Although many employers have already submitted their Employment Equity reports, due by 15 January 2017, those that missed the deadline will be regarded as non-compliant in respect of Section 21 of the EEA. It should further be noted that submission, of the EEA2 and EEA4 reports, alone does not result in automatic compliance. It is important that the reports submitted are accurate and that the workforce profile submitted reconciles with the EEA1 declarations /personal employee declaration forms that the organisation has on file
The Employment Equity Committee should be consulted on the Report before submission, as is part of their oversight obligation, to ensure that information is accurate. The Employment Equity Manager and the CEO must both ensure that the information they sign-off for submission is accurate as they will be held ultimately responsible. If the information submitted on the online portal is discovered to be inaccurate, including that it does not reflect the company’s employee demographics at the time of reporting, the Director General has the right to withdraw the confirmation of report acceptance (if already issued). This withdrawal will have significant implications to the organisation’s B-BBEE compliance status.
For more information on Employment Equity and the state of Employment Equity progress in the country, feel free to join our Annual Employment Conference at Emperors Palace 20th April 2017. We will be hosting the Employment Equity Commissioner Chairperson, Tabea Kabinde, and will unpack the realities facing employers in achieving their EE goals. We will be joined by an Assessment expert who will provide pragmatic solutions to identifying High Potential Individuals (HPI) and creating a development fast track process to fill these gaps.
Kind regards
Thembi