Thobile Zulu

Standard Bank of SA

Banking

Chief Teller

did data capturing at the back office for a year, moved to enquiries where I was opening and closing savings accounts, capturing salary schedules etc. I worked as a teller for a year and ended up as the main teller i.e. supervising the team of tellers by making sure they had enough money for payouts and withdrawing excess cash from them as well as doing bulk deposits to SBV.

Telkom SA

Managers

Branch manager

HUMAN RESOURCES AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS The managers list of duties is endless when it comes to HR and ER.I had to make sure that we have enough manpower to sustain the branches and maintain good customer relations. Rotating the staff accordingly on weekends while making sure that I keep up with labour laws e.g. not exceeding certain hours of work per agent per week. Completing the HR2 forms if there is a need for an extra person at a particular branch considering the branch profitability and customer satisfaction. The head office would then give me a go ahead to hire someone. Once the HR2 is approved i then complete a form with requirements and duties for the head office to place my post advert. I would then follow the process to the end. Decisions were not easy to make but I got used to the processes and procedures and using my own discretion while looking after the company’s interests. Telkom is a unionised corporate company with TWO main unions and one is a very strong one. We would encounter strikes now and then on the company as a whole but branch wise I would do everything to eliminate such happenings. Whatever problems arise with the staff there is always policies to guide HR to the best resolution. The first stop for all information from the board is HR so I had to make sure it was filtered down accordingly. While studying and also doing the company training on management, I learned a lot about the person as individual and also different groups in the work situations, conflict management. I have a lot of experience in such a way that I would resolve my own minor issues involving my staff without even consulting labour relations. I had to make sure to adhere to labour relation policies by making sure that the hours of work are correct per agent, shifts to be in line with working instructions, leave and sick leave tracking. Managing conflict in the workplace, excessive sick leave consultations, and addressing poor work performance. I have been managing different offices for 9 years and learned that each person is an individual with unique behaviour and some people are easily influence by groups they associates themselves with while others have very strong morals and beliefs to be manipulated. Arranging and attending disciplinary hearings with regards to theft, loses, poor work performance etc. Accessing agent’s performance on quarterly basis, and financial year end, using the company performance management systems. Attending meetings with different unions in order to brief the staff. Etc. I also had to do staff training, over the shoulder support and briefings. 1(a)MANAGEMENT SKILLS In 2002 I applied for the management post and I got it and my main office was Vryheid. At that time I was looking after the Ulundi, Dundee and Vryheid Branches. In 2004 Newcastle, Ladysmith and Estcourt were added to my offices and main office was changed to Newcastle. I was then transferred to look after the Stanger and the Ballito area in 2007. I ended up in Durban central which is where I was when Telkom came up with retrenchment packages in February 2011. 2-MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT, Guidance on internal and external(house and Garden, royal show, food and wine etc.) promotions, booking of stands or open spaces, promotional material designs and orders(t-shirts, hats, pens etc.) Attend meetings with other sections and other companies etc. Promoting and selling new instruments and accessories. Participation on awareness campaigns such as AIDS, CANCER, and WOMAN AND CHILD ABUSE etc. I also have been planning promotions to keep sales up and also lining those promotions with what is happening at particular area or country as such. All my life I have been working with customers and I have also done CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR at UNISA. Customers want l to be pleased before they buy the product so the marketing strategy has to be for a particular market and their needs at that particular period 3-COMPUTER SYSTEMS KNOWLEDGE I have enough experience with the computer, word, PowerPoint etc. (see list at the end). Both companies that I have worked for used advance computer systems to deliver efficient service. I did my own presentations on powerpoint monthly, created my own spreadsheets (attendance, leave, promotions etc). 4-SUPERVISING SKILLS When I worked at the bank I was given a chance to be the Chief Teller. In those days when one was the main teller, the person would supervise the other tellers, making sure they had signed the attendance register, had enough float to work with, if it’s month end they had to have enough money to pay out salaries as well as making orders of cash from SBV and clearing excess cash to SBV. At Telkom I did a bit of being the agent and then I was made the supervisor of about 31 agents at that time. I used to check that they had float, enough stock for the day since we were also selling telephone products. Sorting out their tea breaks and lunch breaks etc. 5- CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT I have always been working with people i.e. walk in customers as well giving over the line service to both internal and external customers. I had to keep up with our customer expectations at all times while looking after the staff. I had to resolve all issues that my staff couldn’t resolve. Some customers don’t want to deal with agents and ask for the manager and I had to step in to keep them happy. I also had to do follow up on agent queries by making calls 6-BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION I have always been doing my own administrative and secretarial work since we were sharing one secretary who was always busy and I used to end up doing my own secretarial duties. Do quality checks on the agents ‘work, do coaching where necessary, do stock orders and balancing of stock, walk the floor and resolve queries that agents cannot resolve on their own. Do audit almost every week, help with the cash up in the afternoons. 7-FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT I had to look after the company’s profits by making sure that our expenditure was in line with the set yearly budget. I was also converting quantity of lines installed to monetary value in order to see if the individual branch was making profit. Balancing stock on daily basis to pinpoint stock losses and order short or finished stock. Banking of daily cash takes. Monthly balancing of income and expenditure report.

Certificate

Embury Institute of Teacher Education

ECD Practitioner

Primary schools and ECD institutions

Degree

UNISA

BBA

Business management, bus admin, Hr and ER, marketing and Transport

Certificate

North-West university(Potchefstroom Business School)

Programme in management excellence

People management

Ms Rose Khumalo

Senior manager

Telkom SA

0317059284/0813474743

khumalrg@telkom.co.za

Mr Nhlanhla Mchunu

Thekwini branch nanager

Telkom

0313040415/0812442891

MchunuM1@telkom.co.za

Sindisiwe Qulo

HOD

Mpelenyane primary school

0725071077