SABC REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORKING POLICY

Review of the SABC REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORKING POLICY. Please post your views and comments.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES 3
2. DEFINITIONS 3
3. SCOPE 4
4. LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY AND GUIDELINE FRAMEWORK 4
5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES 5
6. PROVISIONS 6
   6.1 REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENT 7
   6.2 COMMUNICATION 7
   6.3 EQUIPMENT……………………………………………………………………………………8
   6.4 PROCEDURE 8
   6.5 CLAIMS FOR TRAVEL………………………………………………………………………..8
7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA SECURITY……………………………………………….8
8. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY………………………………………………..……9
9. RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES………………………………….………9
10. REVIEW OF POLICY 9
11. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

1.1 Purpose: The purpose of this Remote and Flexible Working policy here forth referred to as the Policy, is to ensure that the provision to work remotely and the flexibly in respect of the working hours is applied uniformly within the SABC, whilst ensuring that business productivity and operational needs are fulfilled. It will also establish guidelines that will ensure that the remote and flexible working processes are undertaken by all eligible SABC employees and are applied in a fair and consistent manner, within a supportive framework, and in line with employment legislation requirements.

1.2 Objectives:

1.2.1 Aligning the SABC strategic objectives and individuals’ contribution to ensure that the wider organisational goals and objectives are met whilst positioning the SABC as an employer of choice.

1.2.2 To allow the organisation to gain a competitive advantage in attracting scarce and specialist skills in a multi-generation and evolving world of work and to enhance the Employee Value Proposition through:

1.2.2.1 Helping achieve flexibility for a multi-generational workforce seeking working opportunities with flexibility.

1.2.2.2 Boosting workplace diversity (this refers to a diverse range of people from different backgrounds and circumstances) and gender equity which allows for employees to share family responsibilities.

1.2.2.3 To increase morale and satisfaction levels as well as reduce the stress associated with the travel and commute hours of employees. This is also to allow the containment of costs and to align the SABC to international standards and best practice.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Employee Benefits mean compensation over and above the basic salary that the SABC offers to its employees in exchange for their skills, capabilities, and commitment. This can either be fully or partially paid for by the SABC or included into the Total Guaranteed Pay Structure.

2.2 Employee Value Proposition Monetary and non-monetary programs that the SABC offers to create an attractive place to work and reflects the company’s culture, values, and working environment.

2.3 Fixed Term Employee shall mean employees who are employed on a contract of employment which terminates on the completion of a specified task or project. Independent contractors/Freelancers are expressly excluded from the definition of fixed term employee.

2.4 Line Manager means the employee’s direct manager or immediate superior.

2.5 Official Work Location shall mean the current SABC workplace, including SABC regional offices. The Remote Working agreement does not change the Official workplace.
2.6 Permanent Employees shall mean employees who are employed to work for the SABC on a permanent basis. Independent contractors/Freelancers are expressly excluded from the definition of permanent employee.

2.7 Policy shall mean a set of established rules and guidelines that act as a framework that determines workplace practices within the organisation.

2.8 Remote Working Arrangement shall mean an employer-employee arrangement that allows an employee to work remotely, and away from the normal workplace.

2.9 Remote Working shall mean work outside of the normal, traditional office, or from any place that is not a regular SABC operated office or workplace.

2.10 Remote Work Location shall mean working from any location other than the official SABC premises.

2.11 Standard Office hours shall mean the hours during which the office is open for work. Standard office hours for the SABC are from 08h00 to 16h30 (Monday to Friday).

2.12 Standard Weekly Hours shall mean standard working hours required per week, as per employees’ terms and conditions of employment. The standard working hours on average is 40 hours per week for SABC employees. Shift workers will not necessarily work the 40 hours every week in comparison to the office workers.

3. SCOPE

This policy is applicable to all employees of the SABC who can execute their functions remotely and away from the premises of the SABC. This is across the SABC Divisions; and applies to all permanent and fixed term employees, shift workers, excluding independent contractors / freelancers and employees that are required to work off site due to the nature of their work or operational requirement.

4. LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

This policy must be read in conjunction with all applicable legislation, regulations, SABC policies and guidelines. These are, but not limited to the following:

4.1 Performance Management Policy;

4.2 Cellphone Policy;

4.3 Leave Policy;

4.4 Business Travel, Entertainment and Subsistence Policy;

4.5 Electronic Equipment for Office Use Policy; and

4.6 Time Management Principles.

This policy shall not supersede the current terms and conditions of employment or personnel regulations applicable to all SABC employees.

5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The following principles shall be followed inguide the implementation of the Remote and Flexible Working policy:

5.1 Compliance: Employees must adhere to all applicable legislation, SABC policies, directives, and collective agreements. This includes strict compliance with the required standard weekly working hours as stipulated.

5.2 Performance: Employees shall comply and adhere to set performance standards as agreed on the performance contract threshold(s), requirement(s), or expectation(s) with the line manager and must be fulfilled in line with SABC Performance Management Policy.

5.3 Productivity: The employee shall deliver on all his/her functional requirements whilst working remotely and not lead to a decrease in productivity or performance standards in line with the SABC Performance Management Policy and agreed objectives, which shall be monitored by the line manager transparently..

5.4 Availability: The employee shall make him/herself available to be present at the officialstandard workplacework location, should the need arise as per operational requirements . This will take precedence and supersede any provisions of remote work arrangements and/or agreements.

5.5 Practicality: Not all roles within the organization are suitable for remote and flexible working arrangements. Each application for remote and flexible work will be assessed based on its individual merits, considering the nature of the role, its responsibilities and the operational requirements of the business. For example, a finance analyst who primarily works on data analysis and reporting might be eligible for remote working because their tasks can be completed independently with access to the necessary tools. On the other hand, a technician responsible for maintaining on-site broadcasting equipment would likely not qualify, as their role requires physical presence to fulfil operational needs.

5.6 Fairness: The principle of fairness, reasonableness and objectivity will apply.

5.7 Quality of Service: The Employees on the remote and flexible working arrangements are responsible for delivering high quality work. from appropriate and well-equipped workspaces.

5.8 Operational Requirements: Should it be ascertained that the remote and flexible working arrangement is negatively impacting productivity, both the line manager and employee must ensure that preference is given to the alignment of the organisational operational needs.

5.9 Convenience: The remote working and flexible arrangement for an employee must not be to the detriment or inconvenience of other staff and must be beneficial to both the individual and the SABC – no part of the value chain should be compromised through any form of remote work.

5.10 Dissolution: Should the Remote and flexible working arrangement not work for the particular business; the line manager can revert to the standard working conditions agreement by giving 48 hours’ notice to the remote and flexible working employee. This decision is subject to the approval by the next level of management..

6. PROVISIONS

The Remote and flexible Working policy contains the following provisions:

6.1 FLEXIBLE AND REMOTE WORKING ARRANGEMENT

The policy covers two distinct types of arrangements that are distinguished by either a flexible working arrangement and/or a remote working arrangement (for employees who are eligible and work in a job role that is suitable for remote work in line with the guiding principles).

6.1.1 Flexible Working Arrangement: With the Flexible Working arrangement, the SABC will allow employees, subject to approval by the line manager, to work different start and end hours. Starting early and finishing earlier than standard office hours; starting later and finishing later than standard office hours.

6.1.1.1 The employee may start the work day any hours between 06h30 and 10h00, shift workers hours may vary.

6.1.1.2 The employee may end the work any day between 15h00 and 18h30, shift workers hours may vary.

6.1.1.3 The start and end hours need to be in line with the above prescribed core hours, that is 10h00 and 15h00 and agreed upon prior to implementation with the respective line manager.

6.1.2 Remote Working Arrangement

With the Remote Working arrangement, the SABC will allow an employee at least 2 days per week, to fulfil his or her scheduled job responsibilities at a remote location which is not operated by the employer (not a designated office/base). An employee might work remotely from anywhere that is not a designated place of work, provided it is safe and conducive to do so.

6.1.3 Compulsory Office Days

Employees who are on a remote working arrangement are required to be in the office at least 33 compulsory days per week, this excludes employees who would be on long assignments (e.g. court trial) that run daily for that duration of the assignment. Of these 3 days 2 of them MUST be a Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday. The 3rd day can be optional between the remaining days of the week. This means all employees shall physically report for work in the office either on a Tuesday and Wednesday or on a Wednesday and Thursday of each week. The choice of days shall be approved by the line manager depending on operational requirements. This arrangement shall be applicable to all working divisions of the SABC. 2 days as per labour proposal.

6.1.4 Role Dependency

Remote and flexible working is highly dependent on the role that one occupies. Within the SABC it is common cause that certain roles, by their very nature, will not be suitable for such arrangements. This policy makes provision for employees and managers to engage around different work preferences or availability taking into account business needs as priority.

6.2 COMMUNICATION

6.2.1 All employees must always be available during working hours on MS Teams, on email and their phone, unless their line manager has been made aware of their unavailability.

6.2.2 Online protocols would be identical to that of physical interactions in relation to meeting attendance and preparation. Employees will be required to meet expected deliverables in terms of physical attendance at meetings when required.

6.2.3 The employees’ home address, as recorded by the SABC, will be deemed to be their primary residence and remote working address.

6.2.4 Employees must ensure that they inform their line managers should they intend working from a location other than their primary residence; or from a location that may make it impractical to physically report for duty in the event of an emergency. For example, working from another province or at an unreasonable distance from the SABC building. Such remote working arrangements must be specifically agreed to by the employee’s line manager and such authority to work remotely in these circumstances may be withdrawn on reasonable notice at the discretion of the line manager. In this event, suitable arrangements must be put in place for remote working that protects the business of the SABC and does not impact on its operations.

6.3 EQUIPMENT

6.3.1 All employees must utilise SABC issued/approved laptops to perform their work.

6.3.2 In line with the organisation’s IT policies, the employee shall be provided with the following:

• Network Access, e.g. data card;
• Laptop;
• Microsoft Teams or other officially approved communication platforms.

6.3.3 Only equipment owned by the SABC and on loan to the employee is covered by the SABC’s chosen insurer. All other personal equipment are to be covered by the employee’s personal insurance provider. Employees must ensure that their SABC-owned equipment is used and placed in a safe environment to limit the risk of theft, damage or malware.

6.3.4 If the employee needs to print or scan documents, printing can be done at their reporting office. The SABC will not provide printers or allowance for printing remotely.

6.3.5 The employee must ensure that they have additional network access capacity in their remote work location, since no additional data beyond approved standard allocation will be provided. In an event such is depleted, the employee will be expected to return to the usual place of work immediately.( labour suggestion on the monthly subsidy instead of data cards).

6.3.6 To protect the SABC data confidentiality and cyber risk, employees should always login via VPN when working remotely.

6.4 PROCEDURE

The procedural requirements for employees to enter into a remote and flexible working arrangement are outlined as follows:

6.4.1 Requests for remote and flexible working arrangements must be motivated in writing on the designated application form by the employee.

6.4.2 All flexible and remote work approvals must be followed by an agreement between the employee and line manager, approved by the respective Group Executive. This agreement is at the sole discretion of the employer and can be revoked by for operational reasons. Approval for remote/flexible working shall be reviewed every 6 months. However, should the operational requirements of the department change within a particular cycle, the line manager has the right to revisit such arrangements with a view to cancelling them subject to the approval of the next level management..

6.4.3 Copies of the agreement must be submitted to HR Shared Services for record keeping and the Human Resources Business Partner must be copied in the same correspondence by email.

6.4.4 Change of role or position: Any change in the role will require the re-application for a remote working arrangement. The initial approval ends with the termination of the previous role. This includes employees that take up roles in an acting capacity.

6.5 CLAIMS FOR TRAVEL

Employees who work remotely and are required to return from their remote work locations to SABC offices, do so at their own expense.

7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA SECURITY

7.1 Employees working remotely remain strictly bound by the provisions of their employment contracts and all the policies of the SABC; most particularly those in place for the maintenance of the security and protection of confidential and personal information of the SABC and its stakeholders.

7.2 Employees are expected to take all necessary and reasonable measures to maintain utmost confidentiality of SABC information when working remotely and when holding online work meetings or taking work related calls in public areas. This is discouraged, unless in exceptional circumstances, such as having no electricity at the primary residence.

7.3 The security of SABC data must be secured and always protected.
7.4 Employees who work remotely are required to comply with all ICT policies of the SABC.

7.5 This includes acceptance and adherence to the Internet and Email acceptable user requirements and information security practices of the SABC.

7.6 Employees working remotely will have a direct responsibility for all SABC information material held in their possession at their remote working location and their primary place of residence as well as public spaces must ensure that it is not accessible to unauthorised persons.

8. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

8.1 In addition to the general responsibilities of employees working remotely, those responsibilities that have been stipulated in the respective national department of labour employment laws, the terms, and conditions of employment, and /or the collective agreement shall be applicable in a Remote Working arrangement. This section must be read in conjunction with the SABC Occupational Health and Safety Policy.

8.2 These responsibilities include:

8.2.1 Every employee shall at work take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions.

8.2.2 Employees must note that injuries sustained as a result of a criminal act while working remotely must be reported to and investigated by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

8.2.3 Taking care of one’s own safety, physical and mental-health and well-being.

8.2.4 Every employee working remotely as elected by him/her, shall indemnify the SABC from liability if hurt or injured in any way whatsoever or any form of damages sustained by the employee whilst performing his/her duties on behalf of the SABC.

9. RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

The roles and responsibilities of the employer and employee are detailed in the implementation guidelines set out in Annexure A, B and C.

9.1 Managers’ Guide
9.2 Employees’ Guide.
9.3 Remote & Flexible Working Agreement

10. REVIEW OF POLICY

The policy will be reviewed as and when necessary, as per business operational priorities and in line with prescribed timeline as perthe Policy Management Framework.

ANNEXURE A

1. Employee Responsibilities for ensuring performance

The employee must:
1.1 not be on a performance improvement plan;

1.2 be able to function independently of direct/close supervision;

1.3 not unduly interrupt operations by not working from the primary place of residence or noisy area that could potentially be disruptive to meetings.

1.4 have an adequate level of job skills and knowledge;

1.5 be well organised and possess good time management skills;

1.6 be in good standing with no pending disciplinary action;

1.7 be dependable;

1.8 have an appropriate work site that that does not have distractions and is conducive for the protection of the SABC’s confidential information and its property;

1.9 agree to the terms and conditions of the Remote Working Agreement.

1.10 Employees should engage their managers to establish working parameters. Such parameters include:

1.10.1 Task deliverables/ schedules and deadlines, including ongoing stage-by-stage development benchmarks;

1.10.2 Setting up channels of communication between team members and management;

1.10.3 Employees on remote and flexible working arrangements should coordinate their outputs to ensure ability for information sharing, establishing a framework for evaluation of tasks, and reporting to management.

Annexure B

1. Employer Responsibilities

1.1 Unscheduled calls ought to be made by both the line manager and the employee, just as a means of keeping in touch. This allows the relationship to be more spontaneous as it would be if they were seeing each other on a daily basis in the office.

1.2 Include co-workers in communication goals. It is important to establish and maintain a cohesive team environment with regular communication among all team members.

1.3 Be proactive in regular communications between managers, co-workers to stay connected and resolve issues as they arise.

1.4 Discuss concerns and potential challenges of working virtually and ways to address these issues.

1.5 The Employer reserves the right to recall any employee working remotely to return to the office subject to the approval of the next level management at any time due to operational requirements and non-compliance to the remote and flexible working provisions.

1.6 The employer has the responsibility to provide and maintain as far as it is reasonably practical, a work environment that is safe and healthy, without risk to the health of the employees.

1.7 The employer has a responsibility to enforce such measures as may be necessary in the interest of health and safety.
Annexure C

REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORKING AGREEMENT
Agreement entered into by and between:
THE SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION LTD
(“the Employer”)
and
____________________________ (name)

______________ (Employee Number)
(“the Employee “)
Approval
The Employee’s application has been approved in terms of the Employer’s Remote and Flexible Working Policy and subject to the terms and conditions set out below.
Terms and Conditions
This agreement establishes the terms and conditions of Remote Working agreement.

Duration: This agreement will be valid until cancelled by either party.

Work Hours: Work hours and location are specified as part of this agreement.

Remuneration and Attendance: All pay, leave and other employment benefits will be based on the employee’s Official Work Location.

Leave: The employee must obtain management approval before taking leave in accordance with the Employer’s leave policy and procedures. The employee agrees to follow established procedures for requesting and obtaining approval of leave.

Overtime: The employee will continue to work the agreed working hours in line with the signed employment contract. An employee working overtime ordered and approved in advance, will be compensated in accordance with the Time management policyBasic Condition of Employment Act (BCEA). No payment shall be made in respect of unapproved overtime.

Equipment: The line manager and the employee must agree on the equipment to enable Remote Working. The employer will make the required equipment available where such can be achieved without putting strain on the employer’s financial resources.

SABC Owned Equipment:

Maintenance of Equipment: Equipment provided by employer must be protected against damage and unauthorised use. SABC-owned equipment will be serviced and maintained by the employer at the SABC’s premises. Equipment provided by the employee, including maintenance and improvement of the remote working space, will be at no cost to the SABC, and will be maintained by the employee.

Cost: The employer will not be responsible for operating costs, home maintenance, or any other incidental costs (e.g. utilities), associated with the use of the employee’s residence.

Liability: The employer will not be liable for any injuries to the employee or any third party nor for damages to the employee’s property resulting from the Remote and Flexible Working agreement. In signing this agreement, the employee agrees not to hold the employer liable in respect of any of and all claims in this respect.

Verification of Remote Workstation Safety: In signing this agreement, the employee verifies that the Remote Work Location provides workspace that is free of fire and safety hazards.

Work Assignments: The employee will meet with the line manager to receive assignments and to review completed work. The employee will complete all assigned work according to procedures mutually agreed upon with the line manager.

Performance Management: The evaluation of the employee’s job performance will be based on the Individual Performance Agreement. Performance must remain satisfactory or higher to remain on the Remote and Flexible Working agreement.

Records: The employee will apply safeguards rules which are approved by the employer to protect records from unauthorised disclosure or damage. All records, papers and correspondence must be safeguarded for their return to the office.

Curtailment of the Agreement: The employee may stop participating in this arrangement at any time. Management has the right to remove the employee from the arrangement if participation fails to benefit organisational needs.

The employee agrees to work at the agreed location, and not from another unapproved site. Failure to comply with this provision may result in termination of the agreement, and/or other appropriate disciplinary action.

Work Hours and Location: The following are the working hours and locations which are agreed to as a part of this Agreement:

Official Work Location: South African Broadcasting Corporation
Auckland Park
Johannesburg

Remote Work Location (Employee):
Address: _____________________
_____________________
_____________________

Official Work Hours: 08:00 to 17:00 (Weekdays)

Governing conditions
The employee hereby acknowledges and agrees that,
My terms and conditions of employment remain unchanged;
This agreement is valid for a period of ● months (maximum time period of 12 (twelve) months) and will automatically terminate after such period has elapsed;
I have read and understand the Employer’s Remote and Flexible Working Policy, and agree to the terms and conditions set out therein;
I am also aware that this arrangement may be revoked under the following circumstances:
if I fail to comply with any of the provisions of the Remote and Flexible Working Policy; or
if the required performance conditions are not maintained by me; or
if the Employer’s business or operational needs require it; or,
any other fair reason.
Thus done and signed at _________ on this ___ day of
_ 20__ in the presence of the undersigned witnesses.
The employee:

The Employee Witness
For the South African Broadcasting Corporation LTD:

SABC Witness

Copy of this signed document handed to employee on __ (date)