Employment Equity Act : Annexures EEA4 and EEA9

Explaining why the current occupational levels are flawed

Understanding how occupational levels should apply in practice

Recommended seven level structure

 

Levels Performance standards
1

Why

 Setting the Big Vision
🔹 You’re steering the ship.
🔹 You decide where the company is heading and what the major goals are.
🔹 You sign off on the strategies and make sure everything lines up with the long-term future.		 The Visionaries

You set the company’s long-term direction, objectives, goals and policies

 
2

What

 Turning Objectives into Action
🔹 You understand the whole business, or at least your side of it, inside-out.
🔹 You help create the bigger plan, and then you translate that into a plan your team or division can actually run with.
🔹 You’re also pushing innovation and making sure the business keeps evolving.		 . The Integrators

You make sure all parts of the business work together smoothly and formulate strategies.

 

 
3

How

 Leading a Business Unit or Large Team
🔹 You manage a big piece of the puzzle — like a full business unit or major function.
🔹 You take the company’s goals and turn them into a clear plan for your area.
🔹 You balance resources (people, money, tech) to get the best results without wasting anything.		 The Translators

You turn big-picture strategy into actionable business plans with tactical decisions.

 
4

Who, where, when,

Standards & specs

 Running a Department or Specialist Team
🔹 You’re the local expert, leading a smaller department or specialist team.
🔹 You make detailed team plans that support the bigger unit’s goals.
🔹 You’re optimising daily operations and making sure your crew delivers great results efficiently.		 The Builders

You design detailed team and departmental plans and processes to support the vision.

 
5

Procedures

 Skilled, Hands-On Work
🔹 You know your craft — whether it’s products, processes, or systems.
🔹 You follow set procedures but use your own smarts and experience to do the job well.
🔹 You decide your priorities within a clear framework.		 The Problem-Solvers

You use knowledge and experience to find the best procedures and ways to achieve goals.

 
6

Practices

 Quality & Process Control
🔹 You’re making sure everything is done right — products, services, workflows.
🔹 You tweak things when needed, based on set guidelines and what you’ve learned on the job.		 The Quality Keepers

You ensure products, services, and practices meet standards and keep improving.

 
7

Elements

 Day-to-Day Task Execution
🔹 You’re keeping the engine running.
🔹 Tasks are clear, cycles are short, and you focus on doing consistent, good-quality work.
🔹 It’s simple, repetitive sometimes, but super important to keep everything moving.		 The Finishers

You deliver work reliably by following clear, defined elements and steps.

 

 

 

Occupational levels & Functions Rugby analogy EEA9

[Rw EEA4 treats levels 1 and 2 as first level of only 6 actual levels]

 EEA9

Plain language

version

 GG suggestions EEA4

[only 6 levels and need 7 levels]
1 Policies

Executives

[Why]

  

Fullback

(15)

 Controls the functional integration of the business.

 

Determines the overall strategy and objectives of the business.

Directs the company into the future. The nature of the work and focus is on long-term.

Sign off on policy or strategy.

 Big Picture Leadership:
At the top, it’s all about setting the course for the whole business.You’re the one deciding where the company is heading, what the big goals are, and making sure everyone’s rowing in the same direction.It’s very future-focused — you’re signing off on strategies and making the calls that shape the long-term success of the business.		 Leadership:
At the highest level, the focus is on steering the business as a whole. This role is responsible for shaping the company’s future, setting its long-term strategy and goals, and ensuring alignment across all areas. It involves high-level decision-making, approving key policies, and guiding the organisation’s overall direction.		  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top management

[Level 1 : Need to split into 2 levels]
2 Strategies:

Specialist: chief

Manager:

Snr

[What]

 

  

 Wings

(11 & 14)

 Business Unit/Functional Leadership:
This level requires a deep understanding of the entire business unit, company, or group. Leaders here contribute to the development of the broader organisational strategy and translate it into actionable business plans for their specific unit or function.Their responsibility is to drive the implementation of these plans, oversee key outputs, and lead innovation and change initiatives that keep the business moving forward.
3 Tactics:

Specialist

senior

Manager:

Senior

[How]

  

Centres

(12 & 13)

 Knowledge of entire business area / BU / company or group.

Provide inputs for formulation of the overall organisational strategy.

Translates the overall strategy into business plans for BU / functional unit, thereby operationalising organisational strategy.

Implements and manages business plan, goals and objectives and ensures the achievement of overall key organisational/BU/functional outputs.

Manages the development of innovation and change.

 Driving the Business Forward:
Here, you’ve got a deep understanding of the whole business, or at least your chunk of it. You’re helping to build the bigger strategy and then translating that into actual plans for your unit or function. You make sure those plans happen, hit the goals, and push innovation and change to keep things moving.		 Departmental/Team Management:
Employees at this level bring strong expertise in their specific discipline or sub-discipline.They help shape functional business plans and create team or departmental strategies that feed into the broader business objectives. A major focus is on optimising resources—people, finances, materials, information, and technology—to deliver results in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.		 Senior management

[Level 2]
4 Processes

Specialist

Manager:

Jnr

[Who, where, when, standards, specs]

  

Fly-half

(10)

 Professional knowledge of sub-discipline or discipline.

Provide input in the formulation of organisational/functional unit business plans.

Formulate and implement departmental/team plans that will support the BCU business plans.

Optimisation of resources (finances, people, material, information and technology) to achieve given objectives in most productive and cost-effective way.

 Leading a Department or Team:
At this level, you’re the expert in your field. You help shape the plans for your unit and then figure out what your team needs to do to support them.A big part of your job is making sure you use your resources — people, money, equipment, info, tech — in the smartest, most cost-effective way to hit your objectives.		 Departmental/Functional Planning:
Applies strong professional knowledge within a specific discipline or sub-discipline. Provides input into the development of organisational or functional business plans, ensuring alignment with broader company goals.Focuses on translating organisational strategies into clear departmental or team-level action plans.		 Professionally qualified

and experiences specialist

and

mid-management

[Level 3]
5 Procedures

Skilled

Supervisor

[Rules]

 Scrum-half

(9)

 Applies broad knowledge of products, techniques and processes.

Evaluates procedures and applies previous experience.

A good solution can usually be found.

Determines own priorities.

What has to be done is stipulated; but may require initiative in terms of how it should be done.

 Skilled Technical Work:
Here, you’re using your solid knowledge of products, techniques, and processes to get things done. The tasks are set, but you still have some flexibility to decide the best way to tackle them. You rely on your experience to solve problems and set your own priorities day to day.		 Specialised Technical Work:
Here, the work draws on broad product, technique, or process knowledge.Individuals assess situations using established procedures and their previous experience to find effective solutions. While the goals are clearly set, some initiative and judgement are needed in how to best achieve them.		 Skilled technical and academically qualified workers,

junior management, supervisors,

foremen, and

superintendents

[Level 4]
6 Practices

Semi-skilled

Overseer

[Good operating practices]

  

Hooker/ flanks /

8th man

(2, 6, 7, 8)

 Accountable for direct product, process or service quality.

Incremental improvement of existing processes and procedures according to clear guidelines.

Choosing of correct action on the basis of set standards, training procedures and past experience.

 Making Sure Things Run Smoothly:
In this role, you’re hands-on, making sure that products, processes, or services meet the right quality standards.It’s about making small improvements to how things are done, following clear guidelines, and using your training and experience to make good calls.		 Operational Quality Control:
This role is centred on ensuring the quality of a specific product, process, or service. It involves making incremental improvements to existing methods, following clear guidelines, and selecting the appropriate actions based on set standards, training, and experience.		 Semi-skilled and

discretionary

decision-making

[Level 5]
7 Elements

Low-skilled

[Instructions]

  

Props / Locks

(1, 3, 4 & 5)

 Steps to accomplish work or processes are clearly defined and understood.

Tasks are sometimes repetitive and uncomplicated and the work cycle is short.

 Getting the Job Done:
At this level, the work is pretty straightforward. The steps are clearly laid out, tasks are often repetitive, and the work cycle is short. It’s all about keeping things ticking over smoothly and consistently.		 Routine Task Execution:
At this level, tasks are clearly outlined, easy to understand, and often repetitive. The work processes are straightforward, with short cycles, making it easier to maintain consistent quality and output.		 Unskilled and

defined decision-making

[Level 6]