Job Search Advice, Labour Law Discussions, Side Hustle Ideas and More…
Nobody is ever really ready for a retrenchment. One morning your manager asks you to step into a meeting you were not expecting, and the words 'operational requirements' and 'Section 189 process' start appearing in sentences directed at you. In that moment, most employees...
This guide explains Section 18 in full: exactly what it says, what each of the four payment scenarios means in practice, who is covered, who is not, how to calculate what you are owed at any salary level, the special rules for shift workers...
Last updated: March 2026 | Reading time: 16 minutes | Based on the Unemployment Insurance Act, 2026 UIF regulations, and confirmed benefit rates | For: Employed women in South Africa preparing for or currently on maternity leave If you are pregnant and employed in...
If you work in a hotel, restaurant, guest house, game lodge, coffee shop, pub, fast food outlet, or any related hospitality business in South Africa, Sectoral Determination 14 (SD14) governs your employment relationship. It sets the minimum standards for your wages, working hours, leave,...
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration — the CCMA — is the single most important institution for South African workers who have a dispute with their employer. It is free to use. You do not need a lawyer to start the process. And...
Being dismissed from your job is one of the most stressful things that can happen to you. Whether it came after a disciplinary process you felt was unfair, without any warning at all, or through a resignation that you were effectively forced into, the...
Imagine this: you’ve accepted a better job, or you feel something in your current role is no longer working. You type out that resignation email and hit send. But then questions race through your mind: “Do I have to keep working till the very...
Dismissals are one of the most fraught interactions between employer and employee. A decision that goes wrong can damage careers, reputations, and trust. On 4 September 2025, the South African government gazetted a new Code of Good Practice on Dismissal, officially replacing the older...
South Africa’s top court has rewritten the rules on parental leave. On Friday, 3 October 2025, the Constitutional Court confirmed that the old setup in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act was unconstitutional because it treated different kinds of parents differently. The Court then...
Family responsibility leave is an important provision covered in South African labour law. It has been put in place to ensure that employees can take care of important family matters without worrying about sacrificing job security or losing income. This guide will help you understand...
So you are expecting a baby in the near future. Emotions are high, and your excitement for this new addition to your family is unexplainable. The last thing you need during this time is work-related stress! Fortunately, South African labour law is very clear...
If you are working in South Africa, you have probably wondered, “How much rest time am I supposed to get between work shifts or at the end of the week?” or “Can my boss make me work seven days straight?” These are all really...
If an employee fails to follow the rules/regulations or performance standards of the company, what are the disciplinary measures available for employers? This is a question I recently received from a manager of a small company. And after answering him directly via E-Mail I thought...
The BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act) makes a few basic employee rights exceptionally clear. It deals with things like hours of work, leave, payment of remuneration, termination of employment, and methods of enforcement. Every employee should know their rights, and in fact, your...
What do you do if your employer refuses to pay you your salary for work done? Fortunately, this is not a very common problem because most employers are decent and pay their staff correctly. Usually, the problem over non-payment arises when a staff member...
