READ THE ARTICLE BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW:

Company policies are changing post$-$Covid $$ including how we are paid

Staff Writer$15$ September $2021$

According to Dr Mark Bussin, an executive committee member at The South African Reward

Association $($SARA$),$ work is not a $$place$$ anymore for around half the jobs in South Africa.

Bussin said that half of people do not need to go anywhere and can work from anywhere,

following the fallout out of the global Covid pandemic and the response from corporates in

South Africa to $$work$$ around lockdowns and efforts from the government to suffocate the

spread of the virus.

Dr Bussin said that many jobs require people to go to a place to conduct work $$ including

physiotherapists and dentists $$ however, many can sit anywhere and work.

$$I predict that most firms, and companies and organisations, where work is not a place

anymore will still have a hybrid approach, where people can pick one or two days a week, and

they have it on a roster basis.$$

This, he said, would mean less space for companies to have to pay for $$ to about a quarter or

a third of the previous space required.

Dr Bussin said that policies around changing work requirements are already underway. He said

remuneration policies are changing to revolve around outcomes and not inputs and activities.

Outcomes$-$based remuneration policies reward employees who achieve specific goals. $$What

have you done, what have you achieved, what is the outcome,$$ said Bussin.

He said that job descriptions are being re$-$written from activities and long lists into outputs and

outcomes, and that job evaluation policies are changing from many levels to far fewer levels to

accommodate agile work teams and designs.

He said that performance management policies are also changing, as are leave policies,

maternity, and paternity policies, questioning whether the latter policies are even required in

the new place of work.

To prepare for this change, Dr Bussin said that companies need to understand this new

landscape. He called on companies to be proactive rather than sit around and wait for changes

to happen. $$Listen to employees,$$ he said.

BACHELOR OF COMMERCE YEAR $3$ ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR $-$ DISTANCE

$82$

REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL $($RBS$)$ JULY $2023$

Often, they know more about what is going on than you think but don$$t speak out in fear of

losing their jobs. A survey conducted by specialist recruitment firm Michael Page found that

$83\%$ of respondents expect that one of the most significant outcomes of the Covid crisis would

be that companies will implement flexible work policies, such as opportunities to work remotely

or to have flexible schedules, provide devices and so on$.$

Three$-$quarters $(74\%)$ also think there will be more respect for certain job roles $($healthcare

workers, retail workers, teachers, etc.$),$ while $58\%$ think there will be environmental awareness.

The survey found that $71\%$ of job applicants think that working remotely will be more important

than before at the companies they are currently employed with.

Having said that, even if they had the choice, many employees would still come to the office for

a part of the working week. $37\%$ would choose to work remotely for $2$ days and $33\%$ for $2$ days

a week, while $53\%$ are looking at $3$ or $4$ days a week as ideal to work from home.

Apart from salary, culture and career growth are pivotal points for candidates considering

switching into new positions. Top talent will also consider the flexible work arrangements

companies can offer.

$$Now more than ever, candidates need to be convinced they are making the right decision for

themselves and their family,$$ said Julien Raze, director, Michael Page Africa.

Remote working increased dramatically

The question is if the companies will listen to their employees and grant their wish to work more

from home than they used to do before the crisis. Because remote working was not all that

common before, Covid forced companies to implement flexible work policies.

According to the study, only $26\%$ of our respondents in South Africa had the freedom to work

from home before the crisis.

Due to the lockdown, the number of employees working remotely increased dramatically,

Michael Page said $79\%$ of the respondents worked remotely.

The only people not working from home were those without a job or with the sort of job that

didn$$t allow for remote working, for example, in a warehouse or store$-$based roles.

QUESTION ONE $[25]$

$1\mathrm{.}1.$ Evaluate how the objectives of compensation strategies have been impacted over the

past three $(3)$ years. Use excerpts from the article to support your answer. $(10)$

BACHELOR OF COMMERCE YEAR $3$ ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR $-$ DISTANCE

$83$

REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL $($RBS$)$ JULY $2023$

$1\mathrm{.}2.$ Explain with reference to the article, what consideration would have to be given to the

relevant criteria for the formulation of an effective compensation