Equity Employment Policy
1. INTRODUCTION
OREX Export Pty Ltd
is supportive of a and committed to the principle of equal employment opportunities. It is our policy to recruit, hire, and promote individuals, as well and administer any and all personnel actions, without regards to the employee’s race, gender, sex, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language, marital status or family responsibility. The Company will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination and any such conduct is prohibited.
2. EMPLOYMENT EQUITY: CREATING A DIVERSE WORKPLACE
Within OREX Export Pty Ltd we consider employment equity to be supportive of our strategic objectives. It becomes the vehicle to access a broader base of skills. By supporting employment equity, we feel we are contributing to fundamental social change. While we recognise that the Employment Equity Act sets out fundamental principles which need to be complied with, it is equally imperative for the growth and future of the Company that employment equity initiatives are viewed by all employees as being necessary and socially responsible.
3. EMPLOYMENT EQUITY AND HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING
Our business plan assesses market trends, our potential customers and our company’s opportunities for growth. However, it is also important to consider the demographic make-up of our labour pool and our customers if we are to fully realise our business goals.
Human Resource Planning is an on-going process. It’s a review of our staff and skill requirements in order to achieve our business objectives New hiring and training approaches are part id these initiatives.
As a result, certain members of the labour market may be excluded from hiring, promotion and training opportunities. Employment equity can help to address this situation. Employment equity is about people. It gives all present and future employees a chance to develop their abilities, realise their aspirations and make positive contributions to the business sense to consider employment equity while doing human resource planning
4. VALUING DIVERSITY
Today we are all part of a more diverse labour force. Black employees have been incorporated fully into all political, social and economic sectors of South Africa. The number of women entering or continuing to work in the labour force is increasing, especially into specialist fields such as information technology and work aids. This results in an enlarged pool od qualifies candidates. Designed group members are people with skills, ambitions and enthusiasm. Their talents should not be wasted.
5. WHAT IS EMPLYMENT EQUITY?
Employment equity means ensuring that all job applicants and employees have a fair chance in the works place. It ensures that no person is denied employment opportunities for reasons unrelated to ability. It means identifying barriers, taking short-term measures making reasonable accommodation. In addition, many proactive measures will be required to achieve the goal of equity. Opportunities for change must be recognised by all employees within the OREX Export Pty Ltd. Employment equity planning is an approach for managing change.
6. DEFINITION OF DESIGNATED GROUPS
Employment equity programs are needed because of the often arbitrary and unfair employment barriers faced by particular groups. These groups are called designed groups. The barriers they face have resulted in:
• Higher unemployment rates;
• Lower then average pay rates; and
• Concentration in jobs that are lower paid and have less chance of advancement.
Today, the majority of new entrants to the work force are black, woman and persons with disabilities. The key to success is to plan for a diverse work force, one which will include designated group members as follows
• Woman.
• Blacks, which include African, Coloured and Asian employees.
Persons with disabilities are persons who have any persistent physical, mental, psychiatric, sensory or learning impairment, who consider themselves to be, or believe that an employer would be likely to consider them to be disadvantages in employment by reason of their impairment.
Members of the three designated groups continue to experience obstacles to employment. Onstacles occur in many forms and prevent designated group members from finding and keeping employment. They are often unintentional and difficult to recognise.
Some examples:
• Asking women applicants questions that male applicants are not asked such as questions about marital status or children;
• a workplace that is hostile and abusive, e.g., sexual and racial; slurs or jokes;
• using unrelated job requirements as a screening process, such as unnecessary educational requirements;
• inadequate facilities that present physical barriers to persons with disabilities, such as no ramps, heavy doors, narrow passageways;
• recruitment practices that limit applications from designated groups, e.g., word of mouth, internal hiring policies.
7. EXAMING SYSTEMS
The company will endeavour to ensure that no arbitrary barriers will form part of employment equity planning. Where they exist the company’s, objectives are to take affirmative action in order to eliminate those barriers identified.
7.1 OBJECTIVES
• The revision/drafting of all-necessary employment policies and procedures to eliminate acts and conditions of unfair discrimination against any individual employee or group of employees.
• To facilitate the accelerated training, education and development of employees identified from the designated groups.
• To promote equitable representation of employees from designated groups I the workforces.
7.2 THE BARRIERS
7.2.1 Recruitments and selection Criteria
• There are no norms or standards that ensure that recruitment is equitable
• Vacancies are not all advertised internally before advertised externally
• Application for employment forms request information that could be discriminatory
7.2.2 Jobs Classification and grading
• Current grading system is informal and was developed internally and is not skills based.
7.2.3 Terms and Conditions of Employments
• The terms set out in the Letter of Appointment are not uniform which can lead to inconsistencies.
7.2.4 Work environment and facilities.
• Lack of accommodation in the workplace for people with disabilities.
7.2.5 Training and Development:
• There is no policy regulating the norms and standards for training and development
• Training and development happen on an ad hoc basis.
7.2.6 Performance and Evaluation Systems:
• Currently Performance Evaluation System is not applied through levels of the company and performance evaluations are done subjectively.
7.2.7 Succession and Experience Planning:
• Succession Planning is not done
7.3 THE POSSIBLE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION MEASURES
7.3.1 Recruitment and Selection Criteria:
• Develop a company policy dealing with Recruitment and the Advertising of Positions.
• In instances of external recruitment, the opportunity to appoint a person with disability is to be evaluated against the requirements of the position, should a disabled person apply for a position.
• Forms to be revised and develop a procedure for interviews and appointments.
7.3.2 JOBS Classification and grading:
• Develop a competency-based job classification and grading system.
• Implement the competency-based job classification and grading system.
7.3.3 Terms and Conditions of Employment:
• Revision of the letter of Appointment according to job specifications
7.3.4 Work Environment and facilities
• Reasonable accommodation to be made in terms od the construction of ramps and installation of toilet facilities in the workplace, should a disabled person be employed
7.3.5 Training and Development
• To Facilitate the accelerated training, education and development of employees identified from the designated groups
7.3.6 Performance and Evaluation Systems
• Develop an objective Performance Evaluation System
• Roll out performance management to all levels and categories of employees
• Provide performance management training to managers and supervisors
7.3.7 Succession and Experience Planning:
• To facilitate the accelerated training, education and development of employees identified from the designated groups.