Practical Guide to Human Resources Management 

Tips, tools and strategies to develop and manage your employees

Contracts, letters of reference, formal letters of caution, dismissal and penalties One wrong word could cost you a fortune  

Dear Reader

As an HR Manager or manager of staff, you know the pressure of doing your job grows with every passing day. Ever-changing labour legislation… motivating your staff… dealing with poor performance… implementing a legal disciplinary process… employee relations… the list goes on.

And in the back of your mind, you keep thinking “Am I doing this correctly?”, “Is this the best way to
handle this situation?” because you know ONE mistake – even if it’s unintentional – could potentially cost your company hundreds of thousands of rands in legal bills. That’s the kind of responsibility you face.

But, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Fleet Street Publications has developed the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management, which covers all the bases when it comes to managing your employees.

You’ll learn shortcuts to recruit better employees, how to put an end to absenteeism, conduct high-impact, low-stress performance reviews, and become the manager everyone wants to work for. But that’s not all the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management includes, turn to page 6 to see more about what’s covered.
Make your job easier by purchasing just one handbook

So, how can one handbook give you the practical skills you need to handle your HR problems?

This handbook isn’t like other HR books available, which give you pages of theory you can never implement. The Practical Guide to Human Resources Management contains a comprehensive collection of checklist, tips, tools, guidelines and step-by-step instructions to help you through every stage of daily, weekly and monthly HR procedures and make sure your business is 100% protected.

We’re so sure that the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management will exceed your expectations I’m offering you a 14-day free trial period if you order a copy today, so you can see just how user-friendly the handbook is. All you have to do is complete the order form.

Sincerely,

Sarah-Jane Bosch

Managing Editor
 

P.S. If you order your Practical Guide to Human Resources Management , we’ll also send you a free HR Organiser CD worth R199, which contains nine documents to help HR Managers who want to get organised – but can’t get started.
 

Hate performance reviews?

It's that time again… tension in the office… your stomach is in knots… it’s time for the dreaded performance appraisals. Like so many others you dread conducting performance reviews. It doesn't have to be that way!

Checklist: How to conduct an effective performance appraisal

Make sure you can answer "yes" to these questions:

❑ Are you evaluating performance only?

❑ Are you basing the appraisal on proven facts?

❑ Is the job description your sole yardstick?

❑ Have you redefined the standards and key areas of performance?

❑ Have you and your employee reached an agreement on the points discussed?

❑ Does the employee have a clear idea of her plan of action?

❑ Does she know what her reward will be for her good performance?

Motivation and Working Environment

Employees owe more than just punctuality and hard work

The best managers are not those who dismiss as many employees as possible with a ‘golden handshake’, but those who achieve excellent performance within their team – and in doing so, ensure growth and shape the future of the company.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with problematic employees?

How much time, patience, energy, money and talk have you wasted on under-performing employees? And all without the slightest bit of success?

One thing is certain: your team also includes highly motivated, hard working and successful employees who you should be investing the same energy in, as they will achieve great results.

But ask yourself: couldn't everything be run even better?

If Mrs.........wouldn't always shut her computer off a quarter of an hour before quitting time?
If Mr............. wouldn't always answer the phone only after letting it ring five times or more?
If Mrs........... would refrain from selling cosmetics during working hours?

Have you asked yourself the following questions?

• How can I legally dismiss an employee without losing at the the CCMA?
• How can I reward top performers without incurring high costs?
• How can I educate my employees faster and at a lower cost?
• How can I motivate my employees to think in terms of innovation and enterprise?
• How do I train employees to achieve – in only one week – the desired level of performance, which others would only reach after eight weeks?
• How can I achieve consensus in difficult matters by negotiating with confidence?

Successful conflict management

It’s important not to give up when your first attempt at sorting out problems with an employee is not successful. A second attempt is worth your while, because dismissing an employee, only to have to recruit and train a new one, costs you valuable time and money.

Follow this funnel-shaped design for successful conflict management:

How to achieve the desired outcome in 6 steps

1. Encourage communication with your employee. Emphasise his previous good performance.
    
2. Clarify the facts with him to establish whether he really is responsible for the mistake.
    
3. Listen to his excuse or response.
    
4. Point out to him the consequences of his inappropriate behaviour.
    
5. Assess the facts and if necessary, issue a warning. State precisely what you expect from him in the future.
    
6. Find a positive conclusion by expressing your hope for future trouble-free co-operation between yourselves.

Sample Pages of the Handbook

What to expect when you receive your Practical Guide to Human Resources Management

• The footer shows when the text was published.
   
• The alpha-numeric identification makes the filing a cinch. You will also be referred to this identification in the index.
   
• The Practical Guide to Human Resources Management is organised alphabetically like a dictionary, so you can easily and quickly find the information you need.
   
• Read the most important points at a glance, using the margin notes.
   
• Icons in the margin identify tips, case law, examples and step-by-step tools.
   
• The examples explain how you can immediately apply the suitable solution to your business.

Employee Dismissals

When, why and the reasons you're allowed to dismiss

Before you act

Check if there are regulations in the employment contract, in a union agreement or company agreement, that might deviate from the legal requirements.

Formal regulations

You're required to give notice in writing.

Tip: Let a written notice be given by two messengers: one to hand it over, and one to act as a witness.

Avoid sending a notice by registered mail, or even registered with recorded delivery; if the employee is not at home and discards the notification, he can claim he didn’t receive it.

Periods of notice and deadlines

When the employee has been working with you for a long time, extended periods of notice will be applicable. Look at the table below for the notice periods you must give, depending on length of service. When the first day of the notice period is a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, you must ensure delivery before this day.

Protection against wrongful dismissal

Only if the worker is a genuine independent contractor does the law on protection not apply.You may only give notice to employees who are not on leave (maternity, sick, holiday) or who are not about to go on leave.

Notice for operational reasons

You must first check, in consultation with the employees, if you could secure employment by cutting overtime, transfers, retraining or short-time work. If that’s not possible, you will have to select possible retrenchees based on agreed or fair and objective criteria, i.e. you need to consider, for example, retaining employees with many years of service or those who have the skills necessary for jobs in the organisation.

Remember: Through careful retrenchment planning and expert negotiation you may be able to avoid losing your most valued employees due to job cuts.

Notice for reasons of illness or disability

You may only consider giving notice because of frequent, short illnesses if there’s a negative medical prediction for the future.
You must meticulously record all working hours lost through absenteeism. In the case of an extended illness, it’s always assumed the employee requires a high degree of protection.
Only concrete facts and figures can prove that the illness of the employee caused excessive damage to the company.

Notice for reasons of improper conduct

Before you give notice for reasons of improper conduct you must – as a rule – have warned the employee previously, perhaps more than once. Exception: Extreme offences like violence, betrayal of company secrets, acceptance of bribes, etc. may not require prior warnings depending on the circumstances.

Frequently occurring breaches of duty include reporting late for work, violation of non-smoking or no-alcohol regulations, sexual harassment, political agitation in the factory, etc.
Discuss the incident with the employee without delay and issue a letter of warning (where merited) no later than two days after the incident.

Tip: If there were several cases relating to different types of offences, issue a separate letter of warning for each.

Notice of Dismissal

Legal periods of notice

Important: Periods of notice during a probationary period do not differ from the above.

The Practical Guide to Human
Resources Management will ensure you’re armed with all the tools, strategies and guidelines to excel at:
• Recruitment
• Job evaluation
• Compensation management
• Employee assistance
• Strategic advice
• Career planning
• Performance management
• Training
• Industrial relations
• And more…

 

What You’ll Find in Your Handbook

With the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management you will learn:

Human Resources Challenges
Tips, tools, checklists and strategies to overcome all these workplace challenges

Performance management

• Implement 17 non-financial performance incentives
• Conduct high-impact, low stress performance reviews
• Increase the performance of your staff with motivation and great leadership
• Dismiss non-performers legally
• Sample of a performance contract

Management and leadership development

• How to deal with misconduct and poor performance
• Minimise conflict in your company. Strategies to deal with each type of conflict
• Everyday motivational tips and tools for you to use
• How to build high-performance teams
• Become the manager everyone wants to work for

Employee assistance

• Using counselling, coaching and problem-solving to improve performance
• 4 ways to stop absenteeism in its tracks

Remuneration and compensation

• 3 ways to make sure you’re paying competitive salaries
• Your different incentives and performance rewards

Training

• Conduct a training needs analysis that improves staff performance
• Tips and tools for everyday training
• Plan a skills audit and implement skills development in your company
• How to claim back 70% of your skills development levy

Labour relations

• How to implement a legal disciplinary process that increases performance and not litigation
• Don't get taken to the cleaners for unfair dismissal
• Ensure you comply with employment equity
• All the things you can and can’t do with regard to employee privacy

Recruitment

• Your step-by-step guide to successful interviews – every time
• Develop a watertight recruitment and selection policy
• 26 elements you must include in your employment contracts
• The dos and don'ts when advertising a position
• How to draft a LRA-compliant letter to successful and unsuccessful candidates
• Personnel and employment records: avoid errors that lead to legal liability
• Key information every personnel file should contain

Strategic HR role

• How to conduct an HR audit to make sure your policies reflect changes in employment law
• Develop a HR strategy to increase productivity and profitability by 35%
• Develop a workforce plan to ensure your company has the right people, with the right skills, in the right job at the right time

Career planning

• Counsel and coach your employees to grow their careers
• Develop succession plans and retain your key staff
• 9 strategies to keep your key performers
   

Recruitment/Performance Management/Conflict

Save thousands of rands by implementing a recruitment policy

Recruitment and selection policy checklist

Include the following points in your recruitment policy:

❑ An explanation of the need to adhere to the policy, that being fairness and adherence to the law

❑ The list of areas of discrimination

❑ The list of the four criteria for job suitability (i.e. qualifications, experience, prior learning and potential to acquire the necessary skills)

❑ An explanation of what you must and must not include in job advertisements

❑ Interviewers must not ask discriminatory and irrelevant questions at job interviews

❑ The requirement to choose successful applicants on objective merit but with affirmative action targets in mind

❑ The prohibition of irrelevant credit checks

❑ The requirement for thorough and relevant reference checks

Minimise conflict in your department and boost productivity

By Kent McNamara, JKM Consulting Services

Your handy action guide to overcome five types of conflict

Panel of Experts

Liezel Blignaut (M Comm Personnel Management) – Director, Human Capital Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Liezel worked in various well-known organisations and HR consultant and management positions for 10 years before starting her own Consultancy in 2002. She is registered as a Master HR Practitioner with the SABPP (who is the custodian for HR standards and professionalism in SA). Liezel has also participated
in a number of publications and conferences in her career.

Janine Nieuwoudt – HR Specialist

Janine has worked in HR and strategic management in various industry segments. She is a registered psychometrist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Dr Kent McNamara (MA PhD (Wits)) – Industrial Anthropologist

Dr McNamara has been an independent consultant since 1987 working in change management, team building, organisation culture, employee communications, diversity awareness, employment equity and corporate organisation redesign.

Desrae Connold – HR Specialist

Desrae has worked as a generalist in the HR field for over 28 years and is registered as a HR Practitioner with the SABPP. She has been the managing member of Connold & Associates cc for over 14 years.

Elsabé Manning – HR Consultant

Elsabé Manning is a Consultant, Executive Coach, Public Speaker and author. Elsabé studied HR Management at RAU (now University of JHB). She has 13 years experience in training and development and she specialises in organisational and team development.

Janine dos Santos – (BA Hons Ind Psyc) – Director

Janine dos Santos is the Director of HR Solutions. She has been working in the field of Education, Training and Development for 8 years, specialising specifically in Human Resources for the last 3 years.

Marleen Potgieter – (BA, B Proc, HDipLabourLaw) – Managing Director

Marleen is managing director at Equity Works, employment consultants. She assisted in the drafting of the Employment Equity Act and her specialties include employment structures in the workplace, mediation and dispute management.

Lee Randall – Consultant: Disability in the Workplace

Lee has 22 years experience gained in South Africa, New Zealand and the USA. She writes, consults and trains on disability in the workplace. As a private occupational therapist she also provides medicolegal services, functional capacity evaluations and return-to-work interventions to attorneys, insurers, employers and individual clients.

Rob Bothma: Divisional manager at Q Data DynamiQue,the e-HR specialist within Business Connexion.

Rob has been a part of the IT industry for 27 years and his involvement with HR systems has spanned over 15 years.

Helen Wilsenach (BA LLB): Senior associate in the employment law department (Bowman Gilfillan)

Helen was admitted as an attorney in 2004. She advises mainly commercial employers. She has a varied practice that includes legal drafting, opinion and appearance work.

Pleia Alberts: Recruitment consultant – Connold and Associates

Pleia has worked in recruitment for a number of years. She specialises in unique recruitment solutions for small companies as well as psychometric assessments and carrying out intensive background checks into candidates.

Order Now!

Effective Leadership

How to lead your company towards success using agreed objectives and work delegation

Effective leadership is about guiding your employees along the path to success.

The table below outlines three proven management techniques. By using these techniques, you can focus on your actual tasks as a leader, i.e.

• setting objectives
   
• planning
   
• decision-making
   
• organising
   
• managing communication
   
• monitoring

Do you make these 4 most common mistakes in setting objectives

1. Dictating objectives rather than agreeing on them: the employee won’t be entirely convinced of the validity of the objectives.
    
2. Setting objectives that are too high (so he’s overworked) or too low (so he’s bored).
    
3. Developing an inaccurate description of the objective, so you (or the relevant supervisor) and the employee might develop different interpretations of the aims.
    
4. Creating inconsistent objectives that result in conflicts, e.g. the purchasing department wants to achieve low prices by ordering larger quantities, while the storekeeper wants to keep stocks down.

How to delegate properly

1. List all your activities.
    
2. Identify all genuine leadership activities, because you can’t delegate these.
    
3. Consider to whom you could delegate the remaining tasks.
    
4. Check if this delegation requires agreement from the other authorities in the company.
    
5. Inform your employees about the proposed delegation.
    
6. Clarify all the details with each employee.
    
7. Empower the employee by giving him the necessary authority to achieve the relevant tasks.
    

Management in exceptional situations

When you delegate you should give your employee well defined discretionary powers, e.g. purchasing authority up to a certain limit.

Within these discretionary powers the employee isn’t allowed to refer tasks back to you. He may consult you only when he might exceed the defined limit.

Tip: Check in each situation if you need to revise the objectives and the discretionary powers.

Interview with the Editor

Our Editor answers your questions about the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management

Question:
What is the difference between the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management and other publications?

Answer:
The Practical Guide to Human Resources Management is alphabetically organised just like a dictionary and provides practical answers that are brief, comprehensive, and precise as well as giving you practical tools to use.

Question:
Can I really rely on the information provided in the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management?

Answer:
Each individual text passage – even if written by the most renowned expert – will be checked by our panel of experts. This guarantees that you can fully rely on the recommendations of the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management.

Question:
I only employ six people. Is it worth my while buying the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management?

Answer:
In a small company or a small department, a labour or human resources problem – no matter whether of a legal or human nature – may have severe consequences. Whether you employ two or 2000 people, you will always be confronted with the same problems of difficult employees and legal traps; the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management will assist you in solving these problems.

Question:
Why should I buy a loose-leaf publication?

Answer:
This is the only way to guarantee your access to the most recent information. By receiving updates you can ensure that your binder is always 100% current, and you always receive the latest management techniques.

Question:
Won’t really important human resources news be published in the paper?

Answer:
There is often a big difference between matters that concern journalists and those that have significance for you. Newspapers and magazines never give you a practical solution. In the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management you will find information on changes that really affect you and practical tools to implement solutions immediately. And thanks to the loose-leaf system you will find the information easily.

Question:
In writing, it all appears quite straightforward, but in practice it’s not so easy. Will the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management help me apply the information to my situation?

Answer:
With each recommendation in the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management you will find practical tips, sample copy, and step-by-step instructions for different possible applications, as well as checklists. And most important of all – examples that relate to everyday business situations, and are easy to understand. If you order the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management today, you can benefit from our fantastic early bird offer. You will receive:

• A loose-leaf binder containing 500 pages of practical information, step-by-step instructions, understandable examples and checklists
• A free HR Organiser CD
• A human resources newsletter, emailed to you every fortnight

All for just R349 (excl. Vat).

You will automatically participate in the updating service,which will ensure you are always on top of changes in labour legislation and have new tools to manage and develop your employees. Each update is approximately 100 pages (price per page is R1.97) and is sent every 8 – 10 weeks.

Risk-free: If you are not completely satisfied, you are free to send it back, together with the invoice (within 14 days of receipt), cancelling your order.

Remuneration in Accordance with Performance

Do you pay too much to poorly performing employees and not enough to the good ones?

Your employees are one of your most expensive overheads.
However, the more you reward good employees, the more profit they will make your company.

On the other hand, it is true that the cost of personnel and social contributions are increasing continuously.

It’s important for you to know:

• Which parts of salaries are exempt from taxes
• Which incentives could be more effective than money
• How to respond to excessive salary demands
• How to get out of a remuneration agreement that’s unfavourable for you
• How to change to performance-oriented rewards
• How to also pay employees who don’t work in the sales department, profit-related wages
• How to explain to all employees that income and career advancement are not related to age and length of service

3 tips on how to achieve more flexibility in terms of wages and salaries

1. Clearly state in writing that no increase or bonus is guaranteed – it is dependent on the profitability of the company and the employee’s performance.
2. When you give an increase to your employees, often a large percentage of it will go to taxes. For this reason, you should change to tax-free or tax-preferenced remunerations like increased pension, motor vehicle or cellphone allowances.
3. When one of your employees has successfully finished a long and difficult project, he’ll probably ask you for an increase.Rather offer a once-off bonus. If you offer him a straight R5000, this might prove more attractive to him. A salary increase of R300 will work out to be more expensive than the R5000 after 11/2 years. And he’ll start negotiations from a higher level next time.

It is not only the monthly salary that counts

In the table below you can see that employees are not only motivated by money. Recognition is equally important. A competition offering rewards can also add to motivation.
 

Depending on what objectives you want to achieve, there are 4 types of incentives:

1. Money has the advantage in that the amounts can be graded – and everybody can use it.
2. Status rewards (certificates, trophies, etc.) stimulate self-esteem and prestige.
3. A prize can be selected individually to always remind the winner of his excellent performance.
4. Free trips provide a pleasant experience, but they can be expensive.

Source: Investigation by “Personnel Practices”
 

Quotations/Tips

Practical Tips

Cost of personnel

Each time a vacancy opens up, you should ask yourself whether it’s necessary to fill it again in the same way. The most important question is: which jobs would you eliminate first if you had to reduce the cost of personnel by 10%? This way you will prevent bureaucracy and job proliferation.

Setting objectives

• Write objectives that are SMART – specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, time-constrained
• Set objectives in order of priority
• Review and revise the objectives quarterly

Instructions

If you’re not sure whether an employee understood your instructions correctly, let him repeat them in his own words. The time invested is well spent if it avoids an expensive mistake.

Lift your staff morale

Hold a quick anonymous praise session. Ask your employees to list what they admire most about their co-workers. Summarise these highlights and send them to each employee.

Planning a workshop

• Try and create an informal atmosphere.
• Focus on getting the group to work together.
• Identify the objectives of the workshop, and the deadlines to be met.
• Encourage the group to solve their own problems.
• You may want to set a pre-workshop task. Try to keep advance information to a minimum, as the focus should be on group activity.
• Allocate responsibilities and schedule follow-up times.

Organisation

Who is doing what in your company? No matter how big or small your company – establish an organisation chart or ‘organogram’ showing all responsibilities. Make sure that each employee is represented correctly in the chart. In addition, prepare a complete list of all employees, including initials and telephone numbers.

Delegation

When delegating work, be specific about the outcome you want. Don’t let them sink or swim. Monitor their progress and let them know that you are available for help if they need it.

Useful quotations for motivating your staff

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”
– Henry Ford

“It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.”
– Martin van Buren
8th President of the United States

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
– William Shakespeare

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
– John Powell

“One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency.”
– Arnold Glasgow

“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”
– Linus Pauling

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
– Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“Nothing is difficult to those who have the will.”
– Dutch Poet’s Society

“Victory belongs to the most persevering.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
– Aristotle

Selection of Personnel/Employment Contracts

Why in 7 out of 10 cases the ideal applicant is not recognised and the second best is hired

1. Requirements profile

Surprisingly, it happens again and again that people with an IQ of 125 work for people who have an IQ of only 100. A high IQ is obviously not a guarantee of success. When you compile the requirements for a job description, try to be as specific as possible, e.g. a sales representative must be able to deal with people but he doesn’t have to know anything about quantum physics.

2. Analysis of documents

Unfortunately, the language of reference letters disguises the true performance of an employee more than it actually reveals. Before making a recruitment decision, always call his former boss for a verbal reference. From one employer to another, he is highly likely to provide you with valuable information.

3. Job interview

Prepare yourself for the interview, e.g. by checking the curriculum vitae for gaps in the applicant’s employment record.
Make notes on additional information you would like to know.
Make sure you will not be disturbed during the interview.

4. Employment test

Employment tests are controversial. Some are directed at knowledge that should have been acquired at school; some at practical intelligence; and others at social behaviour. If you’ve designed a new test and are not sure if it’s suitable, test it first with a few volunteers in your company. If the results appear to be plausible, you can safely apply the test to applicants.

3 out of 10 applicants do not tell the truth in an interview

Avoid costly mistakes in recruitment by asking the right questions. Learn how to read what the applicant is actually thinking. See in the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management which 20 questions you should ask during a job interview.
 

1 in 3 employment contracts put the employer at a disadvantage

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act and Schedule 8 of the Labour Relations Act make it imperative for an employer to give a written copy of the working conditions to the employee.
In practice, this means agreeing on written employment contracts.

Use the law to your advantage

1. In the contract, include the location of the workplace, and that you reserve the right to change that location.
    
2. In the job description, a clause should be added that temporary employment might become necessary in a different area.
    
3. Establish working hours that allow for flexible employment, without having to change the contract.
    
4. Be careful when outlining notice periods in the employment contracts, e.g. your employee’s contract states a calendar month’s notice must be given. If you give him notice on the 3rd of January, the employee can claim pay until the end of February.

Build in an “emergency exit”

If you’re not 100% sure that the applicant is the right person for the job, offer him temporary employment. As opposed to a probationary period, this has the advantage that the employment will not automatically be extended.

Practical Guide to Human Resources Management

Practical, legally sound advice for employers, managers and human resource specialists
 
• Benefit from simple, easy-to-use advice that will save you heaps of money plus hours of frustration and regret
• Step-by-step instructions, checklists, examples and tools to manage your department and save you time
• Benefit from the expertise of our panel of experts 
• Receive your free HR Organiser CD when you order.

All you have to do to accept this RISK-FREE offer.

Motivation

Motivate your employees to be star performers.

 By Liezel Blignaut, Director, Human Capital Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Motivational problems in your company or team can seriously affect staff morale and performance. If this is not detected and addressed early, it becomes a negative spiral that feeds on itself.

Do this motivational test to identify if you have a motivational problem in your company or team?

Do you have the following problems?

❑ A high or higher than normal staff turnover
❑ Your star performers want to jump ship (and because of pushing, not pulling factors)
❑ People are taking long breaks (and there is a lot of negative talk in the coffee or smoking area)
❑ People arrive late for work and/or leave early
❑ A high or higher than normal level of absenteeism
❑ A general low mood in the company, no commitment and no passion for making a difference
❑ Presenteeism and ‘go-slow’ - staff is ‘present’ but their souls aren’t
❑ Performance and productivity are down and accidents up
❑ People are taking shortcuts
❑ Unethical behaviour is on the increase
❑ People are blatantly sabotaging the system or organisational efforts

If you have ticked more than one third of these items, you need to review and address your practices that might be detrimental to staff motivation.

14 tips to motivate your staff

1. Involve employees in problem-solving and make them part of the solution
    
2. Treat employees as customers or potential customers and nurture the relationship
    
3. Treat people as individuals and not as part of the herd. Each individual has different needs and aspirations you need to address
    
4. Look for a cultural fit when appointing new employees
    
5. Offer possibilities and opportunities for growth and development
    
6. Offer flexible work arrangements (e.g. flexitime, work from home, salary structuring)
    
7. Limit the number of rules, regulations and policies, and rather focus on a few core values and principles that will guide behaviour
    
8. Provide a clear sense of purpose and role clarity for each team and employee and feedback on their contribution
    
9. Regularly communicate in an open and transparent way
    
10. Reward, recognise and praise outstanding performance in a fair and consistent way
     
11. Nurture a cohesive organisational climate where every employee feels part of and wants to work for your company
     
12. Nurture relationships with employees’ core family and make them supporters of your company, e.g. recognising the importance of a balanced life and involving family members in events
     
13. Demonstrate an inspirational leadership style, especially in times of change and uncertainty
     
14. Provide employees with the support and resources necessary to do their job

NO MONEY NOW
14-DAY FREE TRIAL PERIOD

What you will receive when you order your copy of the
Practical Guide to Human Resources Management:

14-day review period

You only pay for the Practical Guide to Human Resources Management once you receive it. We’re so sure that you’re going to benefit from the handbook that you can review it for 14 days and if you’re not happy, simply return it within these 14 days and we’ll forget about the bill.

All tips, tools, guidelines and information are 100% legal and checked by our panel of experts.

500-page loose-leaf binder – each section contains:

• Practical tools you can use right now
• Step-by-step instructions
• Checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything
• Proven sample contracts, letters and forms
• Many immediately understandable examples

Human resource updates

Your handbook will always be up-to-date. We will send you updates every 6-8 weeks that include new strategies to manage and develop your staff all in line with labour law.

Labour Law e-letter

Every week the Labour Bulletin will be emailed to you. This will give you practical tips and tools to use in your company on everything from motivation and performance management to recruitment and dismissal.

Additional free HR Organiser CD worth R199

For HR Managers who want to get organised – but can’t get started
On this CD you’ll find:

• Forms and policies to ensure you follow correct procedure and avoid record-keeping and paperwork mistakes that can expose your company to legal liability.
• Forms dealing with leave, loan applications, acknowledgement of debt, overtime, salary deductions and employee resignations
• Policies for employee desertion, special leave, unpaid leave and staff loans