Covid-19 has changed the world of work. Besides working from home, issues like health and safety during a global pandemic have become crucial when drafting employment policies.
But, before you break out in cold sweats with worry, Jahni de Villiers, director of Labour Amplified, joined the presenters of the Farmer’s Inside Track podcast to unpack the best way to draft employment policies.
Employment policies are the rules, regulations and practices that employers have in their workplace. And as you can hear on this week’s episode of South Africa’s favourite agriculture podcast, it’s not as complicated as you think!
“These policies are the blueprint of what is considered good behaviour, good performance and respectful conduct for employees and employers alike,” says De Villiers. “They add to certainty within workplaces and ensure consistency in the treatment of employees.”
This means that everyone in the workplace knows what is expected of them, because it is in writing and it is a formal policy within the workplace. The most well-known employment policies are disciplinary codes that stipulate the different transgressions and sanctions that can be expected in the workplace. Another example is grievance policy that governs conflict management.
“Employers are also encouraged to have a third policy, which is a performance policy. This policy outlines performance standards and rewards where applicable,” De Villiers advises.
As many topics as are considered relevant within a workplace, that’s how many policies you can possibly have.
De Villiers covers the different types of policies an employer must have, as well as why employment policies are important. You can learn more on this week’s Farmer’s Inside Track podcast (links below).
Other podcast highlights:
Besides the podcast interview with Labour Amplified’s Jahni de Villiers, this week’s Farmer’s Inside Track also has other highlights for the agricultural sector:
- Research assistant and PhD student in sustainable agriculture and climate change at the University of Mauritius, Vagish Ramborum, questions who will grow the island nation’s food in the future.
- Keeping good records and filing your taxes is crucial to running any farming business. Journalist Dona van Eeden meets with Dawie Maree, head of information and marketing at FNB, to give farmers top tips for doing their taxes.
- Book of the week: Farmers choose Billion Dollar Burger by Chase Purdy as their book of the week. He provides a good overview of the main themes in cell-based meat developments, including a brief history and the science of obtaining and growing the cells.
- App of the week: This app by the Agricultural Research Council provides farmers with info and best-practice knowledge that enables them to be productive and economically viable. The app is now available for Android devices.
- Farmer’s tip of the week: Managing livestock and keeping them disease-free is no easy feat. Eastern Cape livestock farmer Masimbonge Vuma believes in embracing agricultural mishaps to avoid repeating them. Be sure to check out his disease management tips as well.
- Mzansi Flavour: Chef Tapiwa Munyawiri is cooking up a storm in Cape Town with his lockdown food business, 274 Eats. He shares his secret to the perfect Mzansi home-cooked meal.
- The HEALTH SQUARED Agri Update: This week Kate Macildowie, marketing and rewards manager at Agility Agri, unpacks the agility rewards programmes and how important it is for insurance companies to show their clients that they are appreciated.
How to listen to Farmer’s Inside Track
Option 1: Click here to listen on Spotify (all mobile and other devices).
Option 2: Click here to listen on any Apple device.
Option 3: Click here to listen on Google Podcasts.
Option 4: Click here listen using this player. Just click “play”.
