De Novo Human Resources

01/06/2026

Settlement Agreements at the CCMA are subject to tax deductions.

The clauses in the settlement agreement makes specific reference to this so the employee can't plead ignorance and expect the employer to cover the tax that is due on the amount.

29/05/2026

As a Human Resource service provider, we pride ourselves on working with clients who have good reputations, but more importantly, good values and character.

Britannia Hotel is one such client.

I had a meeting and the family were starving after running errands. They had fish cake starters before I joined them for a late lunch.

Twin one and dad had butter chicken with rice/ naan and twin two had prawn and chicken curry with rice. I tried the mutton bunny.

For the mild palette, the butter chicken was perfect with the super succulent chicken pieces in a tomato-creamy sauce that goes easy on the tummy. Butter chicken indeed.

The prawn-chicken curry went down well. The balancing act of tender prawn with chicken pieces was perfectly executed, and packed with flavour. One big flavour bomb in every bite.

The bunny chow was the star of the show. Most appreciated was that the flavour wasn't hidden beneath a layer of cholesterol. It was just enough oil to bring the elements together.

The portion sizes were substantial enough to be two servings each. Loved the amount of salads with each meal and the waitress trying to tempt us into something sweet for dessert.

The cakes on display looked heavenly but there was simply no space this time around.

It's no wonder the establishment has stood the test of time, since the 1980's.

28/05/2026

27/05/2026

A manager who screams and shouts at the employees is not a good manager.

I am appalled by the number of people, both male and female, who tell me ...
..I showed them.....you must see how I told them off.... I shouted at them so badly for xyz...

Now I am a strong person with a very foul mouth, but I dont lead my team with fear nor do I address conflict with loudness or win my cases with intimidation.

Bullies who lose control of their emotions are weak. There is no dignity in screaming at another adult and it's never something to be proud of. In fact these managers should be embarrassed because it's a sign of poor leadership.

I earn respect, I lead with competence and I win with strategy.

26/05/2026

Stop being afraid of POPI

Too many employees hide behind POPI and threaten employers that their right to privacy has been infringed.

Rubbish.

If an employee is sleeping during working hours for example, and you take a picture of them, you are not breaching their right to privacy. They must stop sleeping during the working hours if they don't want their pictures taken.

And POPI relates to the protection of personal information and how it's stored, handled and protected from fraud etc.

It's not a blanket protection from wrongdoing.

25/05/2026

We become like the people we associate with.

So many businesses employ what are considered the cream of the crop. Highly educated and skilled individuals with excellent work experience. One of two things happens however.

1. They do not perform at the level expected of them based on their CV or
2. They leave within a short space of time.

HR is left with having to explain what went wrong and are unable to see the trends.

We are placing good people in a broken system. Nothing changes until we overhaul the system, clean out the clutter and create a more conducive work environment.

22/05/2026

Most of the clients that call, call when conflict has escalated out of control and are unmanageable.

When we investigate, we find that the conflict was created by poor management and systems.

We don't realise how the company has outgrown our managers as we grow and succeed.

We don't realise that a fire 🔥 growing until it's burnt the building down.

In order to avoid these pitfalls we need to be aware of the need for our systems and managers to evolve with the business.

We need to create fire breaks to prevent escalations and we need to take responsibility for our businesses, our management team and our employees.

Too many leaders blame their employees without looking at the calibre of managers they employ and their skills gaps.

A business with a high degree of conflict is a business that is not managed well. Acceptance and awareness, unashamedly, results in redesign and proactive measures being implemented for sustainability.

There's no shame in learning and growing.

22/05/2026

Respect to one of the stalwarts in the Labour Law Field.

Rest in Peace Ms Pillay 🕊️

21/05/2026

We had an interesting case this week from the Port Elizabeth office of one of our clients.

The first issue was the shop steward being so rude to the employer representative, that the hearing had to be postponed.

The second was the employees argument that she cannot be issued with a warning whilst serving her notice.

The lessons in this -
1. Shop stewards are still employed by the comp and ought to afford respect to all parties in their communication and engagement. The appointment as a shop steward does not negate their duty to conduct themselves respectfully in the workplace.

In our experience, we have found trade unions that are reputable, will discipline members who do not conduct themselves professionally.

2. An employee serving they notice, is still under the xont and direction of the company. They are still subject to the rules and policies. If they misconduct themselves, they most certainly can be disciplined for it.

These employees are not above the law.

19/05/2026

We dealt with one of our first AI cases a few weeks ago.

The employee pleaded guilty to the offence of sleeping on duty. He accepted the picture of him sleeping at his workstation but he wanted to be paid for his years of service.

No, he didn't want severance pay. He accepted that he was not retrenched. He accepted that he was dismissed for something he did wrong.

But, according to his AI search, in South African law, if someone is dismissed for misconduct, they qualify for one weeks pay for every year of service.

He demanded his payment.

This was utterly incorrect. There was no payment due.

Be careful of AI generated information if you are not au fair with using it as a research tool. This man's claim was baseless and not founded in law.