CAREERS CORNER: Here are the rules around paying workers during load shedding in South Africa.

The modern workplace has gone through significant changes with businesses being required to adapt to new ways of working. Many employers have revisited their operating models and have since adopted remote or hybrid working arrangements, depending on the nature of their operations, says Nadine Mather, partner, Bowmans South Africa.
While the move to remote and hybrid working arrangements resulted in certain benefits, the implementation of load shedding has created a new challenge for employers to manage in the modern workplace.
This is because during periods of load shedding, employees who are required to work from home may not have a backup power supply and employees who are embracing the hybrid work model may similarly not work during periods of load shedding should they be scheduled to work from home.
As power utility, Eskom, has confirmed that load shedding will continue for some time, the question that arises is what steps can employers take to reduce the negative impact load shedding has on their operating models.