'Happy birthday to me, I get leave!' and other Accensis work perks

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As we usher in the new year, we can reflect on everything we have achieved in the past year and take a moment to think about where we are heading this year. The 2020s is already a decade for the record books, and Accensis plans on making some waves of our own in the 2023 year – in a significant way! 

Currently, no South African law provides employees with the right to have their birthdays off. But the voice of our people inspired Accensis. After strategizing as a team, we have decided to give all employees an additional paid day off on their birthdays, with zero impact on their annual leave. 

Our staff are enthusiastic about this initiative. Following its implementation, there has been a notable improvement in staff morale after implementing the additional birthday leave.

This started by asking our employees what a simple yet effective benefit they would like from us.

Accensis has realized and acknowledges that our people are the catalysts for change and are critical in leading us to success. Our dedication to having our staff at the heart and centre of everything we do remains unwavering. We have had a complete shift in focus, and we are thrilled to introduce our new firm values, which promotes the concept of our people first.

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Below is an overview of our new values for the year ahead and the culture we strive towards:

• Teach and learn;
• Grow together;
• Quality of life; and
• Efficiency through digitization

Additionally, we have explored various ways to give our employees extra perks that benefit them and still make business sense—these range from wellness days, team-building initiatives, paid time off and regular mental health check-ins. 

We have also embraced the provision of 10 days of parental leave as per the Labour Laws Amendment Act of 2018. We fully support the amended Act, as we are thrilled to see now dads and adoptive parents enjoying time off with their growing families without impacting their family responsibility leave. 

An ongoing benefit our staff have enjoyed over the years has been paid time off for religious leave – a benefit that will gladly remain as is.

Lastly, we are proud to introduce our theme for 2023: "Evolving our business through engaged, happy, and fulfilled people" – this phrase perfectly sums up our thoughts and approach for the year ahead!

If you are or aspire to be an excellent employer, we encourage you to set time to ask your staff what they would value the most from their employer. 

What new and exciting initiatives is your firm implementing for 2023? We would love to know!

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