Rights and Responsibilities

The needs of the institution and the division/department must to be balanced with the needs of the staff member to develop themselves.

The University has a right to expect a staff member to fulfil the job requirements. If staff development and training is needed to better equip the staff member to fulfil the job requirements, then the staff member is expected to participate in training and development. If a staff member refuses to do so, this would be insubordination, resulting in a failure to perform the job requirements. That could lead to dismissal for misconduct and/or incapacity.

The staff member has a right to training if s/he is not performing the job to the required standard. Should there be a problem with work performance due to a lack of skills, the staff member must be provided with the necessary training.

Providing training opportunities to enhance performance and prepare staff for future positions is good practice in terms of people management. The emphasis is on developing a partnership between the staff member and the institution/department/division.

This partnership characterised by these sorts of conversations:

  • You are doing an excellent job. How can I as your manager assist you in your career development?
  • You are committed to this department and go the extra mile. What are your career aspirations and what can I do as your manager to facilitate these (even if this means potentially losing you)?
  • I can help you develop new and different skills if you are prepared to assume this additional work. This means that I can delegate this work to you which will be helpful to me.
  • What additional exposure do you need as part of your career development? I can help you do that if you ensure that all deadlines are met and your work in the section does not suffer
  • You are a dedicated staff member. We would like to see you remain at Rhodes. What is important to you in terms of your career?

Last Modified: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:24:01 SAST