for.

So often we work really hard at what we are doing and we seem to be going backward or round in circles, so we work harder still.  Sweat pouring down our faces, we put our shoulders to the grindstone and we push ourselves even harder until we fall down in this little heap of exhaustion.  That was our choice.

The choice, however, was based on an antique belief system that has been passed down from generation to generation and that is (but not limited to) that we have to work hard to be successful.  Notice the ‘hard’ part.  Think about residual income – that is money working ‘hard’ for you – not you working hard, but rather you working smart.  Now that’s the kind of work that I love to do. 

Of course, it doesn’t just happen though.  You have to make it happen, by the choices that you make.  By the way that you set it up.  By following the natural flow that your life takes instead of trying to swim upstream like a salmon!  The action still has to take place in order for the result to be the one that you want though.

I guess, what I am trying to say is that we need to decide what we want to achieve and then we need to look around and see how best to achieve that result and when I say ‘how best’ I mean the most simple, the easiest, the most gratifying and the most fun – don’t forget the fun!  Then, of course, we need to take the action, even if that means inaction – like sitting still whilst we ascertain in which direction ‘the flow’ is going or resting to ensure that we are fit and healthy to take on the challenge.

Yip, it’s all in the choices and like most things in life, the more you practice the better you get at it.  So go on, make the choice!  Make as many choices as you want, and then just for the hell of it, make some more.  The more choices you make towards achieving your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations, the more opportunities will arrive in your life to encourage you to make  . . .  still more choices.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 4

 HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 4

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practices.

Here we have Mike the owner of the Business with a problem on his hands as George the ‘Horse and Carriage’ driver has refused to do any convoy work, on the grounds that it was not in his job description.

The matter has gone to the Arbitrator at the CMMA and we are about to find out how the story ends.

The bottom line is that Mike had instituted a clear procedure on what was to happen in the event that there was a dispute.  George and the Union had failed to adhere to this procedure.  There was also a clear history, where previous drivers had done ‘convoy’ work and the Arbitrator could not find any evidence to show that the instruction was unreasonable in any way.

The Arbitrator also found that Mike was entitled to instruct the ‘Horse & Carriage’ drivers to work in the new vehicles (or convoys as they are known), when they were unable to perform their normal duties or when there was insufficient work for their ‘Horse & Carriage’ duties, and that the ‘Horse & Carriage’ drivers were not entitled to refuse to carry out such an instruction on the grounds that it was not in their job descriptions. 

Although in this particular instance, Mike won his case, it would be advisable to ensure that you have proper job descriptions in place.  Since it was the ‘clause’ that won the day, it would also be a good idea to include the clause “should a grievance be felt with regard to any instruction issued, the representation may be made to supervision or higher authority by means of the grievance procedure, but in the first instance the instruction shall be obeyed.”  Obviously then, you would also need to have a ‘Grievance   Procedure’ in place too.

It must also be evident that Job Descriptions are not written in blood or cast in stone, as situations change all the time – so it would also be a good idea to have something like “the functions and responsibilities listed in the job description may be changed at any time, depending upon the operational requirements of the employer, and within the parameters of the post held by the employee.”

As usual, though, all procedures, policies and controls and the changes that are made to them, must be made readily available to the staff.

The lesson to be learned from this case though is that you must have policies and procedures in place.

Next time we will start on a new case study.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Blogging 101 – Always Proof Read

 Blogging 101 – Always Proof Read

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Just because you are writing a blog, or posting on Twitter, or even on some of the social sites such as FaceBook, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t view or treat your writing with any less respect than if you were say, writing an article for a newspaper column or for a magazine.

I am sure that I would be absolutely on the money if I were to assume that articles of this nature would be checked, several times to ensure that the spelling was correct or, that the links actually worked, or that the language that you used was grammatically correct.

I know and understand that common sense is in really short supply these days (if not altogether a rare commodity) but logic should tell you that, at the very least, the article or post should be read over again, at least once.

For me, often the thoughts and ideas come at me in bits and pieces and usually over a period of time.  Additionally ideas ‘pop-up’ while I am busy writing and rather than lose the momentum, I jot them down either on the page (if I am writing by hand) or on the screen page (if I am writing directly onto the computer).  This, of course, means that the piece will not flow. The sentences will not be in the right order and arguments, discussions, or even points to ponder, will seem stilted, all over the place, and not always make any kind of sense (except to me of course).

Obviously, I have to go back and put everything where it should be or change things around so that the story unfolds correctly.

There are times too when perhaps an explanation needs to be expanded to make the point clearer or additional material needs to be added to make the piece complete.

Often it is only by the fourth or fifth reading that I am satisfied with the ‘unfolding’ of the story and then, although I usually correct spelling mistakes as I go along, I read it again to check for any more spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.

After this comes what I call the ‘audience test’.  Here’s the thing – reading something quietly in your mind is not the same as reading it out loud, to a captive audience, where you pause at the required moment to add emphasis to what you are saying and put all the correct inflections on the words as you say them.

Forget for a moment that my ‘captive audience’ is usually my cats, who may or may not be fast asleep on the couch in my office – there are usually a few more changes to be made at this point.  Changes made, the cat gets to hear it all over again and once the words roll off my tongue, without pause to correct or add something else, and the meaning is clear, then and only then, is the piece complete and ready for posting.

Think about it for a moment – you want people to take the time to read and understand what it is that you have written – not so?  Then it stands to reason that you should take the time and trouble to make that reading experience an enjoyable one.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 4

 Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 4

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Legislation, the King Requirements, and Best Practice.

Today we are looking specifically at the issues around the Governance of Risk

Now before we start getting into the detail and the specifics of this, the reality is that every business has risk!  Actually, let me take that one step further – every aspect of the business has its’ own risk! It makes no difference what type of business you are in or what industry you are in, every single aspect of the business will have an element of risk attached to it.

Part of the Directors’ leadership and responsibility role should be in the prevention and management of these risks and to be effective they would of, course, need to ensure that the activities around risk remain within the realities of the challenges of the company’s business.

Some of the questions that the directors should be asking are (but not limited to):-

1. Do we understand what the risk is?  Let’s face it, you can’t prevent or manage something that you don’t know about and the fact is that very few Directors are even aware of what the risks are, let alone how to either prevent them or manage them.  So clearly the research has to be done because ultimately whether or not they are aware of the risks, they will be held accountable for the consequences of those risks.

2. Then, of course, there are risks and there are RISKS!  Some are minor irritations, some have major consequences and the majority are usually somewhere in the middle between the two.  Understanding the risk means that you should understand the consequence and understanding the consequence means that you will be better able to set a ‘reasonable’ level of tolerance that can be applied to each risk.

3. Following on from the previous question - are the biggest risk exposures to the organization being managed and more importantly how do you know if they are being adequately managed?  Are there measurements in place to determine this? As always, remember that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it!”

4. How often are risk assessments performed and how often do directors participate in any way in these assessments? Remember business trends and markets are constantly changing and evolving and the risks need to be assessed regularly to ensure that they are being properly managed.

5. Are the same risk-related issues repeated, raised, and discussed in the various management, governance, committee, and sub-committee meetings?  If so what steps are being taken to bring resolution to closure into the picture? It’s not just about ‘discussions’, although those are very important too, you have to find a solution and that takes action!

6. What about the ICT (Information, Communication, and Technology) risk – is that also considered in the risk management process? Please think, in particular about, the new PoPI Act and that particular quagmire that we all have to navigate.  It’s a major threat and the requirements of the Act have to be implemented sooner rather than later!

7. Is compliance risk covered and properly managed? There is the generic compliance that is applicable to all businesses and then there is the risk that is determined by the industry that you are in.

8. Are the risks prioritized and inserted into an action plan with realistic achievement dates? This is of the utmost importance if you are going to meet implementation deadlines.

9. Are all the risks that are “outside” of the Board’s tolerance levels focused on in order for solutions and interventions to be implemented and properly managed and effectively measured? Again, this is something that should be on the agenda.

10. Is the planned and documented risk management plan in place and is this regularly updated and who manages this? In big corporations there is usually a ‘risk’ officer as well as an Internal Audit, so the function is pretty much ‘ring-fenced’.  Medium to Small businesses would have to add this function onto someone’s portfolio and in SMMEs this usually falls onto the shoulders of the CEO.  Make sure that discussion on the risk management plan is documented and make sure that it is an item on the agenda irrespective of whether you are a huge corporation or a small start-up!

11. Is there a fraud risk plan in place to assess fraud prevention and exposure and who manages this? See point 10 above as the same requirements apply.

12. Does your disclosure accurately reflect the actual position of your company? Make sure that you are ethically transparent here.

As you can see these are very deep and detailed questions that require a fair amount of research and work, not only from the Directors themselves but also from both internal and external resources.

Ensuring that you understand what it is that is required will go a long way to making sure that as a Director you contribute positively to a healthy, profitable, and sustainable company.

Next time we will look specifically at the issues around the governance of Information Technology.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Business Tips – Disclosure Documents

 Business Tips – Disclosure Documents

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to the Franchise Association of Southern Africa and Best Practice requirements.

Last week we looked at the ‘how to’ of researching, for the purpose of purchasing, a Franchise, and one of the suggested requirements was getting a disclosure document and ensuring that this is updated on an annual basis.

Starting at the beginning – what is a disclosure document?  As its name suggests it is a document that discloses certain information about the company – in this case, the company that you are wanting to purchase a franchise from.  The Code of Ethics and Business Practices of the Franchise Association of Southern Africa (FASA) lays down the minimum amount of information that a Disclosure document should provide.  This is (but not limited to):

• Full and traceable information about the franchisor company, including contact details and details of all professional affiliations.  This information can be checked on the internet, with the FASA, with their auditors (whose information should also be included with the finances).  In fact, if you want to, go and visit them at their head offices and ask for a copy of their published financials – most medium to large companies will have this information at reception.

• Details of the qualifications and business experience of the franchisor and their officers in the type of business being offered as a franchise.  Don’t forget to have a look at their BBBEE requirements and collaborations – the last thing that you need is that their BBBEE alliances are purely ‘window dressing’ as this could have serious implications down the road.

• Details of any criminal or civil action against the franchisor or his officers, either taken during the past three years or pending.  Be sure to look at the things that matter.  If the CEO has several traffic fines and/or offenses pending that’s one thing and in my opinion not really of a serious nature.  That said however if he has any hint of white/blue collar crime or anything to do with fraud or money laundering – that’s serious stuff.

• Full details of the franchise offer and the underlying business. This should include things like the royalties, cost of the actual business, cost of the fixtures & fittings (if they are in a retail or food chain type environment), cost of stock, etc.

• Full details of the obligations of the franchisor vis-à-vis the franchisee.  This should encompass all the expectations that the franchisor has in terms of what has to be met.  Things like the franchisee needs to be VAT registered (even if they do not meet the minimum VAT requirements at this time).  Minimum turnovers, keeping the branding uniform, procedures with placing and receiving orders, and so on.

• Full details of the obligations of the franchisee vis-a-vis the franchisor. This should include things like policies and procedures, product training, supplying of stock, head office support, and back up, and so on.

• An explanation of the most important clauses of the franchise agreement, including restrictions placed on the franchisee.  This would include issues that were ‘out of the norm’ in terms of a franchise agreement and the restrictions would include things like stock only being purchased from the franchisor and so on.

• Financial projections for at least two years and an explanation of the basis on which these projections were calculated.  Remember though, that if this is a new Franchise the financial projections would be based on expectations of the marketplace as opposed to what the marketplace has delivered previously.  It would also be quite a good idea to get these actual figures of what some of the other franchisees are actually achieving currently.  That will give you a more realistic idea of what is happening.

• Full details of all payments, initial and ongoing, the franchisee will be expected to make, and what they can expect to receive in return for these payments.  This should include all the start-up costs as well as ‘start-up costs’ for new products or new line items or new products.

• A list of existing franchisees and their contact details.  Don’t be afraid to contact some of these people to hear what they have to say about the franchisor and the manner in which their business is run.

• An auditor’s certificate certifying that the franchisor’s business is a going concern and able to meet its obligations as they fall due.  Be sure to ensure that the auditor is registered to the SA Institute of Accountants (or a similar body), their registration or membership number should appear on their paperwork.

• A statement by the franchisor to the effect that to their best knowledge and belief, the financial situation of the franchise company has not deteriorated since the day the auditor’s certificate was purchased.  This statement should be signed by one of the directors of the company – certainly by someone who is an authorized signatory of the company.

These points are the minimum of what should be in the disclosure document.  That said, there is nothing to stop you from requesting additional information, in writing, if you feel the need to.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Inspiration - It’s You!

 Inspiration -  It’s You!

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

The quote today comes from Jeffrey Gitomer, who says “It ain’t the rain, the snow, the boss, the competition, the spouse, the money, the car, the job, or the kids – It’s YOU! And it always has been.”

Now to me that makes perfectly logical sense, but having said that, I often hear people complaining about whatever using the above excuses!  Come on now, be honest – I am sure that you have too.

It’s all about taking responsibility and being accountable for your own actions (and thoughts too) and how many of us actually do that?

I was chatting to my friend Rachel Van Doorene of Woman Inc the other day and we were discussing morals and so on and she asked the question “how do you teach children what is right and what is wrong and responsibility?”

Well, that for me is an easy one – you see, I believe that we as individuals know somewhere deep inside of us, even as children whether what we are doing is right or wrong.  How we act on that knowledge is, of course, a whole different discussion and one that we can perhaps have another time.  

Think about it for a moment – when we are late for an appointment and speeding down the road, we know for sure, that what we are doing is wrong and that should we be caught, that there is a consequence.  Yet how many times, when we have been caught and issued with the consequence, being a ticket – we say “Bloody traffic cops, have they got nothing better to do than to trap. . . . !”  Well actually daarrlliinngg – it’s our own fault and we have no-one else to blame, but ourselves!  Yet the last person that we seem to blame is ourselves!  Bit of a cop-out don’t you think!

I grew up on a huge farm in the then Rhodesia, my parents died when I was quite young, but I remember many of the lessons that my father taught me.

One of them was responsibility.  We hunted ‘for the pot’ and fished ‘for the pot’.  Animals were killed quickly and humanely and their carcasses were treated with dignity and respect.  Let me explain.  When I was about six years old, it was deemed that I was now old enough to go on the hunt with my father – a rare treat I might add.  At that point, I was already used to handling guns and was quite a good shot.  I could also drive the ‘willies’ jeep (blocks were attached to the pedals and I sat on a wooden box on the seat) and the tractor (again wooden blocks) pulling a long trailer on which the tobacco and maize were transported to the barns.  Anyway, I digress.

Off we went at dusk, and I very excitedly followed my fathers lead – I was very clearly warned that whatever I killed, I would have to carry back to the jeep, I would be responsible for skinning, gutting, and cleaning the animal and I would be responsible for cutting it up.  You see, if I took the life of an animal, it was then my responsibility to care for the remains of that animal.  I took this warning very seriously and managed to ‘bag’ a duiker.

I clearly remember my father, placing the animal across my shoulders, as I had to carry it back to the jeep. As we trudged back carrying the various animals that had been ‘bagged’, the trail that the hooves of the duiker make in the earth, remains with me to this day.  

I remember the pride that I felt as when we got home, and I cleanly opened the stomach of the carcass, my father lifting out the still-warm liver and rubbing it over my face as I was ‘bloodied’ after my first kill.  We celebrated that night (as we did after every hunt) and gave thanks for the food that would grace our table and the animals whose lives we had taken in order for us to have that food to eat.

Yes, I did get to cut the carcass up, under the guidance of my father.  We cut the portions and put them into the deep freeze and whenever we ate a portion, a great fuss was made about how it was my first kill, and how I had carried it myself and skinned and gutted it myself and how I had cut up the portions myself, and even how I had taken responsibility for the life that I had taken.

Taking responsibility is not always a pleasure – as it was in this case.  Sometimes taking responsibility can be a very hard thing to swallow – like going to jail, or losing a loved one, but it is nevertheless the right thing to do, the honorable thing to do.

So the next time it is on the tip of your tongue to blame someone else for your action or inaction or thought – remember, it was your choice to start off with.  

The blame, the responsibility, the accountability rests with you.  

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 3

 HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 3

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd - March 2008.

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

The question on the table is whether Mike was ‘reasonable’ in requesting George to drive ‘in convoy” as opposed to George driving his usual ‘Horse and Carriage’.

The CCMA Arbitrator said that in order to answer the question, which was “whether an employer may instruct an employee to perform tasks allegedly falling outside of his job description”, the answer would depend on:

a. what the terms and/or conditions of George’s contract are;

b. what the nature of the task that George was asked to perform is;

c. the circumstances in which the instruction was given, and

d. what Mike’s operational requirements are.

SATAWU, being the union that George belongs to, said that they had relied on the document (being the job description) which listed the duties and tasks of a “Horse and Carriage” driver.  Acting as a ‘convoy driver’ was not listed on the job description, therefore in their opinion, George did not have to perform this task.

Mike stated that the Job Descriptions, with their list of duties, etc, were actually complied during an excise where he was trying to grade a list of duties and the salaries that were most appropriate for those duties.  So each Job description that was compiled was mostly used as a gauge and to determine appropriate wage rates rather than to constitute an extensive and comprehensive Job Description. 

To prove the point, SATAWU requested that Mike produce the minutes of the relevant meeting, where the task team or committee, who were setting the job grades, met.  Apart from that, the union did not call any witnesses or even disagree with the statement made by Mike.

The arbitrator agreed with Mike’s statement regarding the Job Descriptions, stating that the document (Job Description) did not have ‘contractual force’.

When all the documents were submitted, evidencing that the Job Descriptions were being used to rate wages, the arbitrator discovered that the “Horse & Carriage” drivers had, in the past been requested to perform ‘convoy’ related work and that they had in fact done so.

The Arbitrator found that “employees do not have a vested right to preserve their working obligations completely unchanged” from the moment that they are appointed.  You see as Businesses grow and expand, so to do the requirements that the Business needs for their employees to meet their obligations to their clients.

Mike had also presented his “Employee Handbook” which he had issued to all of his employees, George included. 

The Arbitrator referred to this handbook, that stated: “employees shall obey the legitimate instruction of the supervision of any employee in authority over them”.

The union argued that George had a right to lodge a grievance over what he perceived as a duty that was not his.

Again the Arbitrator referred to the handbook, which further stated that “should a grievance be felt with regard to the instruction, representation may be made to supervision or higher authority, but in the first instance the instruction shall be obeyed.”

Clearly, Mike had all his ducks in a row and clearly, neither George nor his union had followed laid down procedures.

Next week we will see how the story ends.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 – Networking with Passion

 Networking 101 – Networking with Passion

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

I have been asked several times, over the last two years or so a question that has caused me great pain in my personal capacity.

The question is: “How do you find your passion?”

For those of you who know me, you know that my passion is possibly one of my greatest strengths.  I have been doing what I do best for in excess of 40 years now, and I have no idea, and cannot even begin to think of what it would be like to do something else!  So living my passion as it were, is something that is natural to me, and whilst I can understand to some extent that many people do work or operate in a field that they are not passionate about, due to financial constraints, lack of education, or opportunity (or whatever other reason there may be), I still find it terribly difficult to understand how they could not know what their passion is.  My question in return is always “How do you go through life, without a passion”.  On some level, I understand that I am very fortunate to be able to do the work that I am passionate about, but then I guess I also believe that to some extent, you make your own “luck” and that you are drawn in some inextricable way to what you are best suited for.  For me that was a ‘no brainer’ for others it appears that it is something that they haven’t even thought about.

My answer to the question posed above, is usually “Well if you had to win the Lotto and money was no longer an issue, what would you do for a living?”  For me the answer is very easy as I would continue to do exactly what I do now – there is no question about it!  For some, the answer has been a ‘blank stare’ which leads me to believe that they don’t even dare to dream, let alone have any dreams.  Again this is very sad and difficult for me to understand.  What do you have in life, if you have no dream?  In my opinion – you merely exist!  For others, the answer is “Well, I would never have to work again, so I would do nothing”.  Again for me, this is a very confusing answer – I could never do ‘nothing’, and even going on holiday and leaving my laptop behind, poses quite a challenge for me.

So how do people find their passions – perhaps you all can assist me with this one?

You see, without your passion, you cannot brand yourself properly and until you are in the branding process, networking effectively just doesn’t happen!

Pause for a moment and ponder, how would I refer someone who had no ambition or branding or passion – in short someone who has no idea who they actually are and what they do – to someone who may need a service or a product?  What kind of work or service would that person give.

In referring someone (let’s call her Jane) to perform say a bookkeeping function to someone else (let’s call him Mike), what I am doing, in reality, is telling Mike that Jane is a good bookkeeper and that she is reliable and that she will take pride in her work and will work diligently on his books and will not steal from him.  I am giving Jane my credibility and endorsement.  I am adding value to the service I supply in my own personal capacity, to Mike.  Because I am passionate about what I do, I am diligent in what I do and my deliverables are of a high standard.  That is the only measure that Mike has, so he will automatically assume that because I have referred Jane, the standard of Jane’s work will be the same as mine.

Now the next question’ of course, would have to be – “Is the standard of Jane’s work as high as mine”.  The reality of this is that it would be highly unlikely that it is.  Why?  Well because Jane does not really enjoy what she is doing, she is not going to give it her full attention or focus, which means that the work will probably be half-hearted and mistakes would probably be frequent.

What does that do to my credibility?  Will Mike take a referral from me again or will he wonder if I am going to send him someone who is of no use to him as he has to double-check everything that she produces?  I doubt it!  Where is my ‘value add’ now – pretty much down the toilet!

So quite clearly, in my opinion, the first thing that you have to know before you even start to think about networking successfully, is what your PASSION is. 

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 3

Business Tips – Opportunity – Buying a Franchise

Business Tips – Opportunity – Buying a Franchise 

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to the South African Consumer Protection Bill, the Franchise Association of SA, and Best Practice requirements.

Well let me say this – there are franchises and then there are franchises!

As with most things in life, you need to be careful about what you purchase – do the research, check the numbers – better yet get an Accountant (not a bookkeeper mind you) to check that the numbers are correct, insist on a Tax Certificate, if need be, get a Business Broker involved to ensure that the business is all that it is made out to be.

That said, there is a newly promulgated Bill that has just gone through called “The Consumer Protection Bill” (CPB).  This Bill was put into place in order to “promote and advance the social and economic welfare of consumers in South Africa.”

So what does this actually mean?

Well, years ago when the whole Franchise thing started, many people got their fingers seriously burnt. The support that was promised never materialized. The Franchise business was never what it was made out to be, and many people went out of business and lost everything.  Make no mistake, there are still those Franchises that are still exactly like that!  With the new Bill, however, because all Franchise agreements will have to comply with the Bill, which will clearly give the Franchisee a lot more protection, and they will also have some sort of recourse to the Franchisor.

An added protection is if the Franchisor is registered with the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA).  As a member of FASA, the Franchisor would be obliged to meet the Franchising standards as set out by the Association.  FASA makes sure that everyone follows and is compliant in terms of the internationally accepted Franchise principals.

Quite frankly if for no other reason, I would ensure that the Franchise business that I was intending to purchase, is registered with FASA – that in itself would give me a lot more peace of mind.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

 

Inspiration – Keep Moving

 Inspiration – Keep Moving

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

William Golding in his “lessons In Life” piece says “Consider a man riding a bicycle.  Whoever he is, we can say three things about him.  We know he got on the bicycle and started to move.  We know that at some point he will stop and get off.  Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey, he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it.  That is a metaphor for the journey through the life of any living thing and I think of any society of living things.”

So what is it about the human race that we are all so incredibly unique and yet exactly the same?  I guess if I knew the answer to that I would know the secrets of the Universe.  What I do know though is that we all have to go through it all in the same way.  There are no short cuts.  We all start somewhere and we all end up somewhere else and in between those two points, we have to move forward and grow as individuals.  Sure there are times that we seem to go around in circles and sometimes we even travel backward for a time, but essentially we are moving all the time.

Some of us move faster than others, some seem to whizz by with little effort, some seem to drag themselves about, some are relatively baggage-free and some seem to be weighed down in the extreme, but what we do is move, searching, in every direction that we choose to take ourselves, for the meaning of life, for our life’s purpose, for whatever it is that we hunger for that always seems to be just out of reach.

The more we think we know, the less we actually know and the harder we look for it.  I am constantly reminded of my own limitations when I celebrate something that I have just learned only to discover that putting it into practice still needs to be accomplished.  Just when I think I have it sorted the ‘lack of’ my knowledge pushes me ever onwards and upwards.

Sometimes I despair at the constant ‘striving’ to get there – it often reminds me of a journey I once took from Port Elizabeth to Durban.  The road curved left and right at almost impossible angles and it felt like it was climbing ever upwards and as I was getting to the crest of one hill and I thought that it would not get any higher, I would reach the top only to discover that there was yet another hill, a little higher than the one that I had just climbed, ahead of me.  Sure the view was nothing short of spectacular, but the terrain was hard, unyielding, and unforgiving.  I could not imagine how people lived there, yet everywhere typical little African huts dotted the countryside.  Children looked after herds of cattle and sheep and chickens and donkeys walked in the road.  I remember feeling as though I was literally at the top of the world, yet at some point, the road, still twisting and turning sloped ever downwards and with it the feeling of me returning to normalcy (whatever that may mean for me).

I also know that no matter if we are moving forward or round and round or backward or up or down, that we move by the choices that we make or even don’t make.  I know that we can control the speed with which we move and the direction that we move by the acceptance of the lessons that we learn.  By embracing what we learn and by trusting ourselves and believing in ourselves and ‘what is’ we come to the realization of our dreams.

I know that in order for us to be the master of our own destiny we have to keep moving.  I know that in order for us to attain and achieve our goals we have to keep moving.  I know that the minute we stop moving we will literally cease to exist.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 2

 HR 101 – What to do When . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description - Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice Requirements.

So now we know what a job description is, let’s have a look at the case study.  Before we do that, however, let me just say that often the question arises about whether job descriptions should be intentionally general to avoid the situation where an employee is obliged to carry out tasks or duties that are not specified in their job description. I have been advised that this has been looked at recently by the CCMA at an arbitration – let’s have a look.

Let’s have my favorite protagonists. Mike and George.

Mike owns a fleet of ‘horse and carriages’.  These are those huge big trucks that carry containers, sometimes they haul ‘double containers’.  We’ve all seen them and I am sure, often been stuck behind one going up a hill!  George is one of the drivers of the ‘horse’.  Mike’s business is both in the various ports in South Africa as well as in Johannesburg.  Mike’s vehicles transport the containers that are off-loaded in the ports and that must then be transported to where-ever the destination of the importer is, or alternatively from the exporter from whichever port the goods are leaving from. There are also times when goods must be transported from the manufacturer to the recipient’s depot.

This particular issue arose when there were no loads to be transported and George was requested to act as a convoy driver.

George refused on the grounds that he was a ‘horse and carriage’ driver and as such his duties were to the upliftment and transportation of containers and therefore he was restricted to this. His refusal was supported by the SATAWU union.

Mike stated that the instruction to act as a convoy driver, was fair and reasonable and within the requirements of the law and that therefore, George had no right to refuse to perform the task on the grounds that it was not specifically stated in his job description. 

The CCMA Arbitrator was asked to decide “whether, under all circumstances, it is reasonable to instruct a horse and carriage drivers to do convoy work, when there are no loads available.”

Next week we will have a look at what the Arbitrator came up with.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Why I Network

 Networking 101 - Why I Network

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Networking is a daily part of my life, in fact, I could not imagine how my life would be if I were not able to ‘network’! I am a ‘natural’ networker and it is at times excruciatingly difficult for me to understand that this is not the case with many people!  How they ‘manage’ is beyond me, which is probably why I keep threatening to write a book which I will entitle ‘The Reluctant Entrepreneur!’   Most people burst into nervous laughter when I make this statement, I suspect because they never know what next to expect from me, but to illustrate my meaning, I would like to relate the following true story:

During the latter half of 2005, I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop that included Nadia Bilchik as the main speaker.

For those of you who can remember that far back, Nadia used to be an M-Net Anchor Lady during the 1980s and 90s, here in South Africa.  My favorite memory of Nadia was her character in the “Crunchie” ad’s although she also appeared in several South African movies over the years.

The story goes (and this came from Nadia herself) that Nadia has always been a ‘people’s person’ who chatted easily with everyone with no thought of race, colour, social standing or, gender.  A real networker!  Nadia made friends where ever she went.  During this time one of the people that Nadia always touched base with was the Security chap at M-Net.  What possible reason would she have for doing that, you may wonder, but read on and find out!

In 1997, Nadia’s husband was to be relocated to Atlanta Georgia, in America and Nadia’s little world fell apart!  Her whole support group of family and friends, who she had built up over the years were here in sunny South Africa and now she would have to move to an unknown part of the world, where she knew no-one! Not only that but being a ‘big fish in a little pond’, Nadia would be moving somewhere, where she was not known at all!  Imagine if you will, her distress.  Where would she work and how would she get into the kind of work that she was used to?

Nadia told anyone who cared to listen to her dilemma, including the security guard.

The security guard (let’s call him George), unbeknown to Nadia, had been on some or other course, with security guards from all over the world.  Don’t ask what the course was …… I have no idea!  Anyway, I digress – George had, during the course of his course, met a security guard from . . . .  you’ve guessed it, Atlanta Georgia (let’s call this chap Mike) and not only was Mike from Atlanta Georgia, but he also worked at the CNN studios there!  The rest, as they say, is history!

What happened was, that George contacted his buddy Mike and told him all about Nadia back here in South Africa.  Mike promised to help.  George got Nadia to do a videotape of herself in glorious technicolour and when Nadia got to Atlanta, Mike handed said tape to the people who count at the Studios there.  Nadia landed herself a fat job and now has her own slot on CNN, all because Nadia was a friendly, natural Networker!

Powerful stuff wouldn’t you say – who would have thought!

Now because I have discovered that not everyone knows how to network, I have decided that I will be giving out some useful tips on the blog on Networking.

I recently had the privilege of meeting Helen Nicholson, the Guru of Networking.  Helen has written a book entitled “Networking: The Unwritten Rule of Business you need to know”.  Although I consider myself a ‘natural networker’, meeting Helen in person the other day for a chat and then reading her book, without pause, showed me that I too have a lot to learn!

I have my own signed copy of the book and strongly suggest that you get your own copy.  

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 2

  Leadership 101 - The Role and Responsibility of Directors – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Legislation, the King Requirements, and Best Practice.

When the New Companies Act came into being, the role and responsibilities of the Directors changed - dramatically. The problem, of course, is that still today, most Directors out there have no clue what it is that they are responsible for!

One of the things that Directors will be held responsible and accountable for is managing the risks in the Business? Here are some of the risks that will need to be assessed and then managed.

There are three distinct types of risks. These are:

- Hazard

- Opportunity

- Uncertainty

Let’s have a look at these in more detail.

Hazard risk.

This is usually the "threat" of negative things that could happen to a business and it is usually the most common risk that Directors understand and it usually the only one that is discussed around the boardroom table.

Opportunity Risk

This is usually about an opportunity that is lost due to decisions taking too long to be made, or when an opportunity is not recognized until it is too late. It is about the possibility of "positive" things not happening or taking place.

Uncertainty Risk

This is when the potential is not realized. For example when forecasts and budgets are not met in reality.

All of these should be used to identify the risks.

There are Five Key Functions that the Board needs to agree on when assessing risks.

- The Board needs to agree on three or four critical risks that the organization is facing. Solutions to the risk and solutions to managing the risk need to be identified and documented and then management needs to be monitored to ensure that the risks are in fact being managed.

- The Risk Management Policy must be approved by the Board and must also be monitored by the Board.

- In order to ensure that attention is always focused on the Risks, KPIs (key performance indicators) for the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) should be established.

- The issues around risk should be discussed at all strategy meetings and certainly at all the Board meetings, so it must be included on the agenda.

- A SWOR (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks) analysis should be conducted for strategic planning purposes.

Next time we will have a look at some of the specific risks that many organizations have.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Business Tips – Time is Money

 Business Tips – Time is Money

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

I know that I seem to be harping on about this, but it has become a serious issue in my life.  After making my decision the other day, I am pleased to announce that I managed to get to my x and y yesterday, but not my z.  However, I have billed ‘extra’ for the client crisis that could have been avoided had the client, firstly, listened to what I told them to do in the first place, and secondly. had the client reacted sooner to the problem instead of waiting until the last possible moment.  It felt really good to empower myself in this way.  Today, however, has been an altogether different story!

Today, despite being up and at it since 02.15 (I am an insomniac remember), it is now 13.23pm and I am only getting to write this article now – it is usually done by at least 08.00am!  What have I done for the day – well the z of yesterday was extremely urgent so that has been done, but the a, b, and c for today have not even been looked at.  I have done some admin, sent out several e-mails that had to go out, looked at the e-mails that have come in and prioritized them and dealt with what needed to be dealt with, made the calls that I was supposed to, and received a bunch more that I then had to deal with.  So once again I have been running around – clearly “intent” is not enough I now have to get down and tackle the nitty-gritty.

What I have realized though is that my time, and focus are constantly being interrupted by phone calls, people arriving without prior appointments, urgent e-mails and the like.  For many of these, I am not charging and the question now is – why not!

The first thing that I have to ascertain is – how much is my time actually worth and clearly this cannot be a ‘thumb suck’ type of question.

Now the ‘how to’ go about this needs a little more attention – firstly, from tomorrow I am going to write down every little thing that I do and the time that it takes me to do it (oh dear, this is going to be interesting).  Not only do I have to write this down, but it also needs to be allocated to one of four different headings which will show me exactly how much time I spend on doing client work, how much is spent on Networking and building relationships, how much is spent on administration and how much is spent as personal time (again this is going to be really interesting).  I am going to do this for a period of at least a month so that I have monitored every single aspect of the kind of work that I do.  Once this is established I will be able to work out exactly what my time is worth and can start charging appropriately.

In this way, I will be able to start charging people appropriately for the work that I do for them and I am also quite sure that it will enable me to get rid of the people who waste my time because of course they will also be charged.

In all probability I am going to get the shock of my life when I see just how much time I spend on others without charging them – like I said, this is going to be an interesting exercise!

Now, where did I put my notebook – actually there is no better time to start than the present because after all, my time is one of my most precious commodities, simply because it is so scarce.

Yip – an interesting time indeed!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

Inspiration – Motivation and Inspiration

 Inspiration – Motivation and Inspiration

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

This week's quote comes from S’thandiwe Kgoroge who says; “It’s good to be inspired by other people, but strive for excellence at your own pace.”

So many times, we try and keep up with the people who originally inspired us, or the people that we look up to.  Then when we are not able to do so, we sink to our knees in despair and beat ourselves up because we have failed!

Why?

Why do we feel the need to do things at the same speed or in the same time frame as everyone else?  Are we not unique individuals who should be walking through life to the beat of our own drums?

Surely it would be better for us (and probably less stressful for those we are trying to emulate) to set our own goals and arrive at our own destination in our own time, having now experienced the lessons along the way that we were intended to learn?

Don’t always be in such a hurry!  Take time to enjoy the journey!  Take time to understand the lessons and therefore to learn from them!  Take time to enjoy your life.  Take time to be ‘all that you can be’.

Take time to be you.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za 

HR 101 – What to do When . . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description – Part 1

 HR 101 – What to do When . . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description – Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations & Best Practice Requirements.

How many times has one of your staff members moaned about something that you have asked them to do, by saying “it’s not on my job description”?  I’m sure most of you can relate to this one, hell I’ve used it myself from time to time!

Let’s start at the very beginning – What is a Job Description?  Many of the VSE (Very Small Enterprises) that I have worked with and in since I started my business seem to think that it is the description of what the employee does.  Wrong, wrong, and wrong again!  It is the description of the task that is performed.  You see in some of the bigger Corporations for example, the Switchboard Operator is just that – a Switchboard Operator.  In this case, their duties would revolve only around what a Switchboard Operator does – answering of calls, determining who a call should be put through to, and perhaps even taking messages.  In a small concern though, where people are many things, one of the duties of a person may be that of a Switchboard Operator.  The Job Description remains the same, but the duties differ! 

Let me be a little clearer on this.  In a small concern, there may be one employee who does many jobs or functions.  They may be the Switchboard Operator, the Receptionist, the Admin Clerk, and the ‘walk-in’ Salesperson.  In this instance, they would have four job descriptions as opposed to one, because they would perform the duties pertaining to four different jobs.

So in the big Corporate instance – the duties listed on the Letter of Appointment, would be listed as something like “Switchboard Operator and all duties pertaining to this position as laid down in the Job Description . . .” whilst in the small concern – the duties listed on the Letter of Appointment, would be listed something like “Switchboard Operator, Receptionist, Administration Clerk, and Sales Person and all duties pertaining to these positions as laid down in their respective job descriptions . . .”

In the big Corporate’s you could have many people using one Job Description – for example you would only have one Job Description for a ‘Sales Person’, yet you have a sales force of several thousand employees.  In the VSE you may have many Job Descriptions, but only a few people to perform the tasks or duties that pertain to those Job Descriptions.

Next week we will have a look at what could happen if extra duties are given to staff and the consequences thereof.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

VAT 101 – Some of the Requirements – Part 2

 VAT 101  – Some of the Requirements – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd - October 2010

Please note that this pertains to South African VAT (Value Added Tax) and Best Practice requirements.

Last time we looked at a number of expenses that most people think they cannot claim on.  Here are some more.

If you hire a car for business purposes, then you are entitled to claim the VAT on the insurance that you are required to take out on the vehicle.  Be sure to get an invoice that lists the insurance, or itemizes it separately, this will make it much easier for record-keeping purposes.

Should one of your staff fall ill at work or get hurt in an accident whilst they are at work and the medical expenses are paid by the company, the VAT on these medical bills can also be claimed back.

Parking fees – now here is one of my favorites.  Do you know how much we spend on parking in the malls and in office park complexes – it’s frightening!  Parking fees, particularly fees that are paid, while working, that have VAT charged on them (in other words Tax Invoice should appear, somewhere on the receipt, and yes you have to have a receipt to claim the VAT back), can be claimed back.  Most malls have those ‘pay machines’ that actually give out receipts – be sure to request and submit those receipts.  Obviously, monies that are paid out to the ‘car guards’ cannot have the VAT claimed for, but you can, of course, claim them as a business expense as long as they are “reasonable” and it is always better to be able to substantiate them.  I use my diary as a guide when I paid the car guards.

When you send wreaths or flowers to staff or customers who have had a death or bereavement in their families, you can claim the VAT back.  

In terms of postage stamps and postage,  the VAT portion of this too can be claimed back provided of course that the postage is being used for business purposes.

Artwork, in the form of carpets or paintings and pictures or even plants, can have the VAT claimed for, provided of course that they were actually purchased for the office.  Here’s the thing though – they have to physically be in the office.  Understand that if they are not in the office and the VAT man comes to visit, you could be in the deep brown smelly stuff.

Remember, if you’re not sure whether you can claim the VAT back on anything give SARS a call and ask the question.  Always get the name of the person you spoke to and keep a record of what you asked and the response as well as the date and time of the query.

Next time we will look at a different topic.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za