AUGUST ISSUE 2012
> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
SUCCESSFUL JOBS FAIRS ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW AND DESIGN PROGRAMME - SHANDUKA CHILD LABOUR STILL RIFE
JOB FAIR/SUMMIT
THE FIRST ANNUAL YOUTH SYMPOSIUM
OVERVIEW: THE EHWP IN THE WORKPLACE 1
EDITOR’S LETTER EDITORIAL BOARD Page Boikanyo (Editor-in-Chief Gay Khaile (Chairperson) Sanele Nkungwana Jani de Wet Mokgadi Pela Isaac Modise Shadrack Mashalaba DESIGNER Nontembiso Kgatle DISTRIBUTION Lloyd Ramutloa Gabriel Mothiba
Whew, this has been a busy few months in the Department of Labour. Country-wide we’ve been having Jobs Fairs and Jobs Summit, Roadshows for Shanduka and UIF as well as the Employment Equity Campaign about to kick off! You can read about the Jobs Fairs on page three and four and also check out the pictures and story from the Youth Symposium on page nine and 10. Also seeing that it’s Women’s Month, the Design Studio has been hard at work creating posters and banners to celebrate the 56 years of women united against poverty, discrimination and inequality. Staff can look forward to the rollout of the Shanduka project, which will see a revived and renewed Department of Labour over the next three years. Exciting times await! The winner of the contest for the name of the project is Lacton Ramulongo from the Thohoyandou Labour Centre in Limpopo. Congratulations Lacton! Don’t forget to glance at our back-page and picture spread on page eight and nine, sure to bring a smile to your face!
We value your feed back and contributions, please contact Sanele Nkungwana: T: (012) 309 4648 E: sanele.nkungwana@labour.gov.za WEBSITE:
Lastly we want to remind staff that the Staff Communiqué is a STAFF newsletter. Without your valuable inputs, this becomes just another newsletter, instead of the newsletter you deserve. The Editorial Board welcomes your feedback! Yours in working towards a better Department: the Editorial Team/ Editor-in-Chief
www.labour.gov.za
Page Boikanyo
Stay in touch with the Department on Facebook (Department of Labour) and Twitter (@deptoflabour) 2
> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL JOBS FAIRS CONCEPT IN RICHARDS BAY
Oliphant described the initiative a success because of a good turnout and that it also provided an ideal platform to profile the Department in the eyes of the citizens, thus helping them understand its role. But, the Minister was also quick to note that: “this success is also bitter in the sense that this brought home the big challenge that we still face as a country in addressing the issue of joblessness. The queues of young people waiting patiently for their turn to have their details captured in our system made it crystal clear that as things stand, we are failing young people”. The successful KZN Fair, which saw more than 11 000 youth attending, was preceded by the successful inaugural Jobs Fair in East London in the Eastern Cape on 7 and 8 June. The concept of the Job Fair is an outcome of an extensive planning to fulfill the Minister’s commitment she made in
Parliament that the Department: “will contribute to the creation of decent employment through inclusive economic growth”. Under the ambit of the Public Employment Service (PES) Branch, the Jobs Fair is one among a range of initiatives that would be rolled out by the Department towards contribution to decent employment. The venture will also include PES-related entities such as Productivity SA and the Sheltered Employment Factories plus the Compensation Fund, Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The Jobs Fairs are aimed at the unemployed youth who dropped out of school, unemployed youth with school-exit certificates, unemployed graduates, workers who are under-employed and retrenched workers. To date the Fairs have been held alongside the Provincial Job Summits. Job Fair free services is to create an opportunity for work-seekers to meet with prospective employers and other organisations or Departments that can assist with their placement in different forms of learning opportunities or employment, while also empowering the unemployed with soft-skills, information and a face-to-face search for placement opportunities.
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By: Shadrack Mashalaba | Communication
On 5 July, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant and the President of South Africa Mr. Jacob Zuma officially launched the longawaited and successful national Jobs Fairs concept in Richards Bay, an initiative the Department has identified as one of its contribution to the government’s plan towards job creation.
> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
This success is also bitter in the sense that this brought home the big challenge that we still face as a country in addressing the issue of joblessness
Zuma told the attendees at the official launch that Government is looking at passing special laws similar to those that were enforced during the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup hosted in South Africa to help facilitate the speedy delivery of the multibillion-rand projects being planned, so as to speed-up job creation. “We have a maze of restrictions and laws, and we think that these laws are helping us to develop the economy!” he said instead some of the laws were becoming an obstacle to progress to delivering on the promised infrastructure projects.
“We cannot be sleeping when mountains of opportunities are abound,” he said. A number of Jobs Fairs are also planned for other Provinces.
By: Shadrack Mashalaba | Communication
Zuma called on South Africans to wake up and exploit a mountain of opportunities and develop the economy into a fully-fledged 24-hour operation economic hub.
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THE FIRST ANNUAL YOUTH SYMPOSIUM HOSTED BY THE YOUTH FOR THE YOUTH As a Department, we celebrated the annual Youth Day by hosting the first ever Youth Symposium that is a basis for the institutionalisation of youth debate. We deliberately shifted it to July to accommodate senior management in the Department and ensure that they engage the Youth at the Symposium. We had 105 of delegates from Head Office, UIF, Compensation Fund and the Provinces. The aim of the Symposium was to stimulate debate, concentrating on education, skills and development, health and wellness, institutionalisation of Youth development in the Department and progress on development spear-headed by the National Youth Development Agency.
2. 3. 4. 5.
The aim of the Symposium was to stimulate debate, concentrating on education, skills and development... Frantz Fanon once said; “each generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfill or betray it.” These delegates clearly want to fulfill their mission!
By: Gabriel Mothiba | National Chairperson, Department of Labour Youth Forum
The event was graced by the President of the South African Youth Council, Mr Thulani Tshefuta, Magdalene Moonsamy (COO NYDA), Ms Lerato Molebatsi (DDG Corporate Services), the Director-General Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko and other senior managers. After vigorous discussions from the delegates, these were some of the recommendations: 1.
Succession planning (exposure of young people on supervisory and management responsibilities), Employment targeting of youth in senior management, Create a culture of team work – social cohesion, Training should not be for management alone, these are but a few of the recommendations.
A directorate concentrating on youth,
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ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW AND DESIGN PROGRAMME JUST as a snake sheds its old skin, the Department of Labour is to embark on a watershed Organisational Review and Design programme intended to revitalise the Department. The move towards an Organisational Review and Design project follows last year’s assessment which found out that the Department is not functioning as a single entity and there is generally a lack of uniformity in how it is currently configured, which hampers operational efficiently. The assessment has found that although the Department’s operations were not that bad, the organisation is still driven by the hunger to continuously improve.
optimum number, size and geographical spread and location of service delivery points. “Some service points may not be located near clients. We want to find out what is the ideal situation. Is it ideal to have a super labour centre located nearer a small centre or will it be ideal to have a medium-sized service point?” he asked. The period post December up until February 2013, the focus would be on the organisational structure with emphasis on job profiling and evaluation so as to ensure that people are remunerated appropriately.
The project was informed by last year’s national visit by the Director-General Nkosinathi Nhleko together with senior management to Provinces and the Funds. Nhleko, who joined the Department on 10 May 2011 as part of his hands on orientation, went on a fact finding mission. His provincial consultation process commenced on 7 July 2011 in Limpopo and rounded off with a visit to the Compensation Fund in September 2011.
By: Shadrack Mashalaba | Communication
The DG was accompanied by a delegation of senior managers in the Department. During these visits staff of the department raised a number of issues during the interactions. The latest move is therefore, a response to the problems that were raised by staff during the DG’s national visits. The project will be conducted in various phases starting from 1 August 2012 up to 31 March 2013. After an intensive tender process Delloite & Touche were chosen to run with the project. The Delloite & Touche team will be located at Head Office during the exercise. Key stakeholders, critical for the success of the project that were identified, include staff, organised labour, management and the Department of Public Service and Administration. Director of Human Resources: Management Advisory Services, Bongani Yika, told the Department’s recent Annual Evaluation Workshop held at Muldersdrift, Gauteng, that was attended by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, members of Parliament and senior department’s managers and public entities that “the Organisational Review and Design project was not target at anyone, nor was it going to result in RETRENCHMENTS”. “At the core of the project we are targeting service delivery issues and processes. Decentralisation of duties is at the centre of the project”, Yika said. Yika said what is imperative to the project is that the service provider must take into account, the People Factor. He said by September a business strategy aligned to the business model would be developed. He said this would be followed by what he called a business process and work-load assessment which would be completed by 30 November. According to Yika by 31 December the service provider would by be able to put on the table a report on the assessment of
Yika expects that the proposed changes, once accepted, be approved by the Minister and the DG by March. He said the success of the project depends on the buy-in from all stakeholders. “Change management will form an integral part of the project from beginning to end including skills transfer, so as to maximise the gains achieved. We will also expect out of the exercise to do a skills audit that will ensure that people are placed appropriately in the organisation and that their talents are utilised optimally.” The Department plans to conduct a number of roadshows to brief staff on the project. “The impact out of the exercise, once it is implemented, will make the Department a client-centric and a learning organisation in which the client will always be right. Learning organisations learn from their mistakes. We want to turn the Department into an Eemployer of Choice, making it every youngster’s dream to work for the Department one day. “We want to change the culture of the Department in such a manner that people wish to work for us. I believe that these things will not be achieved if we do not work hand-in-hand. To ensure enhanced communication we will work hand-in-hand with the information communication office to ensure seamless flow of information,” he said. He concluded that: “the success of this programme rests on our shoulders and not that of the service provider”. 6
> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
CHILD LABOUR STILL RIFE IN SA
The Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, has released results of the Survey on the Activities of Young People (SAYP) which showed shocking levels of injuries among children in the workplace over the past 12 months, as well as absenteeism due to child labour from school. The Minister was delivering a keynote address during the National Day Against Child Labour in Tzaneen, Limpopo. The meeting, attended by stakeholders from business, organised labour and civil society organisations, took place under the theme, “Let me be a child.” “The study found that a total of 121 000 children were engaged in market economic activities in 2010. Amongst the worrying findings were that a total of 90 000 children reported having been injured in the past 12 months while doing an economic work activity.
The study, titled “Child Labour and other work related activities in South Africa”, also found that among children engaged in market economic work, 47% of those attending school, had missed five or more days, while among those engaged in nonmarket economic work, this was the case for 50% of those attending schools.
ILO Pretoria Office Director, Vic van Vuuren, said 215 million children world-wide were subjected to child labour and it was time for governments, trade unions, civil society groups and business to cooperate to end the scourge. Norman Mabasa, MEC for Health and Social Development, said they receive children as their clients, especially when they are involved in drug and alcohol abuse. “If you have a farm and you employ a child you are like a man with a gun shooting people,” he said.
The study found that a total of 121 000 children were engaged in market economic activities in 2010
The Minister said South Africa will abide by the International Labour Organisation’s request for the country to lead the campaign to bring neighbouring countries on board to comply with the eradication of the worst forms of child labour.
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By: Mokgadi Pela and Johannes Mokou
“Overall, 4 392 000 children – over 40% of those attending schoo, were reported to have been absent on five or more days since the beginning of the school year. Of those who were absent for five days or more, 59 000 gave as the main reason for their most recent absence a work-related reason if work is broadly defined to include helping at work with household tasks, and looking after their own children and other household members,” she said.
JOBS FAIRS
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2012YOUTH
SYMPOSIUM
1 SWA00% GG!
And a bit of “Social Cohesion” never harmed nobody :)
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> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
SHANDUKA
LABOUR INSPECTORATE STAKEHOLDERS’ MICROSCOPE ON MOKOPANE CBD The Joint Operation Raid conducted by Labour inspectorate and a cabal of stakeholders in Mokopane central and the surrounding villages this week was a success. The sentiments were echoed by the invited stakeholders from SAPS, SARS, Home Affairs (Customs) and Municipal Health and Safety during the debriefing session after the exercise was completed on Thursday.
A lot of discrepancies which led to many complaints within the community were put to rest after the raid
By: Johannes Mokou | PCO: Limpopo
During this two-day raid, which took place on Tuesday and Thursday, over 50 foreign and locally owned wholesale and retail shops were inspected where issues pertaining to the adherence of various legislations were put on the lens. Magda Glover (Ms): Head of the Labour Office in Mokopane, said the raid was quite helpful because a lot of discrepancies which “led to many complaints within the community were put to rest after the raid,” said Glover. She said over 10 foreign nationals were arrested by the Home Affairs on the grounds that they were found to have possessed improper identity documents. Meanwhile Municipal Health and Safety Officials managed to confiscate tons and tons of expired food “some even dating back from 2010, yet put on the shelves for the consumption of the unsuspecting locals.
Concerning the level of compliance, Glover said the level of compliance is at its all -time low and non-existence; with some employees receiving as little as R 400.00 or grocery instate of pay. The current minimum wage on Wholesale and Retail Sector indicates that a General Worker in a shop must be paid an amount of R 2006.64 and “there was no shop that came this close”, she said. Glover said those who were found to have contravened this clause were made to pay on the spot and those who couldn’t were given time to pay in three months installments. She said issues pertaining to the issuing of pay slips, written particulars of employer, contract of employment and leaves were purely nonexistence and the process had to be started from scratch. On matters surrounding the registration of employees on Compensation of Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Glover said employers were found not be complying “and this becomes a problem because when employees are dismissed or injured at work, they are left in the cold. She said she is hopeful that the raid have sent a shiver through the spines of other non-complying employers in and around the Central Business District and would prompt them to comply with all pieces of legislations without being pushed. She said a follow-up inspection has been planned within the next few weeks with an aim of checking if all the discrepancies found were attended to.
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> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 <
GOOD TIMES ABOUT TO ROLL FOR SECURITY INDUSTRY WORKERS
may lead in the collapse of businesses while at the same time avoiding a situation where people just go to work for the sake of going without anything to show.” Mtsweni said. The current minimum wage dispensation which stands at R 2 093 for the sector expires on 31 August 2012. This therefore means that a new minimum wage dispensation for the sector needs to be published by 01 September 2012.
Well over 100 000 Private Security industry workers are set to benefit from a hectic program of public briefings into the wages and conditions of employment following a series of meetings conducted in Limpopo this week.
The ECC is the body which advices the Minister of Labour on wages and other conditions of employment in various sectors. Titus Mtsweni, Acting Director: Employment Standards in the Department of Labour, said the timing of the sessions was ideal in that they took place before the annual increment of wages on September 01. “We would like to hear what the industry stakeholders are suggesting before Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant puts her pen to paper on the proposals. The issue here is to find out whether the sector can carry the proposed changes of employment conditions including the changes in minimum wages without creating a burden that
He said issues to be considered in determining the appropriate level of minimum wages should consider amongst others the ability by employers to conduct business successfully, creation and retention of employment; effect on small business, alleviation of poverty and cost of living. Reacting to the demands by the security industry workers for the medical aid scheme to be introduced, Mtsweni said more research still needs to be done before a commitment can be made around this issue.
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By: Johannes Mokou | PCO: Limpopo
The briefing sessions – which are part of the investigations by the Department of Labour’s Employment Conditions Commission (ECC) - started on Tuesday in Thohoyandou and proceeded to Tzaneen before concluding in Polokwane on Friday. The sessions, which were also held simultaneously in the Eastern Cape, drew an enthusiastic audience from the industry players ranging from owners of private security firms, trade unionists, employees and government officials.
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THOUSANDS BENEFIT FROM THE DEPARTMENT’S JOB CREATION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES 131 (75 percent) were settled within 90 days,” he said. In terms of Public Employment Services (PES), he said a total of 65 347 job seekers were provided with career counseling and guidance. “A total 25 814 job seekers were referred for work placement opportunities and 12 801 were successfully placed. During the same period, 451 950 job seekers were referred to the Unemployment Insurance Fund for benefits payment,” he said.
The Department of Labour has managed to conduct inspections in 200 000 workplaces country-wide to ensure 80 percent compliance with various aspects of labour legislations during the financial year 2010/11, a meeting was told in Parliament on Wednesday. Addressing a Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises hearing in Cape Town, acting Director General of the Department Sam Morotoba said the inspections were aimed at protecting vulnerable workers in line with the Departmental mandate. Morotoba indicated that the Department was finalizing annual report the 2011/12 financial year for presentation in September. He said 192 129 workplaces were inspected and audited. These resulted in an impressive compliance rate of 77 percent.
By: Johannes Mokou | PCO: Limpopo
“In terms of our achievements resulting from the inspections, 378 of these inspections were conducted in high risk sectors to enforce compliance with Occupational Health and Safety aspects. High risk includes chemical, iron and steel as well as construction” Morotoba said.
Sam Morotoba said the inspections were aimed at protecting vulnerable workers in line with the Departmental mandate
He said the Department held seminars in iron and steel, hospitality, forestry as well as construction during the same period. He said a total of 1021 shop stewards were trained in Employment Equity Act (EEA), Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) as well Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCSA). Morotoba said the Department had managed to resolve 80 percent of the complaints received. “A total of 120 566 from a figure of 154 441 complaints received were investigated and 116
He said 8 732 workers injured in the course of employment were referred to the Compensation Fund for benefits while 7 217 job seekers were referred for skills development opportunities.
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> Staff Communiqué – August 2012 < in the Eastern Cape as was implemented by Amatola Water Board and later by the Independent Development Trust respectively. The programme is a multi-departmental poverty alleviation initiative by government.
GAMA PROMOTED The Department of Labour (DoL) has appointed Bheki Gama to a position of Chief Director: Provincial Operations Eastern Cape with effect from 01 July 2012. Gama was until his latest appointment Director: Human Resources Management, a position he assumed in July 2007. Gama holds an Honours degree in Social Sciences with specialization in Industrial Relations from Rhodes University; a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree from the former University of Transkei, now called Walter Sisulu University and a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 7 Diploma in Labour Law from the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology. Prior to joining the Department in 2001 as Regional Manager of Lusikisiki Labour Centre, he worked at Working for Water Programme
At Lusikisiki he contributed in profiling the services of the Department in the region. His interaction with stakeholders led to the establishment of Mount Ayliff: Labour Centre to assist the communities of Alfred Nzo District Municipality with service delivery. The Labour Centre was subsequently launched in April 2005. He joined the Sub-directorate: Training and Development at Head Office as an Assistant Director in December 2004 where he was exposed to Human Resource Development committees such as the Local and National Review Boards and the National Review Panel. In May 2006 he was promoted and transferred to Regional Manager: Germiston Labour Centre in Gauteng, a higher level post. While in Gauteng, Mr Gama set as a member of various committees such as Sub-tender Committee, Local Review Board and the Provincial Management Committee. He brings with him a wealth of experience from the coalface of service delivery as well as that of strategy in the fields of Human Resources Management and Development and Employment Relations. A former student leader and a youth development activist, Mr Gama served at various capacities in the Student Representative Council and the University Council where he got exposure to strategic and transformational processes. He also served as a volunteer community radio presenter at Link FM (97.0 MHz) in East London. Mr Gama is married and is a father of four.
NEW CIO TO DRIVE THE POST- PPP ICT STRATEGY
Thabo Sefali (37) has been appointed the new Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Department of Labour effective 1 April 2012. In this position, Sefali joins the Department at the time when it is on the throes of an exit plan from a 10-year, billion rand Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Siemens. Sefali will be responsible for all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related functions as well as playing a role in the developing and execution of the Department’s new ICT strategy, which he says: “is in the final leg of drafting and would be unveiled at the end of this month for approval”. The Department/Siemens public private partnership (PPP) ends in November 2012. The service transfer hand over process is planned to begin in September. The initial Siemens - the multi-disciplinary solutions provider of automation, communication networks, technologies and consumer products’ - contract was valued at R1,2 billion over a 10year period. At its conclusion in November it would have shot up to R1,9 billion, factoring in the consumer price index and expenditure on additional services. “In the short-term the focus is to ensure the stability of the organisation and a smooth transition until the end of the contract into a new integrated ICT strategy. We do not have a choice. The contract is coming to an end, and we need a strategy to map our future. “Post the exit strategy, we intend to become a vibrant ICT organisation that has an internal capacity something that we missed with the PPP. Where necessary we will have resort to multiple sourcing options to beef up capacity. We are looking at modernising the organisation into a paperless entity that
The IT-passionate Sefali was born in Nyanga in the Western Cape. He matriculated at Sithembele Matiso in New Crossroads, near Nyanga. After passing Matric in 1993 and attending further classes at Head Start College in Cape Town his journey into IT was formally carved in 1995 when he registered for a Computer Programming course at WS & L Training College in Kenilworth, Cape Town. Sefali says he became fixated into IT during his involvement in youth development organisations where he was an organiser and also realised how technology could be used for social development and advancement. No sooner had he graduated from WS & L Training that he hit the ground running and joined financial services group Old Mutual where he worked for three years. Soon after leaving the company he consulted for Anglo American and Anglo Gold as an independent contractor through IBM contractor programme. Between 2000-2006 his career accelerated tremendously when he joined retail group Woolworths as an analyst programmer rising through the ranks from being processor analyst and left as an IT process manager. After that he changed tack and joined public sector where he worked as IT operations manager in the Water Affairs Department until 2008. He later branched into Rural Development Department and Land Reform where he was appointed an IT Director until an opportunity beckoned for him to join the Department of Labour. With Siemens expected to leave behind a solid infrastructure including systems, servers and human capital he says, “we will be starting a new era on a foundation of strength”. Sefali is optimistic of the future, saying innovation would be a common feature to future success. His vision is also growing the IT skills base of the country with the department playing a leading role. For Sefali it is now a case of using the opportunity and make a “catastrophic success” of it.
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By: Shadrack Mashalaba | Communication
would contribute to green initiatives while ensuring that our services are accessible to the public through various platforms including online, mobile, advanced contact centres and other possible channels through partnering with industry,” Sefali.
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END-USER DEVICE REFRESH stored on the server at all times. If Siemens replaces a device and the user-data still resides on such device at the time of replacement, then such user-data could be lost as Siemens is not required to back up the user-data. You are therefore advised to start storing and saving your data on the server under the drive allocated to you with your persal number
As you would have already noticed, Siemens is currently busy with the End-User Device Refresh (referred to as the refresh project) as per the Public Private Partnership Agreement. Siemens is required to refresh the End-User Devices per device class based on the agreed contractual requirements and contractual baselines this include the server room, printers and computers. The refresh for the computers has started on the 21 February 2012 in the Gauteng area for the following three main buildings: Compensation Fund, Laboria House and the UIF. The Compensation-refresh is in progress currently and the two later buildings will follow on completion of the refresh of the Compensation Fund and its subsidiary building Benstra.The Provinces will follow later. This exercise does not mean that when users experience technical problems with their current hardware that these must not be reported, problems must be reported continuously through following the normal call logging process. Please note the following: • Siemens will not provide any user-training for Windows 7 and Office 2010 during the installation of the new devices. The Department should therefore ensure that all users are adequately trained on Windows 7 and Office 2010
By: Isaac Modise | Communication
• Not all devices will be replaced. The device refresh is based on the oldest devices in the environment being refreshed first, this includes printers
• For the sake of clarity, Siemens shall timeously communicate to the user which device will be deployed. This communication is in no way a request for consent but merely a courtesy. If a user, of any level of seniority, does not accept a thin-client device, then Siemens will leave such device onsite, at the Department’s risk. The-user has to follow the correct Departmental escalation procedure to resolve such issues
Not all devices will be replaced. The device refresh is based on the oldest devices in the environment being refreshed first • If Siemens is required to revisit the user due to the above, Siemens will charge the Department for the additional costs thereof. If the user is not available to receive the new device on the date specified in the communication plan and Siemens is required to revisit the user, then Siemens will charge the Department for the additional costs associated with the rework and scheduling thereof • Devices will be deployed with standard software. Siemens will not transfer any illegal or unauthorised software applications to the new device unless specifically instructed by the OCIO. If such software is approved for deployment by OCIO, then the Department has to provide Siemens with the original license and installation disks • If the Department requires any deviation from the Technology Refresh Service provisions in the Agreement then the Contractual Change Management Process needs to be followed. Siemens shall inform the Department if such a deviation is possible in light of the restricted timelines the parties are faced with.
• A situation could arise where two users have an old device however only one of the users will receive a new device. • A number of end-users who currently have desktop computers will be refreshed with thin-client devices in alignment with the contractual conditions • A number of end-users who currently have laptops will be refreshed with fat client or thin-client devices. All users are advised of the following aspects to consider to ensure minimum impact related to the change: • As per Departmental policy all user data is required to be
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OVERVIEW OF THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMMES IN THE WORKPLACE
The employee health and wellness programmes as outlined by the Public Service Employee Health and Wellness Strategic Framework consist of the following four programmes: A. HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB Management Programmes The programme addressed different aspects relating to HIV, STIs and TB management drawing its mandate from the HIV/AIDS, and STI’s National Strategic Plan 2012-2016. B. Health and Productivity Management Health and Productivity Management in the work place is the management of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, occupational injuries, disability and occupational diseases so as to reduce the burden of disease by early entry into disease management programs in order to enhance productivity within the Department. C. Safety, Health, Environment, Risk and Quality Management This Programme provides an overview of how public service organisations should go about anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling risks in the workplace with the objective of protecting worker health and well-being and safeguarding the community at large.
The intended outcome of SHERQ program is controlling of health hazards within the department and to protect employee’s health and well-being and to safeguard the departmental environment.
D. Wellness Management The Wellness Management programme is oriented around four sub-programmes: individual physical wellness; individual psychosocial wellness; organizational wellness; and work-life balance. BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELLESS PROGRAMMES The following are some of the benefits which an employee and the employer would derive from participating in the employee health and wellness programmes: • • • •
• • • • •
Reduce work related stress Strengthen the bond between management and employees Reduce costs related to absenteeism, presenteeism, sick leave and ill-health Assist with retention and attraction of scares skills Lessen employee disciplinary problems.
PROCEDURE FOR ACCESSING EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMMES. Employee health and wellness programmes, particularly Wellness Management; HIV and AIDS, STI’s and TB management programmes could be accessed through the use of either the following option: A. Self- Referral • When troubled employees seek the advice of a professional directly, it is known as a case of self- referral. • Employee may call for information or to make appointments without the knowledge or participation of their supervisor. B. Informal Referral • A Supervisor, family member, friends or colleagues may recommend the employee to EHW professionals get immediate assistance for personal problems. • The recommendation is done in a private and supportive manner. C. Formal/Mandatory/Supervisory Referral • Supervisor makes a formal referral to EHWP when an employee’s work performance is declining. EHWP professional will then assist the employee to address problems that may contribute to the decline in work performance. Employee Health and Wellness Programmes are guided by the following principles: Confidentiality; Voluntarism; Provision of equal and dignified treatment, care and support; Impartiality; Neutrality; Accessibility; and Flexibility and adaptability. HOW TO REACH US: The Department has established a sub-directorate under Chief Directorate Human Resource Management which deals with Employee Health and Wellness. The unit is staffed by professionals who are based at Head Office but responsible for the whole department with the assistance of Wellness Champions at Provinces, and Funds. The EHWP progessionals could be reached at:
LABORIA HOUSE 4th Floor > Offices 463, 464, 465 and 469. Tel: 012 308 4795/ 4638, 4818, 4448. Email: ehwp@labour.gov.za.
Increased productivity Reduced turnover of staff and increase work life Decrease work related accidents and focuses on safety Improves motivation and morale 15
By: Shadrack Mashalaba | Communication
Employee Health and Wellness Programmes in the Public Service are rapidly transforming the nature of holistic support provided to employees to ensure risk management, occupational health, safety, productivity and wellness of employees and their immediate family members. The vision of the public service employee health and wellness programme is to provide programmes that can develop and maintain healthy, dedicated, responsive and productive employees who can add value.
LIGHTEN UP!!
“A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.”
A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring. This man knows his co-worker to be a somewhat conservative fellow, so naturally he’s curious about the sudden change in fashion sense. The man walks up to his co-worker and says, “I didn’t know you were into earrings.” “Don’t make such a big deal, it’s only an earring,” he replies sheepishly. “Well, I’m curious,” begged the man, “how long have you been wearing an earring?” HOW TO LOOK BUSY
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Never walk down the hall without a document in your hands. People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re heading for the cafeteria. People with the newspaper in their hands look like they’re heading for the bathroom. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.
2.
Messy desk. Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like you’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the casual observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.
“Er, ever since my wife found it in our bed.”
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