What happens when an employee needs a second job (or perhaps a side-business) to make ends meet each month?

“Moonlighting” has been with us since the dawn of history, and it’s become a particularly big issue for workplaces since the pandemic’s economic disruptions and the shift to the “gig economy”. Reportedly almost half of all employees now have a second source of income.

We’ll look at the legal principles involved with reference to a recent Labour Appeal Court decision dealing with the case of an employee fired for running a weekend biltong business without telling her employers.

Employers and their employees should take note of the increases from 1 March 2022 in both the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the “Earnings Threshold” provided for in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). The threshold also impacts on employee protections in the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and in the Employment Equity Act (EEA).

We set out the increases, noting that domestic workers for the first time come fully into line with the NMW. We also point you to an online “living wage” calculator to help you check that you are in fact paying your domestic worker enough to cover a household’s “minimum need”.

We also summarise the employee protections that will no longer be available to those employees now earning above the adjusted earnings threshold. 

In these hard times, not collecting your debts robustly and without delay could be fatal to your cash flow.

So it’s a real problem when a big debtor goes to ground – dodging calls, making empty promises to pay when cornered, delaying you at every turn. What can you do?

If your debtor is a company, applying for its liquidation may be just what you need. At the very least, it is guaranteed to get your debtor’s attention. We share some thoughts on how effective a tactic it can be if applied correctly, with a tip on using a shortcut to make it a lot easier to prove that the debtor is unable to pay its debts (not always easy otherwise!).

Please think of sharing this article with any family member, friend or colleague who might benefit from knowing which “red flags” to watch for when using dating apps and social media.

You will know of the huge problem worldwide of swindlers using dating apps and social media to part victims from substantial amounts of money in “romantic fraud” cases. The scams are sophisticated, many and varied. Anyone can fall victim.

We share an online security article providing a wealth of resources on how to spot these scams, on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim, and much more. It’s a long article so we’ve highlighted for you some of the more important topics and Infographics.