Are employees getting the short end of the stick?

Cyril Ramaphosa has recently stated that businesses need to be more inclusive and cater to the needs of their employees.

Speaking at an ANC breakfast in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal he said that workers' lives were worth more than the salaries they earned. He also noted that they should be treated better and were not commodities.

In my personal experience some companies that I've had the pleasure of working for are all about the bottom line, which is profit. These places are riddled with bad management and an environment which is not conducive to performing at your peak capabilities.

Instead then of addressing under performing employees, and these very conditions which might be the cause of underachievement, companies would much rather grab your coat and shove you out the door.

One common saying that I've heard at various companies is that "we are paying a huge sum of money to keep you guys in that seat and if you don't perform you are costing us money". This just proves that a radical change has to be made in the management style and cultures that many companies have.

The only difference that I have experienced when working abroad is that we get paid much less in SA compared to other countries. There are several reasons for this such as high unemployment figures which gives companies leeway to pay low salaries. Another reason would be the serious skills shortages.

So I would like to find out the views of fellow skills-universe members who have similar experiences or any thoughts on this topic:

• Do businesses cater to the needs of their employees?

• Are workers being paid well enough?

• Which processes could rectify this?

• Do we need a standard national minimum wage?