Our Labour Specialist Provides Insights
Employment Equity Submission in South Africa
Martilize van Kradenburg
Martilize holds a BA Honors (Psych.) and is the Principal Partner at LabourExcel for Durbanville. With more than 15 years’ experience in Human Resources, Martilize puts the “human” in Human Resources by guiding Employers to follow a “human approach” whilst maintaining professionalism and discipline. Martilize has two little girls and loves movie nights, especially if it is a true crime or a docuseries.
Author: Martilize van Kradenburg
Martilize holds a BA Honors (Psych.) and is the Principal Partner at LabourExcel for Durbanville. With more than 15 years’ experience in Human Resources, Martilize puts the “human” in Human Resources by guiding Employers to follow a “human approach” whilst maintaining professionalism and discipline. Martilize has two little girls and loves movie nights, especially if it is a true crime or a docuseries.
Why Employment Equity (EE) Matters for South African Businesses
When we hear Employment Equity (EE) we think of it as a compliance exercise; but it is also a strategic tool helping businesses to use their long-term company goals with their people.
Employment Equity is more than often seen as a quick tick box exercise, businesses should rather embrace it to inspire growth, innovation and to create a workforce that reflects the potential and diversity of South Africa.
Also, consider reading more about the difference between a Labour Lawyer and HR Manager.
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What does the New Employment Equity Legislation mean
- The Employment Equity Amendment Act, 2023 aims to accelerate workplace transformation by implementing stricter regulations.
- If you are a business with 50 or more employees, you must comply with newly established sectoral targets set by the Minister of Employment and Labour.
By simply integrating EE into your business strategy your company can ensure compliance and use diversity as a business strength.
Step-by-Step Checklist for Employment Equity Compliance
The below checklist is a guide to give an idea of what you would need to put in place for your business to implement and manage Employment Equity (EE):
- Conduct companywide EE awareness campaign. Make everyone aware of what your business wants to do and get their buy in and give some ownership.
- Vote/Assign a Senior EE Manager – this is done on a legal appointment letter.
- Appoint an EE committee that represents the workforce. Where roles are defined, and each person has specific responsibilities.
- Conduct Barrier Analysis to set realistic targets in HR practices that can include recruitment, promotion and skills development of designated groups.
- Put measures in place to prevent any unfair discrimination in the above practices.
- Conduct demographic analysis in order to set numerical goals and targets based on newly established sectoral targets by the minister.
- Create a 5-year EE plan
- Submit the EE report annually before the 15th of January deadline for manual submissions or mid-January for online submissions.
- Monitor, Review & Adjust
Need a Labour Lawyer in South Africa?
Why Having HR Advice on Hand Matters
The working environment as we know it today is complex and the Employment Equity Act Compliance does not make it easier.
Having access to HR expertise is more than just a need, it’s essential. An HR expert can assist you with compliance, managing internal processes and save you millions in fines!
