Business leaders, HR professionals and technology experts gathered in Johannesburg today to explore how organizations can tackle increasing regulatory complexity while building a more connected, high-performing workforce.
SAP HR Connect brought together a community of HR leaders to discuss how digital technologies are helping organizations reduce compliance risk, streamline operations, and unlock more strategic value from their people actions.
Nazia Pillay, managing director of Southern Africa at SAP, says the South African employment landscape is at a tipping point. “Public and private sector companies are racing to unlock the power of AI and cloud technologies to improve their competitiveness and create the potential for future innovation. Every organization needs an engaged, motivated and fully capable workforce to derive full value from business transformation initiatives. At a time when the demand for certain skills is at an all-time high, companies are increasingly turning to powerful human capital management technologies to attract, retain and empower their employees. Taking advantage.”
South Africa's employment landscape is undergoing significant change, with new and proposed legislation introducing greater complexities to HR operations. Recent developments include changes to parental leave following a landmark Constitutional Court decision, proposed increases to statutory severance pay and new rules governing unpredictable and on-call work.
Together, these changes are increasing the administrative burden on HR teams and increasing the risks to compliance. Organizations must now manage more complex policies, maintain accurate and defensible records, and ensure consistent implementation of rules across increasingly diverse and dynamic workforces.
“HR teams today are working in a fundamentally different environment,” said Manishwar Tiwari, head of SAP HCM, MEA South. “Compliance is no longer a periodic exercise, but an ongoing, data-driven discipline. Organizations that continue to rely on spreadsheets and fragmented systems without leveraging the power of AI-driven innovations are exposing themselves to unnecessary risk and inefficiencies.”
Many organizations continue to rely on manual processes like spreadsheets and disconnected systems to manage HR activities. However, these approaches are becoming increasingly untenable in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.
Tiwari says manual systems make it difficult to maintain accurate, up-to-date employee records, track compliance requirements, and create reliable audit trails. “They also consume a significant portion of HR capacity, limiting the ability of teams to focus on high-value activities like talent development, workforce planning and employee experience. As compliance requirements become more complex, the need for integrated, digital HR systems is becoming more urgent.”
The 2025 PwC global study found that 82% of companies plan to invest more in technology To give a clear signal to compliance activities that the limitations of the manual approach have reached a breaking point. The study identified faster identification of compliance issues (53%), improved risk visibility (64%) and increased productivity (43%) as the key drivers of compliance technology adoption.
Ravika Bandyopadhyay, Group Human Capital: Chief Operating Officer, Sanlam, said: “We have adopted an unambiguous strategy for our digital and data transformation journey, harnessing operational excellence, agility and efficiency in our current landscape, as well as exploring incremental innovation that enhances and enhances the user experience, while driving a long-term transformation journey focused on leveraging intelligent, transformative technology to drive business value.”
By digitizing HR processes and documents, organizations can create a single source of truth for employee and organizational data – including positions, time tracking and cost centers – ensuring that information is accurate, consistent and always up to date.
Cami Sing, Chief Operating Officer, Discovery People, Discovery Limited, said shared services are a catalyst for reinvention. “When data, technology and people are fully integrated, organizations not only grow but thrive, setting the stage for growth, innovation and long-term impact.”
Integrated capabilities across recruiting, onboarding, payroll and time management streamline processes and support compliance from hiring to retirement. Additionally, continuous performance management, learning, compensation and succession planning capabilities help organizations not only remain compliant but also create a more engaged and resilient workforce.
“Digitalization must move beyond efficiency to enable HR to play a more strategic role in the business,” says Tiwari. “When compliance is built into systems and processes, HR teams are freed up to focus on developing talent, strengthening culture, and driving long-term organizational performance.”
distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) From SAP