Super Useful Website for the Employee

Do you know the basic conditions under which you should – be law – by employed?

Go to: http://www.labour.gov.za/ to find out The Basic Conditions of Employment, Occupational Health & Safety Act, info on UIF and much, much more relating to employment information.

Knowing your rights in the work place, as well as keeping abreast of amendments to employment legislation, is essential for the Administrative Assistant.

A visit to the site is highly recommended. The site is user friendly, comprehensive and up to date. It is very easy to find what you are looking for, and also very easy to navigate through the site. The information contained on the site is extremely useful!

I was amazed to discover how much information an employee is entitled to receive upon commencement of employment. I am including a little snippet from the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (No. 75 of 1997):

Chapter 4 : Particulars of employment and remuneration
29. Written particulars of employment
(1) An employer must supply an employee, when the employee commences employment, with the following particulars in writing—
(a) the full name and address of the employer;
(b) the name and occupation of the employee, or a brief description of the work for which the employee is employed;
(c) the place of work, and, where the employee is required or permitted to work at various places, an indication of this;
(d) the date on which the employment began;
(e) the employee’s ordinary hours of work and days of work;
(f) the employee’s wage or the rate and method of calculating wages;
(g) the rate of pay for overtime work;
(h) any other cash payments that the employee is entitled to;
(i) any payment in kind that the employee is entitled to and the value of the payment in kind;
(j) how frequently remuneration will be paid;
(k) any deductions to be made from the employee’s remuneration;
(l) the leave to which the employee is entitled;
(m) the period of notice required to terminate employment, or if employment is for a specified period, the date when employment is to terminate;
(n) a description of any council or sectoral determination which covers the employer’s business;
(o) any period of employment with a previous employer that counts towards the employee’s period of employment;
(p) a list of any other documents that form part of the contract of employment, indicating a place that is reasonably accessible to the employee where a copy of each may be obtained.
(2) When any matter listed in subsection (1) changes—
(a) the written particulars must be revised to reflect the change; and
(b) the employee must be supplied with a copy of the document reflecting the change.
(3) If an employee is not able to understand the written particulars, the employer must ensure that they are explained to the employee in a language and in a manner that the employee understands.
(4) Written particulars in terms of this section must be kept by the employer for a period of three years after the termination of employment.

This information was obtained from: http://www.labour.gov.za/legislation/acts/basic-conditions-of-employment/read-online/amended-basic-conditions-of-employment-act-25

Bosses Day

Yesterday South Africa celebrated Bosses Day.
While administrative assistants the land over voice strong opinions about the celebrations of Secretary’s Day, bosses seem to have very little to say about Bosses Day. Perhaps they are too busy to notice; perhaps their focus lay elsewhere, perhaps they don’t even know about it!
And unlike secretary’s, bosses cannot resign when their employees fail to recognise Bosses Day (good thing for us PA's! :)

If you work for a wonderful boss who treats you well, recognises and rewards your contributions, understands you and your work style and shares the occasional smile, then know that you have 'struck gold'.

At my latest book club meeting, the conversation fell upon the topic of bosses: I was amazed to learn how many of those present disliked their bosses.

While I would find it very draining to work both with and for someone whom I dislike, there were stories aplenty about bosses who treat their employees with little respect and about bosses' nasty behaviour - stories that gave me the shivers!

One story, in particular, stood out: an acquaintance working as a qualified professional in a corporate environment took ill. For 3 days, she was very sick with a bad flu and throat infection. She had been working at the company for over 2 years, and this was the first time that she had taken sick leave. At her salary review, her boss pointed out the fact that she had taken 3 days sick leave which – according to him – was completely unacceptable.

Not only was I horrified after hearing this story, I was downright disgusted! Her boss did not recognise the fact that she was always on time, put in tons of extra effort, worked extra hours without pay and was a faithful and loyal employee. Instead, he chose to focus on the only so-called 'negative' aspect in her job thus far!

Working for a cruel or rude boss can make life very difficult at work.
If you have a good boss, value them.
If your boss makes you want to run for the hills, then you have my sympathy - and I suggest that you job hunt real soon before you stress too much. Good Luck!

The November issue of True Love magazine has an excellent article of different types of bosses and how to handle them. Visit www.truelove.co.za to find out more. You can pick up a copy of True Love at your local newsagent or supermarket (South Africa).

Telephone Tips

Have you ever telephoned a company and had to deal with an unprofessional-sounding representative?
Have you ever telephoned a company and dealt with an amazingly professional, courteous representative?
The manner in which business telephone conversations are handled is extremely important – both for your own and for your company’s image.

The travel agency that I deal with has the most impressive telephonist – she is courteous, friendly, empathetic and extremely professional. The travel agent who handles my reservations is exactly the same - courteous, friendly, empathetic and extremely professional. What impression do I have of this company? I have the impression that they are professional and that they will handle all my travel arrangements superbly. I never actually deal with them face to face – all our correspondence is done on the telephone, therefore the impression that I have of them by corresponding with them over the telephone is so important.

The importance of good telephonic correspondence cannot be emphasised enough.
Because the person on the other end of the line cannot see your facial expressions, they rely on what they hear, to be able to gauge the mood and feelings, or ‘atmosphere’ surrounding the conversation.
Because, as administrative professionals, we handle many telephonic conversations everyday, it is important that we do not overlook it’s importance.

This is what I do to ensure that I represent both myself and the company that I work for accordingly, over the telephone.

• Remember that clients (both internal and external) are the most important part of your job, and they need to be treated as such
• No matter how busy you are, always make it appear as if the person on the other end of the line has your undivided attention
• Do not conduct a professional telephonic conversation whilst drinking, eating or chewing
• If you have another call holding, or if you wish to transfer a call, let the caller know what you intend to do, before you put them on hold or transfer them. E.G.: “I am now going to transfer your call to accounts, please hold while I transfer you”
• Do not keep clients holding for long periods of time – rather take a message, or return their call
• When necessary, thank the caller for their call – especially if they have returned a call
• Answer with a happy voice, but don’t sound overly chirpy – you still want to sound professional!
• Refrain from using ‘by-names’ like ‘babes’, ‘honey’, darl’, and so forth with callers, even callers who you have been dealing with regularly. Yes, it happens... and it is not professional
• When taking telephone messages, ask for the caller’s name, telephone number and company and write this information on the message slip
• Never divulge sensitive information over the telephone
• When handling an irate caller, keep calm and try your best to behave in as professional and calm a manner as possible. Empathise with the caller, and give them a chance to speak. Offer a solution to the problem wherever possible
• Always return calls
• Always pass on telephonic messages as soon as possible
• Keep a pen and notepad nearby to take messages
• Smile when you talk – your smile will show in your voice!
  

A word on Employment Contracts

If you’re employed, chances are that you have an employment contract.
If you are in process of seeking employment or have already been offered a job then you will most certainly receive an Employment Contract to sign, from your prospective employers.

An employment contract is a legal document, and, while you are probably very honoured to have landed your dream job, remember that you still need to read through your employment contract very carefully.

You have the right to peruse your Employment Contract at your own leisure. Never feel pressured to sign it immediately. A professional company will give you time to read through your full contract before signing it.
Be very wary of being pressured into signing your contract, without having had the time to peruse it.
If it is a basic contract, you should be given at least 24 hours from the time that you receive your contract to the time that your employers expect it to be signed and returned. You should also be given a copy of the contract that you signed. Do not feel pressured to sign the contract, before reading through it thoroughly and seeking advice from a labour law consultant (if necessary).
Also be aware of any addendums that you will be required to sign. This could include an internet policy or a confidentiality clause.
Remember that once you sign an Employment Contract, you have an obligation to fulfil that contract, and to perform your duties to the best of your ability. If you feel unsure about the company that you are going to work for, the work that you will be required to do, or anything else, then think carefully before signing.

Some issues to check before signing (remember that it’s often the small things that are taken for granted or overlooked!):

• Notice period (including during and after Probation period)
• Probation period
• Leave days available to you
• Sick/Family/Study/Annual leave policy
• Job Description – ask for a job description, as this is usually not included in your EC
• Issues pertaining to 13th / 14th cheques, annual bonuses, performance bonuses
• Your title – (you do not want to find out that you have been listed as ‘Receptionist’ when you are in fact doing the duties of an Executive PA!)

A good idea is to get someone that you trust to read through your contract – this could be a spouse, partner, parent or good friend. If you know someone with a legal background, ask them to assist you in this regard.
Keep a copy of your EC on a safe place.

And remember the 3 golden rules:

Read
your employment contract carefully
Think
carefully about what you are signing
Seek
advice from someone with labour law knowledge, if you are in any doubt about anything in your contract

Responses: Secretary's Day Article

Thank you for your responses to the previous article (Secretary’s Day – How important is it?, 26 September 2008).
I am including some of the responses below.

If you would like your opinion to be considered for publishing on this blog, please mail me at: officeshana@gmail.com
Please include your name, occupation, industry in which you work and the number of years that you have been in the administrative profession. Please indicate what details you would like included with your comment.

"Secretaries Day is important but I don't think it's reason enough to resign if your boss forgets it all the time. There were obviously other underlying issues that caused that secretary to resign"
Barbara, Admin. Assistant, 11 years experience

Andrea - whose story was published in the previous article - responds:
"I definitely did not resign solely because of the Secretaries Day issue. There were other reasons."


“To a secretary, Secretarys Day is a very important day in the year. The only people that will say it’s not an important day is someone who is not a secretary”
Carmen, 12 years experience

“I hope bosses are listening here: Secretaries like to be rewarded on Secretaries Day. Please remember!”
Michelle, PA, 9 years experience

“I have been a secretary in the same company for 15 years. I am never off sick and I do a good job. Never in 15 years have I received even a chocolate on Sec’s Day. It would be nice to be acknowledged for my contribution to the company.”
Zaida, 17 years experience

“Secretary’s Day is an important day because it celebrates Secretaries. I think bosses should realise this and come to the party.”
Rene, PA, 8 years experience

"Although it's no reason to resign it is an important day for Secretaries the world over. We're not asking for expensive gifts we just want a small token of appreciation. Although the expensive gifts wouldn't be that bad at all :-)"
Joy, 5 years experience

"A note to bosses - All year long we make you coffee, work late, handle your demands with a smile and work very very hard. The least you can do is say 'Happy Secretary's Day' and thank us for all that we do".

M., 9 years experience

“It is such a horrible feeling when the day passes on Secretary’s Day and all your admin friends are telling you what nice presents they got and your company gives you absolutely nothing not even a card.”
Sharon, Secretary

“If bosses make an effort to remember Secretaries Day then it shows how much of an interest they take. It feels good to know that your boss recognises and acknowledges your best efforts and it means a lot when bosses remember to do so on Secretaries Day”
Karen, 10 years experience

“Employers should also think beyond buying flowers. Nice gifts to receive on Secretarys Day would be gift vouchers, lunch or breakfast, or a voucher for a beauty treatment so we can treat ourselves because we work so hard”
Liesel, Secretary, 7 years experience

“I think that bosses and companies need to be reminded of Secretarys Day. Maybe there should be a company that actually has a service like that to remind companies and bosses. It could be named The Secretary Day Reminder Service. Now isn’t that a nice business idea.”
Nix, 2 years experience

“When I worked in an office there was always an issue with Secretaries Day. Either they forgot or bought dime-store gifts (not good!). Now I am self-employed and I treat myself on Secretaries Day. If your company doesn’t treat you on Secretaries Day, then do it yourself because you’re worth it”
Janice, Entrepreneur, Marketing Industry, 14 years experience