LifeXchange

25 Big Lessons in Management and HR in October

Plus: 4 New HR & Management Courses and 5 new software solutions you should know about for HR in October

The Dutch Netflix of training in SA. Employee energy. And new science in HR. Our team brings you all the most vital news, trends and insights from HR in October.

October 2020 was another funny month at work in SA, with the country moving to Level 1, a second wave threatening around the world and everyone just feeling like they want to get the year over with now. But there were some exciting new insights and trends that could be very important for success in 2021.

25 NEW LESSONS IN MANAGEMENT AND HR IN OCTOBER

The Dutch Netflix of training in SA. Employee energy. And new science in HR. Our team brings you all the most vital news, trends and insights from HR in October. Plus: 4 New HR & Management Courses & 5 new HR software solutions you should know about.

1. WILL INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL REINVIGORATE SA’S EMPLOYMENT?

At midnight on 1 October 2020, South Africa moved to Covid Lockdown Level 1, which means the borders opened for professional international travel. And Black Pen Recruitment and Immigration Specialists’ CEO Nora Dawud believes this is crucial to local employment, as international tech experts are allowed back to train and upskill South Africans. See some of her recommendations here.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, policy, toolkit, webinars, events, conferences, ideas, roundup, onboarding, francois, kriel, and co, government, risk, allowance, healthcare, workers, pension, fund, staff, retention, culture, trust, international, travel, covid 19, conservation, africa, get smarter, course, uct, tech, more, human, chro, webinar

2. ALMOST 28K JOB APPLICATIONS AT SA’S FIRST VIRTUAL CAREER EXPO

The South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA) and partner universities recently held SA’s first virtual careers fair, and it was quite a success. Some 40 000 undergraduates and graduates registered, and around 55.6% of them applied for work through the virtual fair, with 16.8% receiving job offers – and 31.2% being moved to the organisation’s second-phase of hiring.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, international, travel, employment, unemployment, virtual, career, expo, fair, sagea, conscious, contracts, workshop, neuromanagement, flock, software, tech, data, analyst, online, short, course, enrol

The organisers say that the platform proved a huge success, but didn’t mention whether they’d choose to do it virtually again if given the choice next year.

3. THE TRUE VALUE OF EMPLOYEE ENERGY LEVELS

Founder of employee wellbeing specialists BreatheCoWellbeing, Lana Hindmarch, took a really interesting look at the concept of burnout and energy recently (sparked by Gallup research that shows two-thirds of employees face burnout). She proposes that when you view energy as a commodity – which makes perfect sense since according to physics energy is only actual/physical “commodity” that exists in our reality (everything else, like money and ownership, are just abstract concepts that humankind invented for itself) – your people’s energy levels is one of the most important resources you have.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, employee, wellness, wellbeing, energy, levels, profits, productivity, lana, hindmarch, nick, durrant, fte, staffing, model, covid, karbonpay, international, payroll, software, agile, management, training, course, best

It’s a profound insight. Because it makes sense: The more energy people have, the more productive they can be. And she emphasises that we know energy comes from four places: The body, the mind, the spirit and our emotions. So, the simple question is, how are you working to help energise your people on all those levels? Because the productivity it unlocks is what adds to your bottom line.

4. AN INTRIGUING NEW STAFFING MODEL

You wouldn’t have expected it, because it seems to come from the wrong place, but a web development expert, Nick Durrant from Bluegrass Digital, explains a new model for thinking about your staffing that makes a lot of sense. He calls if the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) model.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, employee, wellness, wellbeing, energy, levels, profits, productivity, lana, hindmarch, nick, durrant, fte, staffing, model, covid, karbonpay, international, payroll, software, agile, management, training, course, best

According to Nick, the FTE model is an extremely accurate, project to project model for identifying exactly how much resources of various skills will be needed to complete any given project. And this allows employers to make way more accurate decisions about taking on full-time or part-time staff. See his insights here.

5. HOW COVID IMPACTED HR – EXPERTS REVIEW

Another really interesting read is a collective of experts from various fields reviewing the roles and responses of HR to the Covid-19 crisis. The Institute of Crisis Management’s president says the pandemic was far worse than the 2009 financial crisis, while another professor believes it eroded the very fabric of our society. Either way, experts say that it really tested our businesses because it lasted so much longer than a normal corporate crisis does.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, employee, wellness, wellbeing, energy, levels, profits, productivity, lana, hindmarch, nick, durrant, fte, staffing, model, covid, karbonpay, international, payroll, software, agile, management, training, course, best

The group looked at the main factors of Covid for business, which was technology adoption, disruption, remote work, mental health, physical health and leadership crises, among others. And it’s a topic we expect to dive into deeply in coming months as we review HR Trends. See the original post here.

6. WANT THE BEST TALENT? SCIENCE SAYS: FOCUS ON WELLNESS

Extreme pressure. A skills shortage. And learning to actually care and support each other. A new research paper shows that your talent management needs wellness initiatives to function optimally. And there are a few really exciting ways to start implementing them in your company today. Discover why all good talent management needs wellness focus.

talent, management, needs, wellness, focus, interventions, study, research, new, for, HR, why is, important, at work, team, wellbeing, benefits of, workplace, corporate, programs, impact of, what should be included, what is, good, what are, key, components, culture, company

7. THE DUTCH NETFLIX OF L&D TO LAUNCH IN SA

One of the most successful professional learning platforms in the Netherlands, SkillsTown is reportedly working on a localised South African version. Competitively priced and using the latest tech to impart useful skills in a  fun and exciting way, the South Africanised version is expected to launch fully in the next few months of 2020. Get more info on their website.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, employee, wellness, science, skillstown, sa, launch, sisebenza, andrew, robinson, remote, work, dimension, data, book, office, space, hr indaba, indaba, network, 2020, cammio, video, recruitment, tech

8. COULD REMOTE WORK CREATE A SUCCESSION CRISIS?

Workspace, business consulting and private equity firm Sisebenza founder Andrew Robinson says that the trends towards remote work, especially among millennials, just might impact their upward mobility ion the future. It’s a different way of looking at WFH, but Robinson cites studies showing that when engaging mainly in the virtual space, numerous younger employees tend to miss opportunities they might otherwise have had in the normal face-to-face office environment. Maybe an insight to keep in mind? – read more here.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, employee, wellness, science, skillstown, sa, launch, sisebenza, andrew, robinson, remote, work, dimension, data, book, office, space, hr indaba, indaba, network, 2020, cammio, video, recruitment, tech

9. BETTER L&D: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BUY-IN FROM THESE 4 GROUPS

Training providers. Employers. Employees. And industry bodies. (Maybe sponsors too!) These are the four stakeholders that wine-industry people development pro Kachné Ross believes need to be aligned for any learning and development process to be successful. Lecturing on specifically agricultural business, there might be some insights here we can all use. See her views here.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, employee, wellness, science, skillstown, sa, launch, sisebenza, andrew, robinson, remote, work, dimension, data, book, office, space, hr indaba, indaba, network, 2020, cammio, video, recruitment, tech

10. NEXT-LEVEL WFH: THIS COMPANY ASKS STAFF TO BOOK OFFICE SPACE

In its bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, IT giant Dimension Data with its thousands of employees not only lets staff work from home a minimum of two days a week but has apparently also launched an online portal where staff need to book space if they want to come into the office. See here.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, employee, wellness, science, skillstown, sa, launch, sisebenza, andrew, robinson, remote, work, dimension, data, book, office, space, hr indaba, indaba, network, 2020, cammio, video, recruitment, tech

11. NEW SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS TO HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS

Better talent management. Surprising employee motivations. And how to create future leaders. We’ve compiled some of the most surprising and remarkable scientific insights into a single place – to help inform and show potential new ways forward. Discover 11 powerful people and HR insights in management research.

management, research, studies, science, topics, examples, role of, journal, importance, of, nature, purpose, why, what is, business, hierarchy, talent, flexi, work, job, satisfaction, workers, employees, company, staff, hr, leaders, resilient, strong, women, engaged, motivation, mental, brain, how, mind, works

12. CAN REMOTE WORK BE A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO TALENT?

While many companies debate the “effect” of forced remote work, Absa’s group exec of people, Dr Roze Phillips, explained at a recent online session of 2020 HR Indaba Network that for them it’s become a major talent strategy.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, policy, toolkit, webinars, events, conferences, ideas, roundup, level 2, lockdown, covid 19, uif, ters, july, august, remote working, south africa, 2020, resilient, organisation, nadine, rix, sacap, coaching, in the, workplace, short, course, south african college, applied, psychology, bob, hr, software

“Digital has made us location-agnostic. We can source talent from anywhere in the world. We can also tap into the gig economy,” she says. “We need to take a more flexible approach to both the workplace and the work we do, one that provides the physical and thinking space to liberate the limitless possibilities that live inside each and every one of our people.”

13. IS OVERTIME STILL A THING?

The pandemic has caused some serious headaches for some companies, as wage bills increased due to increased overtime claims amid working form home. It’s a tough one, says Sage Africa’s tax expert Yolandi Esterhuizen, and there’s really little more you can do than to go back to your contract and make sure that the number of hours before overtime kicks in was actually put in. In fact, the shift to remote work should inspire companies to think differently: What about rewarding employees for tasks/projects completed instead of hours?

PLUS: See how to know if you’re paying too much overtime

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, studies, research, science, remote, work, strategic, absa, dr, roze, phillips, overtime, pandemic, sage, africa, yolandi, esterhuizen, alexander, forbes, boundaries, health, wellness, employees, webinar, self, service, accsys, justworks, software, benefits, us, aihr, employee experience, design, thinking, course

14. SOME 56% OF SOUTH AFRICANS HIGHLY STRESSED DURING LOCKDOWN

53% Surveyed lost their jobs. 81% Started eating unhealthily. 49% Wanted to reach out to a therapist but couldn’t afford it. And 44% struggle to relax while 52% still have trouble sleeping. This according to a new survey of some 1200 South Africans by Pharma Dynamics, highlighting the far-reaching psychological and emotional effects of lockdown and the need for addressing the mental health needs of people directly related to Covid-19. More shocking stats in the report here.

hr, this, week, news, new, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, hard, lockdown, another, stricter, harder, premier, sihle, zikalala, who, helperhub, software, payroll, employee, wellness, pharma dynamics, survey, south africans, stressed, covid, 19, resigning, misconduct, court, ruling, free, workplace, safety, training, human, resources, ideas

15. THE 3 KEYS TO EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

Help staff keep their boundaries. Encourage a focus on physical wellness. And make counselling available to employees. These are the main employee wellness tips given by Alexander Forbes’  head of health management, Myrna Sachs, in response to the shocking Pharma Dynamics survey findings (see point 1 above) – read her insights here.

hr, this, week, news, new, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, hard, lockdown, another, stricter, harder, premier, sihle, zikalala, who, helperhub, software, payroll, employee, wellness, pharma dynamics, survey, south africans, stressed, covid, 19, resigning, misconduct, court, ruling, free, workplace, safety, training, human, resources, ideas

16. RESIGNING NO LONGER A WAY OUT FOR MISCONDUCT

Law firm Bowmans senior associate Sibusiso Dube this week noted that a recent Labour Court ruling gives employers more power in dealing with employees suspected/charged with gross misconduct.

hr, this, week, news, new, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, hard, lockdown, another, stricter, harder, premier, sihle, zikalala, who, helperhub, software, payroll, employee, wellness, pharma dynamics, survey, south africans, stressed, covid, 19, resigning, misconduct, court, ruling, free, workplace, safety, training, human, resources, ideas

In the past, such erring employees had an easy escape route in resigning with immediate effect, since the legal proceedings to follow up on investigations and charges was tedious and time-consuming. Now, the employer has potentially renewed powers to repudiate the resignation of such an employee with allegations against them, which could see more disciplinary actions carried through. Read more here.

MANAGEMENT & HR SOFTWARE

17. HELPERHUB: COMPLETE HR & PAYMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTION

A new full-service payroll, onboarding, HR admin, tax and employee benefits solution all rolled into one. The Cape Town legal pro that advised and developed numerous complete investment products for top SA fin firms, from Old Mutual to Metropolitan Life, Anton Manshon, has launched a new proudly South African portal aimed at giving SA companies a single, super-simple solution to all their HR and payment needs. Check out the helperhub website.

New helperhub offers employers complete control and transparency when it comes to documentation, taxation, payments, invoicing, benefits – everything. It even gives you a central place where all your communications are stored. It offers the same self-help access to employees, and even provides a payment platform for service providers, as well as an extremely innovative “volunteers” platform where employers can get extra help from vetted and verified volunteers, knowing that everything is 100% aboveboard. Ideal for any size company, including small business, helperhub is brand-new, just launched, competitively priced and you can book a demo.

18. ONE-UP VIDEO RECRUITMENT WITH CAMMIO

The end of text-based job descriptions? Cammio believes it’s time not only for that but also to upgrade your entire recruitment experience. From vacancies and interviews to better connection and engagement, you can get a taste of what switching your recruitment process to video could be like on their website.

19. MOBILE-OPTIMISED HR SOFTWARE WITH FLOCK

Another of 2020’s most recommended HR Software choices! Flock helps take care of everything fro onboarding and payroll to benefits, compliance and reporting. You can even track and monitor key goals and targets right from inside the app. Plus it’s all mobile optimised – great for your staff top access what they need to. And most people who review Flock say it’s more affordable for almost any size business. Check out the Flock website.

20. SUPER-FAST INTERNATIONAL PAYROLL WITH NEW KARBONPAY

Another South African innovating on the global stage, Brad Price recently launched a new HR Software feature called KarbonPay that solves one of the biggest payroll headaches for businesses operating in multiple countries. With each country having its own tax and legislative requirements, it can take many days just to prepare payroll for a handful of employees around the world, mainly because the process is still handled manually. KarbonPay automates it, making it near-instant.

Check out their website.

21. MORE THAN ADMIN WITH JUSTWORKS FOR HR

One highly recommended HR software choice is Justworks. Yes, it offers you all the usual software tools: payroll, onboarding etc. But what makes Justworks unique for US users is that it’s not a mere software company, it’s a special type of entity that can source and negotiate benefits on your behalf. From healthcare to retirement, you can literally organise benefits packages for your employees through Justworks – which is great for startups who want to attract the right talent. The only caveat is that it’s US only, but you have to hope this inspires bigger thinking for a worldwide solution soon. Check out their website

See all the latest exciting & unique HR Software.

MANAGEMENT & HR COURSES

22. BECOME AN HR DATA ANALYST

18 HOURS, ONLINE, CERTIFICATE
Here’s something new! With the rise of technology, data analytics in HR is going to become more important than ever before. And the Dutch AIHR Academy is offering a unique online course to get you started in this growing field.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, international, travel, employment, unemployment, virtual, career, expo, fair, sagea, conscious, contracts, workshop, neuromanagement, flock, software, tech, data, analyst, online, short, course, enrol

Get the tools and skills to analyse large organisations’ data and build customs dashboards to help management make fast and accurate decisions. It’s a 7-module online course that should only take 18 hours to complete. But sign on and you will have a full year’s access to complete it at your own pace. Enrol here.

Next enrolment: Continuous
Cost: $597

23. NEXT-LEVEL AGILE MANAGEMENT TRAINING

6 MONTHS, MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS + FULL-TIME SUPPORT
With Covid-19 putting a lot of pressure on leadership, our post exploring what management really means has never been more relevant. And to avoid the No 1 mistake businesses make with their managers, we incorporate the knowledge of neuroscience and human behaviour from neuromanagement, along with leadership trust, the principles of agile and human development into our training for managers.

what, is, management, training, example, of, advantages, types of, senior, programmes, programs, seminars, trainee, in hotel industry, job, what management means, what is management, what do you mean

Want the best managers for your company? Enrol for our Agile Excellence management training.

Next enrolment: Ongoing – enrol right now!

24. EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE AND DESIGN THINKING FOR HR

12 HOURS, ONLINE, SHORT COURSE
It’s all about creating a competitive advantage for your organisation. We’ve seen that employee experience is vital for securing and retaining top talent, and now AIHR has created an online course that aims to show you how to use design thinking to create better employee experiences. There are 4 modules, with video, case studies and assignments, and although the course should only take about 12 hours to complete, signing up gives you 12 months’ access to the course, so you can truly learn at your own pace. Enrol here.

hr, this, week, news, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, talent, management, studies, research, science, remote, work, strategic, absa, dr, roze, phillips, overtime, pandemic, sage, africa, yolandi, esterhuizen, alexander, forbes, boundaries, health, wellness, employees, webinar, self, service, accsys, justworks, software, benefits, us, aihr, employee experience, design, thinking, course

Next enrolment: Any time.
Cost: $397

25. FREE COVID-19 WORKPLACE SAFETY TRAINING

12 LESSONS, ONLINE, SHORT COURSE
Local training providers Infinity Academy and Uni School have made a Covid-19 workplace safety training short course for managers and HR available for FREE via their online portal iAcademy. Infinity Academy CEO Lee Roelofse says they made it free because they believe SA businesses need the info, and they don’t want to put a price on anything this important. The course is made up of 12 lessons, with a quiz and certificate. And you can enrol for it here.

hr, this, week, news, new, human, resources, management, updates, south africa, hot, topics, issues, today, whats happening, trends, hard, lockdown, another, stricter, harder, premier, sihle, zikalala, who, helperhub, software, payroll, employee, wellness, pharma dynamics, survey, south africans, stressed, covid, 19, resigning, misconduct, court, ruling, free, workplace, safety, training, human, resources, ideas

Next enrolment: Available now
Cost: Free


ABOUT OUR #HRNews PROJECT

Every 7 days, we filter and collect the most vital news and insights in our posts on what’s new in HR This Week. And then, to promote real long-term thinking and growth, we collect those weekly insights into a monthly collective like this one. We welcome your ideas on topics to include here – email solutions@lifexchange.co.za.

And follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and keep up with the latest in HR News. And discover LifeXchange Solutions, a change management company.


You might also be interested in…

See the 2 things this new study says helps you build more resilient women leaders.

resilient, women, leaders, business, company, leadership, at work, what does it mean, resourcefulness, training, study, new, science, positive, affect, affectivity, mindfulness, training, who is, how do you empower, what skills do you need, what is, female

See all the lessons we got in management and HR in June, as well as HR in July and HR in September, and all the big trends for HR in November.

flexi, work, boosts, employee, engagement, new, study, research, sajrhm, south, africa, journal, human, resources, hr, advantages, flexible, working, arrangements, fwas, types of, benefits, ideas, impact, productivity, hours, good, what are the benefits

Get 10X performance skills at a special price right now: We’ve just launched a brand-new online self-management course. And check out our awesome self-management tips.

self, management, course, lifexchange, solutions, dr, cobus, oosthuizen, skills, workshop, business, definition, about, info, how much, price, cost, access, sign up, how to, what is, training, what is meant by, what are, examples, how do you improve, register, payment, beta

Discover the power of neuroscience for business through neuromanagement, our lauded neuromanagement workshops and neuro mentoring training.

strategic, thinking, domain, strengths, cliftonstrengths, strengthsfiner, finder, clifton, gallup, domains, job types, identify, people, in your, company, analytical, futuristic, context, ideation, input, intellection, learner, business, what are strengths, list of strengths, strengths based development

See the difference in your performance management with strengths and our next-level strengths-based development and advanced organisational development.

influencing, strengths, domain, cliftonstrengths, strengthsfiner, finder, clifton, gallup, domains, top 5, list, influence, what are, in terms of, influencing others, how do you, find, four domains, leadership, activator, command, communication, competition, maximizer, self-assurance, significance, woo, job types, identify, in your, company, business, what are strengths, list of strengths, strengths based development

Plus: Check out all this year’s upcoming management and HR webinars.

hr, webinars, webcasts, management, business, 2020, webinar, free, seminars, for, credit, site, videos, topics, 2020, details, logins, info, how to, latest, new, best, cliftonstrengths, strengths, self management, hr works, purpose, at work, organisational, horizontal

Connect and share your journey with us:
Facebook  | Linkedin  | Twitter  | Instagram

Skip to toolbar