Author: Editor
By Frikkie Malan, Sustainability Lead at Remote Metering Solutions Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are expected to provide transparency regarding building energy consumption, and function as a useful instrument to compare the energy performance of buildings. With energy costs accounting for an ever-increasing percentage of the total operating cost of a building, having a better understanding of a building’s energy performance can be a valuable tool for property owners and tenants during rental or purchasing decision making processes and negotiations. EPCs could also contribute to driving (or at least informing) decisions during energy renovations and building upgrades. However, no-one can say…
Payroll solutions in South Africa must be modernised to benefit from the likes of cloud computing, robotic process automation (RPA), and artificial intelligence. If companies are to effectively contend with evolving payroll legislation in the country, they need to embrace these technologies and transform into digitally driven organisations, says Ian McAlister, General Manager at CRS Technologies. The digitalisation of payroll means companies can now become more agile with their upgrades and complete them in record time, as opposed to traditional approaches which could easily take seven months to implement. This delivers more efficient ways of realising the value from payroll…
By Deborah Miller, Synthesis Talent Acquisition Specialist The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is undeniably changing the way careers are initiated, fostered and sculpted, specifically the way we as workforce specialists should be viewing applicants hoping to join our technological teams and the thought disruption required in hiring in technology. Wikipedia defines the Fourth Industrial Revolution as “the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology, in addition to large-scale machine-to-machine communication and the internet of things, which are integrated for increased automation, improved communication and self-monitoring, and the production of smart machines that can analyse and…
Ralph Berndt, Sales and Marketing Director at Syrex To say that 2020 was a shock to the system is an understatement. And while the current market is still an uncomfortable space to be in, companies are slowly adjusting to the new normal. A significant concern for decision-makers now is ensuring the productivity of their workforce in this fragmented landscape. Most businesses are looking at finding more effective ways of integrating a remote employee base while still maintaining the company culture and driving a new kind of work ethic. While technology certainly does play a part in this regard, preparing for…
By Frikkie Malan, Sustainability Lead at Remote Metering Solutions On December 8, 2020, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) gazetted ‘Regulations for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings’. This legislation signifies that by December 2022, certain buildings in South Africa must have and display an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). To which buildings does the law apply? The current regulations do not apply to all types of buildings. For now, only office buildings, places of entertainment (e.g., restaurants), places of instruction (e.g., schools, colleges, and universities) and places where theatrical or indoor sports activities…
Nobody could have predicted that the arrival of social media on the business and social scene more than ten years ago could lose people jobs, reputations and careers. But it has. Today, social media law cases number in the thousands, and many of these come as a surprise to employees. According to Nicol Myburgh, Head: CRS Technologies HCM Business Unit, the best way to avoid becoming embroiled in a legal battle or losing your job is to not use WhatsApp with colleagues as a way of venting your frustrations, no matter how private you think your group may be. If…
By Howard Feldman, Head of Marketing & People at Synthesis Maybe my family is different, but when we get together for a “family meeting”, it looks nothing like one that President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts. For starters, everyone gets to speak. Everyone gets to ask questions, often at the same time, which is one of the reasons that there is always food at our family meetings, as that ensures that there are at least some moments when we are chewing and therefore not speaking. And because we also really like food. There are some similarities between our family meetings and that…
Standard Bank decided to migrate its on-premise Atlassian toolset onto the AWS infrastructure and partnered with Synthesis to ensure best practices were adhered to and a seamless transition was possible. Challenge A number of significant outages were experienced on this toolset due to the on-premise infrastructure having aged. Users were faced with an increase in outages impacting delivery. This and the Group’s cloud aspiration were the catalysts to migrate the Atlassian toolset to AWS. Solution The Bank approached AWS for assistance and were encouraged to partner with Synthesis due to the company’s experience in migrating Atlassian workloads to AWS for other corporates.…
“My business is just managing to stay afloat. I can’t afford marketing.” “I rely on word of mouth referrals and tender opportunities. I don’t need to market my business.” “I have so much work, I don’t have time for marketing.” These are just some of the reasons construction companies, and especially small contractors and sub-contractors, put forward for choosing to place marketing on the back burner and not educate prospective clients on why they should choose their product or service over their competitors. According to Databuild CEO Morag Evans, this approach is short-sighted and detrimental to the business in the…
In a surprise twist during the Rawson Property Group’s annual awards event, franchisees interrupted virtual proceedings to award their franchisor “Best Real Estate Franchisor in South Africa”. The accolade, agreed on unanimously by Rawson franchisees, comes on the back of one of the Group’s most difficult – and also most successful – years to date. “Last year challenged our industry beyond comprehension,” says Lizette Joubert, Chairperson of the Rawson Property Group’s Franchisee EXCO. “Despite the difficulties, our Rawson family made it through the storm not just intact, but stronger than ever. As franchisees, we wanted to acknowledge the massive role…