Phew. We’re coming into the home stretch … December. For many of us it will be a time to kick back and relax. We’re going to eat a lot more, read more, sleep more and chill out more. December might also be a time for reflection on the year that was. What worked? What didn’t? And, it might also be a time for looking into the future. What are the plans for next year? What goals need to be achieved? For me the challenge with future-thinking is that we always leave it for tomorrow (obviously). Have you ever caught yourself saying things like, “I’ll start on Monday” or “I’ll start in the new year”? It’s almost like we’re building up a head of steam to get started. Here’s a question? What’s wrong with deciding to start right now … this instant? Why do we have to wait until the new year to start something amazing or even mundane? What gets me through this human endeavour is that I see each day as a totally new life for me. So, even if I messed up yesterday, today I can start over and make choices that better serve me. And, if I mess up again today, I can start over tomorrow. This way my whole life is in cycles of 24 hours and I can consciously choose my outcomes every day. For me there’s no point in starting something in the new year that I can start today. I suppose what I’m saying is that I treat every day like a new year. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. http://www.jacquesdevilliers.co.za

1. Volksrust Recorder - Column/Rubrieke10 Recorder 4 December 2015
Employerofdomestichelp?
8% increase to strike South
Africa as of 1 December 2015
By Madelein Taljaard (van der Watt),
Development Manager at Sage HR &
Payroll – Pastel Division
In SouthAfrica, 6% of domestic employees
make up a large amount of the employee
workforce, which is under regulation by the
Ministry of Labour. The use of domestic
employees for households in South Africa
is an imperative to some. These employees
not only clean the house and do the ironing,
they often cook, look after the children and
walk the dog. It remains mostly a female
domain and a few formal skills are needed to
get hired.
Assuch,from1December2015,theminimum
wage for domestic employees will increase
by 8% which results in R2, 230.70 a month.
In rural areas, the rate is with R1, 993.82
slightly lower.
As pivotal as it is to many people, this
service is still shown little value when it
comes to wages. Domestic employees often
need to survive low wages that are not
enough to cover their basic needs. Excuses
by employers for this range from
accusations of not properly doing the job,
theft and even arguments that food and a
room is provided for.
A simple but powerful tool to calculate the
domestic employees’ wages is the Living
Wage Calculator by Code for South Africa,
an NGO based in Cape Town. This allows
for you to calculate whether you are paying
your domestic employee enough each month
to cover their basic needs.
Based on this, minimum wages pay for a mere
88% of 1 person’s household living costs.
Three quarters of all domestic employees are
the sole income providers in their
households, often looking after 3 or more
family members. If so, minimum wage only
covers 44% or even less of their needs. This
is not enough to escape poverty.
Working full time, they are entitled to 3
weeks of paid leave as well as a reasonable
number of days of sick leave per year. Work
on Sundays or a public holiday needs to be
compensated at a higher rate.
It takes only a few steps to be a responsible
employer of a domestic employee.As in any
other job:
* Interview the candidate.
* Have an employment contract as stated in
the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.
* Be very clear about the job description
and make sure all duties and timeframes are
understood by the domestic employee.
* All tools to do the job need to be provided.
* If disagreements occur, raise and solve
them immediately.
~Sage HR & Payroll~
Change
Your
Story
With Jacques de Villiers
VolksrustSemeBusinessColumn
2015/2016 Domestic worker wages
FNB ATM
available
in store
Access
Point
Miltec
Products
Wakkerstroom
Phew. We’re coming into the home stretch
… December. For many of us it will be a time
to kick back and relax. We’re going to eat a
lot more, read more, sleep more and chill out
more.
December might also be a time for reflection
on the year that was. What worked? What
didn’t? And, it might also be a time for
looking into the future. What are the plans
for next year? What goals need to be
achieved?
For me the challenge with future-thinking is
that we always leave it for tomorrow
(obviously). Have you ever caught yourself
saying things like, “I’ll start on Monday” or
“I’ll start in the new year”?
It’s almost like we’re building up a head of
steam to get started. Here’s a question?
What’s wrong with deciding to start right
now … this instant? Why do we have to
wait until the new year to start something
amazing or even mundane?
What gets me through this human
endeavour is that I see each day as a totally
new life for me. So, even if I messed up
yesterday, today I can start over and make
choices that better serve me. And, if I mess
up again today, I can start over tomorrow.
This way my whole life is in cycles of 24
hours and I can consciously choose my
outcomes every day.
For me there’s no point in starting something
in the new year that I can start today. I
suppose what I’m saying is that I treat every
day like a new year. Don’t put off until
tomorrow what you can do today.
Don't Wait
For Tomorrow
ALL
ADVERTISERSTAKENOTE:
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TUESDAYS 15:00
For further information:
Jacques de Villiers
jacques@jacquesdevilliers.com
082 906 3693