New animated video series launched to navigate South African labour law with ease and help companies of all sizes reduce the costs of poor workplace management.

Leading labour law expert, Ivan Israelstam, will be launching a video series on the 8^th of May, that simplifies South African labour law for businesses of all sizes. The 'Walking the Tightrope' series (www.labourlawvideos.co.za) is aimed at business owners, directors and HR practitioners. The series provides 48 engaging animated videos, averaging 10 minutes in length, that simplify the complexity of labour law compliance – The appealing case study chronicle and expert advice that run throughout the video series provide you with a user-friendly, practical guide. Your access to this video series gives you a better understanding of basic SA labour law and helps you implement it  correctly and confidently in your business, regardless of its size.

Labour law impacts each and every relationship between employers and employees. Even more importantly, South African labour law is particularly complex given the emphasis on the promotion of fair labour practices. The subjective nature of the undefined concept of fairness, and the consequent ongoing changes in interpretation thereof, result in major uncertainty and bewilderment in the minds of employers who must comply with the law.

In businesses of all types and sizes, the cost and damaging effects of poor and legally non-compliant management of workplaces can be staggering, particularly because an unbalanced focus on compliance with our restrictive labour laws can significantly detract from management focus on workplace productivity.

As a former CCMA Commissioner, and having been featured in the exclusive reference book ‘Who’s Who in Southern Africa, Israelstam has an in-depth understanding of South African labour law and best workplace practice. Israelstam’s vast hands-on experience and prolific writings on the subject gives him a deep appreciation of the fact that employers are at a serious disadvantage at the CCMA and Labour Courts. His mission is to empower South African organisations to practise better and balanced workplace management to the advantage of both employees and employers.

“Whether you’re aiming to enhance your expertise or safeguard your business against legal challenges, our Tightrope Labour Law Video Series is your go-to resource for comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and actionable insights,” Israelstam says.

The 48-video series is divided into 9 modules, and covers topics such as workplace discipline, sexual harassment, basic conditions of employment, employment contracts, performance management, trade union recognition, conduct at arbitration as well as detailed information about various types of leave, health and safety and working conditions.

In larger multi-tiered organisations, the errors of workplace managers who are not skilled in managing their staff, can be extremely costly. Managers and supervisors need access to easy to-understand tools for mastering these skills and for consistent compliance with a myriad of restrictive and complex labour laws.

In smaller organisations, the need for better labour law compliance balanced with productive workplace management can be even more important, with the cost of legal action and industrial action often threatening the very survival of the business itself.

Instant access to all 48 expertly crafted videos is available for a primary subscription of only R 7 500 per year (ex VAT), with secondary users within the same business able to gain access for a mere R 500 (ex VAT) annual subscription. With experienced labour lawyers charging in excess of R3 000,00 per hour, and CCMA matters notoriously able to drag on for several days, having a better informed, educated and compliant management can save businesses hundreds of thousands of rands. The costs of going to the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court can easily be three times as high as those of going to the CCMA.

Israelstam, the creator of this video series and CEO of Labour Law Management Consulting, has over 30 years’ experience in the field of labour law, and is at the cutting edge of the labour relations field. He has written several labour law books, writes labour law articles for Business Day, People Dynamics, Skills Portal and for several other important publications, and is the vice chair of the Labour Market Committee of the SA Board for People Practices.