Here's the thing every first-time employer in Cape Town learns the hard way: the gross salary on the offer letter is not what the hire costs you. Not even close. By the time you add statutory contributions, accrued leave, a possible 13th cheque and the once-off cost of actually finding the person, a R10,000 hire usually sits between R10,800 and R11,300 a month on your books — and that's before you've spent a cent on a desk, a laptop or training. If you're budgeting for your first hire, or trying...