Employer of Record South Africa
South African Business Culture
Employer of Record South Africa
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what to expect
Business Culture in South Africa
Anybody considering visiting or relocating to South Africa should familiarise themselves with the cultural norms.
South Africans are warm and welcoming people, but you should still take the time to get to know them before diving into business. It can be helpful to have a local partner who is familiar with the culture and can help pave the way. It’s best to plan ahead of time, as appointments, negotiations, and price changes may take a while. Although deadlines are an important part of any contract, many South Africans treat them as flexible.
Here is a flavour of the rules and standards of conduct that newcomers to South Africa should be aware of:
Cultivate good personal relationships with your business partners. Most South Africans want to be able to trust the person they are dealing with, making personal interactions the most crucial part of South African business culture.
In the South African corporate world, punctuality is everything, especially at a meeting. In this context, "on time" indicates arriving at the designated location ten to five minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin.
Generally speaking, people don't confront each other directly very often. It is not common practise in South Africa to negotiate costs and revenues. Instead, they work toward a situation in which both sides can come out ahead.
South Africa Business Culture
When it comes to South Africa business culture, there are a few things to keep in mind to make a good impression:
Do's
- Show up on time for meetings and appointments
- Dress professionally
- Show respect for your colleagues and clients
- Be open to building relationships and networking
- Show interest in South African culture and history
Dont's
- Don't be late or cancel meetings without notice
- Avoid using slang or informal language in business settings
- Don't be too pushy or aggressive in your approach
- Avoid discussing sensitive political or social issues
- Don't be disrespectful or make assumptions about South African culture or people.
It’s important to keep in mind that South Africa is a diverse country with many different cultures, so it’s always a good idea to be mindful of cultural differences and to do your research before doing business there.
getting started
South Africa - Working Hours and Overtime
Working Hours
The standard working week in South Africa is 45 hours. Employees may work 9 hours a day, unless they work more than 5 days a week, in which case they may only work 8 hours per day.
Overtime
The laws about overtime are complicated, but broadly speaking, hours worked over the standard 45 hour work week are considered to be overtime, and there is a 3 hour per day and 10 hour per week cap on overtime. With prior agreement from both parties, it is possible to raise the number of overtime hours to 15 per week for just two months out of the year.
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We are South Africa Employer of Record experts
We have extensive experience helping businesses expand their workforce in the South Africa. Take a look at our areas of expertise below:
Find out how payroll works in South Africa and what you can expect when it comes to salaries, bonuses and tax
Enhance your understanding of what your employee is entitled to when working in South Africa
Learn more about how you can attract and retain staff in South Africa with both statutory and enhanced employee benefits
Unsure about what’s required when employing staff in South Africa? Find out about South African Work Permits and Visas
We deliver a fully-managed EOR Service in South Africa, including Payroll, HR and legal support.
Without Agility EOR, our ability to move quickly and scale would be extremely limited. Superb work from A to Z.
Carol Oliveira
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Frequently Asked Questions
Payrolling the employees is a key part of the service offered by an Employer of Record company. The Employer of Record will calculate and remit all taxes, social securities and similar payments, on behalf of both employer and employee. The client will be invoiced in advance by the EOR company, for the total cost of the payroll.
Yes. Our clients are free to dictate the structure of the employees’ remuneration including any bonuses or commissions they wish to offer. In some countries, there is a statutory requirement to provide “bonuses”, for example in the form of Christmas or holiday allowances.
Yes. Agility EOR will calculate what pay is due upon termination of an employee, factoring in such things as any untaken leave entitlements.
We find that most of our clients are in the Tech, IT, Finance, NGO (Not for Profit) and Professional Services industries. However, we have acquired the skills, knowledge and experience to help all industries across the globe.
As a private company, we’re not beholden to shareholders Private Equity targets. We aim to build long-term relationships with our clients. At Agility EOR, our approach is that we never forget that our business is all about people. Our Employer of Record solutions are tailored to each requirement, not a one-size-fits-all tech platform. We do the right thing by our clients and by the laws of each country we operate in. And we believe in openness; if we don’t feel we can offer you the best solution for a specific territory, we’ll say so.
We pride ourselves on our personable-approach so once you enter your new employees details into our dedicated platform, we’ll arrange a call with you to go through the details of the employment contract where together we can review and amend to your requirements. We liaise directly with your employee to build a rapport and obtain the necessary information to hire them compliantly, and set them up ready for their first payroll.
We never stop delivering! Even if you’re employee has been onboarded and is happily working for you and being paid each month, we’re here to partner with you whenever you or your employees need us. Even your ex-employees may need our assistance for tax documents, proof of employment requests etc… Our service never stops!