Maintaining A Good Employment Record

What to do when you leave your old job, get fired or retrenched

- Palesa Matjebele

MORE than a quarter of South Africans are unemployed, so one needs to treasure whatever position they have at the moment, no matter how small it may be. Firms and factories are closing doors, and workers are retrenched to cut costs. So leaving a stable job when you have not found a better one is a bad idea.

WHEN YOU ARE DISMISSED

Sindy Barlett, an industrial psychologist, advises one to establish the reason why they were let go before letting their emotions run up.

She says it’s important for one to fully be in understanding of their rights, because employers can sometimes go about the wrong way when dealing with dismissals.

“The first step would be to establish if the dismissal was fair and if proper procedures were followed. If you are being threatened with dismissal ensure that it is fair according to the Labour Relations Act,” she advises.