Compliance & Policies

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) acts as a temporary safety net for employees who are retrenched or unable to work due to illness or maternity leave. You have a moral and legal obligation to register with this fund and contribute on behalf of your employees. It's not as complicated or costly as you might think. The attached guide will help you navigate the steps you need to follow in order to register and pay the UIF.

Imagine a situation where an employer does not have a job vacancy, but agrees to accommodate a person as a favour. The person is employed with the clear understanding that if things do not work out, the contract may be terminated without the employee having recourse to the remedies afforded by the Labour Relations Act. Can this be done? This article explores this question by looking at a CCMA case involving the owner of a small business.

Sales of businesses are a regular feature of the modern economy. Mergers and acquisitions occur all too often as businesses position themselves for a better share of the market. In all these commercial transactions, the interests of the employees should not be forgotten. This article answers the question: What are the current employees' rights when a business has been sold as a going concern?

This article sets out the procedures and legal obligations for an employer to insitute a workplace First Aid policy.

Although social media is a growing source of business and marketing for companies, challenges arise when employees post remarks about their employers or customers or colleagues on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Not only can it result in disciplinary action, but for many it has ended in dismissal for social media misconduct. Here are four common employee misconducts on social media that may be hurting your business.

This article looks at how to deal with social media in the workplace by answering some frequently asked questions. These questions include: Why do I, as an employer, need a social media policy for my business? My employer has blocked my access to Facebook on my work computer, and banned use of any social media during working hours. Is this not an infringement on my freedom of speech and right to privacy? I have a co-worker sending racist and sexist comments to me on e-mail. I have reported the incidents to my employer but no action has been taken. What can I do? Find out the answers here.

South African employees are so heavily protected by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, by Labour Legislation, by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), as well as trade unions, that they are often not afraid to defy the employer’s instructions. For the employer the resulting insubordination is a nightmare. This is especially so where the employer or line management is ill-equipped to deal with the insubordinate employee and fails to understand what insubordination is and how it differs from disrespect. Find out these differences here.

If you have the unpleasant task of firing an employee, you need to know what is considered fair and unfair according to Labour Law. Even if you have due cause for the dismissal, not following the correct procedures can see you paying a very costly visit to the CCMA. This article looks at the differences between fair and unfair dismissal, according to the Labour Relations Act.

Labour.co.za is a partnership of independent, highly qualified and experienced South African Labour professionals offering South African solutions to the South African Private and Public Sectors. In particular, Labour.co.za provides solutions in the following areas: labour law support and advice, human resource management, training and seminars on labour relations, employment contracts, retrenchments, Department of Labour issues, and trade unions negotiations.

Employment equity (EE) has become a common feature of employment practices in So

With the potential effect the mismanagement of HIV/AIDS can have on businesses both big and small, it's important that you have the correct policies in place on how you will deal with HIV/AIDS in your company. This is not only a moral issue, but Labour Law legislates that all companies have a working HIV/AIDS policy. So where do you begin? Statistics show that SMEs are the hardest hit by HIV, with 10-40% of employees being HIV-positive. With that in mind, if you do not have an HIV/AIDS policy, it's time that you face the reality of the situation and find proactive ways of dealing with it, for your employees' sake and to protect the livelihood of your business.