CHRO Magazine 2022, Issue 1 by CHRO Magazine

Microsoft’s HR consulting director Jasmin Pillay Building better brand ambassadors

FOR HR EXECUTIVES 1 | 2022 | CHRO.CO.ZA

Samsung HR director for Africa Zain Reddiar The high flyer How HR took the wheel during the pandemic The great resignation Is virtual

WHERE DO YOU WORK? Remote and office work environments

AECI GROUP HUMAN CAPITAL EXECUTIVE

CANDICE WATSON THE MOMENTS THAT SHAPED HER CHARACTER AND CAREER

Find out how more than 45% of the ® FORTUNE 500 adapt to change. The world’s most successful companies use Workday to keep pace with constant change. Our finance and HR system helps companies surface better insights, be more productive, and adapt quickly to a changing world. See what more than 45% of the FORTUNE 500 already know about the enterprise cloud from Workday. Workday. For a changing world.™

From FORTUNE. ©2020 FORTUNE Media IP Limited. FORTUNE and FORTUNE 500 are registered trademarks of FORTUNE Media IP Limited and are used under license. FORTUNE and FORTUNE Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse the products or services of, Workday. © 2020 Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Workday, the Workday logo, and “Workday. For a changing world.” are trademarks of Workday, Inc., registered in the United States and elsewhere.

CHRO

welcome

Courageous culture “Are CHROs doing enough to prepare our colleagues for this future?”

South Africa in 2021, like the rest of the world, continued to battle low economic growth, high unemployment and increased Covid-19 infections. To address these challenges head-on, South Africa needs leaders who are courageous, transparent and trustworthy. Sadly, the passing of the likes of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has denied us one such calibre of these leaders. In 2022, organisations and individuals must pay particular attention to develop this calibre of leadership. This year focus must be on ensuring that organisations develop strategies to create high-performance cultures – based on people, processes, customers and execution. As people are our greatest assets, leaders must work even harder to create a unique employee value proposition. They must create a conducive environment that increases productivity, motivates and challenges the mind, rewards and recognises performance, grows and retains talent, and creates learning and transformed spaces for success, among others. The quick adoption of 4IR, new technologies and remote offices has put pressure on the work-life balance and even blurred the lines. CHROs must prioritise employee wellbeing and mental health and provide support to address these challenges. Leaders must show more empathy and understanding – now more than ever before – as Covid-19 has had a devastating effect mentally, physically, and spiritually on many of our colleagues. As technology and innovations are constantly being introduced, training and development of new skills to improve productivity and efficiencies are more critical for the modern HR organisation. Skills and functions will have to be (re) designed. In this 4IR that we are in, rapid system innovation and integration are occurring at the speed of light. The mass introduction of automation, neurotechnology and artificial intelligence will blur the lines between the technical and real worlds. We will work next to robots and technology will be infused into almost every aspect of our professional and personal lives. Are CHROs doing enough to prepare our colleagues for this future? Our vision at Nzuri Management Consultancy and Investment is to form strategic partnerships with our clients and help to build solutions and high-performance cultures in preparation for this future – something all companies are thinking about. CHROs have the qualifications, skills, and experience to take these challenges head-on but will need courage. Someone once wrote “Fear is the reaction and courage is the decision. Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to resist and master your fear”. Remember that as you prepare your organisations for this future! I wish all of you an exciting and successful 2022. Enjoy this edition of CHRO magazine. Welcome to the future.

XOLILE SIZANI (PR. ENG.) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | NZURI MCI CHRO AWARDS JUDGE 5

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contents

22 The human-centric approach to HR 2021 CHRO of the Year Dieter Veldsman shares his love for the science of HR

36 People at the centre of everything Samsung’s HR director for Africa Zain Reddiar believes that HR is best done by heart

42 Internal branding matters Microsoft’s Jasmin Pillay says brand advocacy is innately warm and authentic 6

2021 CHRO Awards See the celebration page 54

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categorie

Insight

CHRO Community

68 It’s time to create safe spaces 60 Enter the chief hybrid officer

48 Commit to culture: Take the humanity test 64 HR had to take the wheel during the pandemic

Cover story

Features

12 Learn to see yourself outside the lens AECI’s Candice Watson, 2021 Young CHRO of the Year, shares how hurdles have helped her thrive

28 Remote and in-office working, with a vaccination twist 32 The migration is virtual 40 Prevent the payday poverty cycle 50 The world of talent exchange

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publishing info

Community manager Sungula Nkabinde snkabinde@chro.co.za +27 72 741 6171 Content director Georgina Guedes gguedes@chro.co.za +27 83 651 2789 Associate editor Ronda Naidu rnaidu@chro.co.za +27 82 695 9704 Photography Patrick Furter Other contributors Ang Lloyd, Caylynne Fourie, Chuma Mxo, David Seinker, Jane Steinacker, Puseletso Mompei, Yvonne Mkefa Advertising Nick Smith nsmith@chro.co.za +27 72 202 1071 Managing director Joël Roerig jroerig@chro.co.za +27 76 371 2856 Publisher CFO Enterprises (Pty) Ltd 1 Wedgewood Link | Bryanston | Johannesburg | 2191 | South Africa +27 11 083 7515 CHRO community CHRO South Africa is the organisation for HR executives in South Africa. Our goal is to connect HR professionals online and through events and this magazine in order to share knowledge, exchange interests and open up business opportunities. For more information and membership options please visit CHRO.co.za. Design & Layout Elizabeth Ferraris Printing Novus Holdings

© 2022 CFO Enterprises (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

CHRO

from the editor

HR’s time has come It’s been extra special connecting with our amazing CHRO community in person again, at the CHRO Awards, the ESG Summit and the community dinners. We have pivoted with our community and the external environment over the past few years as the pandemic redefined our businesses, teams and personal lives. Technology has assisted us in ensuring that we stay in touch, expand our skills and continue to collaborate. It has also led to changes in the way we interact, allowing us the opportunity to leverage the best of both the virtual and physical environments. On a virtual level, we have connected through Community Conversations (see pages 46 to 49) and our unique CHRO webinars. From a physical perspective, what could beat the resounding proximity of peers gathered together at a glittering awards ceremony to celebrate their successes (see page 55) or the intimate networking opportunities offered at our scrumptious CHRO dinners (see page 65). This means that 2022 will see us embracing a unique new hybrid world, one in which we can learn from each other, leverage our platforms and enhance our knowledge. In a world where high levels of overwhelm is a constant, it is heartwarming to have the support of – and be supportive of – our CHRO SA community. Many a CHRO has told me recently that pursuing the passion of working with people in a human capital and transformation function can be lonely. When business is focusing on operational efficiency, customers and the bottom line, it can be challenging to convey the value of the employee experience and building brand ambassadors to other executives. The pandemic and resultant uncertainty is changing that, as the great resignation has placed the spotlight squarely on the people business – placing HR in a unique position to leverage the best of all disciplines. From marketing the company to prospective employees, to ensuring employees are equipped to work remotely to cultivating a culture that can straddle time zones and geographical boundaries, it is clear that HR’s time has come. It's no longer about claiming a seat at the table, it’s about collaborating across the organisation to attract – and retain – the skills and mindsets that will set the organisation on a sustainable growth path that benefits all people and the planet. Here at CHRO SA, we look forward to travelling this path with you through our unique blend of online Community Conversations and webinars to our in-person CHRO Day and CHRO Awards and dinners.

RONDA NAIDU Associate editor rnaidu@chro.co.za +27 82 695 9704

CHRO

movers

Ready for a new challenge such an incredible team at BMW Group South Africa and am looking forward to the journey ahead. The company is committed to ensuring business continuity in the face of market volatility. In line with this vision, I will partner with business to deliver people solutions, processes and perspectives." “These are intended to put our people first, increase our flexibility, boost collaboration between employees and encourage them to deliver their very best every day,” she added. Julia Modise

Julia Modise is the new HR director at BMW Group South Africa In February 2022, Julia Modise became the director of Human Resources for BMW Group South Africa. The 2021 CHRO Awards nominee has 23 years of experience in HR across a number of sectors, including retail, manufacturing, listed property, media and entertainment, and consulting. She joins the automotive manufacturer holding a postgraduate diploma in leadership, a BSc management degree, and an HR diploma, as well as first-hand automotive supplier industry experience from Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Holdings, Bridgestone, and the Cummins Group. Julia said, “I am honoured to join

Donald Khumalo joins FNB Donald Khumalo took on the role of human capital executive at FNB, focusing on the FNB and Wesbank retail and commercial cluster, in October 2021. Prior to joining FNB, Donald was the HR director at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) since 2016. “I am grateful for the opportunity I had to serve one of the country’s prestigious organisations, the JSE. I am eternally indebted to the JSE because it has contributed immensely to my growth. I thank the leadership and the rest of the JSE family for the support,” said Donald. “The role is exciting because of the transformation journey financial services companies such as banks are going through. The proliferation of fintech, which aims to disintermediate banks, presents an exciting challenge, because banks have to pivot their business model

Donald Khumalo

to remain relevant,” he added.

Jasmin Pillay appointed as HR consulting director In July 2021, Jasmin Pillay took on the role of HR consulting director for Microsoft, Middle East, and Africa. Jasmin first joined Microsoft South Africa in 2018 as an HR director. Before that, she held a number of concurrent portfolios at Petronas Lubricants International between 2012 and 2018, including head of human resources for Africa and Middle East, head of change management for global transformation, head of change management for global sales and ops planning and functional lead for global HR digital transformation. Jasmin said she is deeply humbled and delighted by the promotion.

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“It is an incredibly exciting space with many opportunities for impact and of course presents a chance for learning, which is important to me. I am grateful to have been invited to take on this new role and look forward to this next chapter and to continuing to contribute to empowering others.”

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She has previously worked at Afrizulu Consulting, Aspen Pharmacare, PwC Appointments, Kelly Human Capital and Staffing, and Concept Communications Public Relations. Jasmin is currently pursuing an MBA through the Henley Business School. She holds Industrial Psychology and Business Management qualifications and is a Harvard ManageMentor.

Mechell Chetty is the regional head of human resources Africa at Maersk After 23 years at Unilever, Mechell Chetty has taken up the role of head of HR for Africa at Maersk in September 2021. Mechell says she is thrilled to be joining such a credible organisation that “sees the opportunity to re-invent itself digitally whilst maintaining its core values. I am also excited about learning in an entirely new industry than my experience presents and working collaboratively with the great leaders at Maersk.” During her time at Unilever, Mechell made it a personal mission to develop a strategic talent agenda for Africa. Under her leadership, 82 percent of all MCO leadership team members were African and 50.6 percent of all managers across the continent were female. She also led the internationalisation of African talent and in the last five years more than 400 people gained career experiences across the globe. “I hope to continue my passion for diversity and inclusion and build-

Palesa Ntoagae

ing African leaders for the future and also shape the future of work to enhance the employee experience and enable further success for the organisation,” she says. Mechell’s focus on racial equity and gender diversity has been commendable, with the Africa team winning the coveted Top Employer Africa award four times over and the Most Gender Empowered Organisation in South Africa in 2021 under her leadership.

CHRO.co.za is the online hub for South African HR professionals, a daily virtual pitstop for high achievers who want to stay ahead. The content portal of CHRO South Africa is experiencing spectacular growth in readership every month and is now the number one HR website in South Africa. The unique offering includes: • Interviews with prominent HR executives • Exclusive guest articles from leading experts • Profiles of the CHRO Top 100 • All new appointments of HR leaders • Fresh and often provocative trend articles

Palesa Ntoagae joins the JSE

• Information about CHRO South Africa events

In January 2022, Palesa Ntoagae assumed the role of HR director at the JSE. Prior to that, she was the regional HR Partner at Standard Bank with accountability for the HR function for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

• The latest and greatest HR training

Palesa says she is excited about the opportunity to lead the HR agenda for such an iconic and important institution in the country’s economy. She is enthusiastic about gaining insight into a different organisation altogether, and “partnering with an incredible HR and leadership team I’ve admired from a distance”. 

• Online access to CHRO Magazine

• A free online membership with a weekly newsletter Contribute Do you know an HR director who has great insights to share? Do you want to contribute your expertise? Do you have ideas that can help CHRO.co.za get bigger and better faster? Then contact community manager Sungula Nkabinde today. Ronda Naidu | rnaidu@cfo.co.za +27 82 695 9704

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"We underestimate the power of engaging with people one-on-one.”

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LEARN TO SEE YOURSELF OUTSIDE THE LENS Candice Watson, winner of the 2021 Young CHRO of the Year Award, shares how hurdles have helped her thrive.

BY ANG LLOYD

ECI’s group human capital director Candice Watson was only two months into her new role when the Covid-19-induced hard lockdown hit in March 2020.

“Your first 90 days are usually when you get to know the business and create rapport with the key decision-makers,” she says. “But 60 days into my new role I was ripped out of the organisation due to lockdown; it was exceptionally challenging because I had a people-centric mandate, but I'd hardly met the people.” Candice knew it was time to act – she quickly built her core team network, and she went into “focus-mode”. She immediately set up meetings with people in different countries so she could put faces to the names.

Something interesting happened during this process, however: one of AECI’s Africa business partners said it was the first time the Group HC executive was taking the time to talk to the team. “Historically, you're in head office; you see the people when you see them. I had to go down the organisation a few levels. We underestimate the power of leadership visibility and engaging with people on a one-on-one basis – even if it’s virtual,” she says. On why she chose AECI, Candice explains that she was keen to get involved in the listed-entities space once again. Before AECI, she was the HR director for a large multinational in Cape Town: British American Tobacco (BAT). According to Candice, in 2016, BAT was “the gold standard” for human capital practices, as the company operated in 180 countries and was on

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the Fortune 500 list. This provided a level of exposure and resources that most HR directors could only dream of. Candice moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and first took the role of head of talent, and then HR director. During her time at BAT, she had an epiphany, too: that it was time to start her PhD.

Building resilience “In retrospect, I wonder what I was smoking the day I put my proposal together!” she laughs. “But, in 2017, I went to the University of Cape Town, and I told them I want to pursue my doctorate. It would focus on the under-representation of women in senior executive roles, specifically in Africa,” she explains. Candice’s proposal was accepted, and it marked the start of an interesting and challenging journey. At the time, she was a senior HR executive for a global company, she was living in a different city, she was a mom, and she was doing a PhD. She spent three years at BAT, before getting a call to return to Johannesburg to join AECI. “The opportunity just made sense, because I’d be part of the group exco, reporting to the CEO. AECI’s mandate was to re-establish the people agenda for the organisation and put structures in place to deliver on the business strategy. I was definitely up for that!” she adds. While her new role came with multiple challenges initially, Candice believes she was able to navigate them due to her background, and the resilience she has developed over time. Candice grew up in Eldorado Park, a coloured township in the south of Johannesburg. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she lived with her grandmother in ‘Eldos’ – a community plagued by social problems such as high unemployment. “I could see the plight of helplessness and hopelessness,” she says. “Fortunately, my potential was identified by a maths teacher when I was 12; he said that kids with potential should be given

opportunities. He put my parents in contact with a girls’ boarding school in Braamfontein, but on a non-bursary basis – I didn’t even have a uniform on the first day!” Candice excelled at boarding school: she captained the hockey team, she was a prefect and the president of the Christian Students' Association. On weekends she undertook volunteer community work. “I didn't have a moment to be distracted and sit in my circumstances,” she adds. “My grandmother always said that when you have too much time on your hands you get involved with nonsense… I never wanted to disappoint my family and I took a lot of direction from her. My grandmother was involved in the community, and she'd use our groceries to run the church’s soup kitchen.”

Who’s that? Spurred by her grandmother’s influence, Candice’s community involvement included being a volunteer at the Unisa Health and Psychology unit based in Eldorado Park. Gauteng. Here, she was exposed to clinical psychologists and the projects they ran, such as the Eldos Bekgeskiedenis (oral history) project, where Candice was introduced to the human psyche. This experience led her to study clinical psychology, with industrial psychology as a second major, at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). On the day she enrolled at UJ, no one knew that she was catching a taxi to get there – Candice didn’t think about how much the endeavour would cost, she just knew she had to do it. “I got back home and told my grandparents that I enrolled; they asked how I was going to pay for it. I told them they could start me off with the registration fees,” she says. “My grandad ran a carpentry business and he managed to get the registration fee of R1,204.47. I told my dad I needed textbooks and transport money – he really tried, and I got three books in my first year, which I cherished.”

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“I didn't look at how it couldn't work; I looked at how it could work.”

Candice Watson Candice Watson’s early career trajectory was guided by a level of tenacity not often seen in someone so young. At the age of 24 she was selected as a participant in the highly competitive SAB HR graduate programme; since then, she has held HR roles in both the multinational and local corporate environment. In 2017, she enrolled for a PhD in Business Administration and Management. After spending three years in Cape Town at British American Tobacco as the HR director, she joined AECI in Johannesburg as the Group’s HC executive in 2020. Candice was named the 2021 Young CHRO of the Year, and she also received the Learning and Development Award. Education: BPsych Honours (University of Johannesburg), PDBA in General Management (Gibs), MBA (Gibs), PhD in Business Administration and Management (University of Cape Town).

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“Difficult moments shaped my character, especially when no one was looking.” During her first year, Candice spent many hours in the library; while other students had their textbooks in their bags or cars, she’d spend the day catching up and printing them, using part of her small stipend from the community work. In her second and third year, she received merit bursaries based on her results. Says Candice: “When I look back now, I ask, ‘Who is that 17-year-old?’ The drive I had… I didn't know what the future would hold, but I was determined to change my narrative for the next generation. I didn't look at how it couldn't work; I looked at how it could work.” The day that Candice graduated, it was a win for the whole family. She saw the PhD students in the red cloaks, and she said to herself, "That's going to be my next chapter", not knowing it would happen 15 years later.

'I'm going to show you’ When she was in her early twenties, a pivotal decision would shape Candice’s HR career trajectory. While completing her Honours, she found a job as a Momentum call-centre agent in the newspaper. But she was “too direct” for the job and was swiftly moved into the back office. Soon after, she was placed on a learning programme for junior management. An opportunity for the HR officer role became available, and Candice applied and was shortlisted, but she was not selected. “During the interviews, they said I was a great candidate, but I was more driven towards business, and it was not the right opportunity for me. I thought, ‘I'm going to show you,’ so I applied for a graduate programme in HR at South African Breweries (SAB),” she explains. This was an ambitious move for a 23-year-old, as only 27 graduates were selected nationally. Of

that, there were just three selected for the HR programme. After a rigorous selection process, Candice became the HR graduate trainee for manufacturing in the soft drinks division. She took a significant pay cut, too. But for that year she gave the programme her all. “Within a space of a year, I had undergone an intensive HR training programme: I understood the business on a practical level. I did warehouse stacking, I fixed fridges with the guys, I did sales calls, I helped deliver the product. With every assignment, I had to write up my experience – at the same time, I still had to do my administration duties like printing CVs and attending management meetings," she says. At the end of the programme, the graduates could make a presentation to the board of the soft drinks division. For the first time, Candice stood in front of an exco. That exposure was vital because it marked the beginning of building her confidence so she could engage with people at senior levels.

Pushing over hurdles When the graduate programme ended, Candice took the role of organisational health co-ordinator at SAB's head office. She spent a year in that role, but she felt it was too specialist. She wanted to be an HR generalist and get to grips with the basics of business, and the best way to do that was to obtain a business qualification. After graduating with her Honours, Candice did a post-graduate diploma in Business Administration through the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs), and while completing it, she landed her first HR generalist role at Standard Bank. From there, her career progression accelerated. Three years later, at the age of 28, she was appointed to her first senior executive role at Barloworld. Candice would then do her MBA, make the lateral jump to the multinational space – and complete that PhD.

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For Candice, the underlying theme of her career progression has been to seize opportunity. As a woman of colour, coupled with always being the youngest exco member, she has also learnt to be “professionally robust”. “As the HC manager on exco, I will ask questions about your return on net assets, your restructuring costs, your budgets,” she explains. “It's not because I've run businesses, but it's because I understand the integrated nature of an organisation – and the part that I play within it. I can't effectively drive a people agenda if I don't understand the overall, integrated nature of the business agenda.” Candice reiterates that being marginalised because of her age, race, gender, and background has forced her to push forward over hurdles – they have not impeded her.

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“People see the categories: I’m young, female, coloured. Whether I like it or not, that is the lens they view me through. Yet I have learnt to go beyond those categories and own the fact that I’m a critical part of a leadership team. That only comes by having the right conversations over time, having another woman in a leadership role as a mentor, having a sponsor who will advocate on your behalf, and through reflection,” she says. Candice points out that coloured women make up just over four percent of South Africa’s economically active population, and not being on anyone's priority list was motivation to not accept her circumstances. “I am forever grateful for the hardships I had to endure. Those difficult moments are what shaped my character, especially when no one was looking,” she says. 

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partner

FLOATPAYS PAVES THE WAY FOR EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL WELLNESS In a world of economic uncertainty, debt and credit are huge concerns for many people. And in the workplace, financial stress negatively impacts everything from productivity to retention, yet financial wellness often takes a backseat to physical and mental health benefit programmes. However, a Cape Town startup is putting financial wellness at the centre of employee wellbeing. Through an on-demand access to accrued pay solution that’s integrated into payroll, employees can use the Floatpays platform to access a portion of their earned income whenever they need it during the pay-cycle. Employees can also use their accrued earnings to purchase fee-free prepaid vouchers for living essentials such as electricity, water, medical care, data, airtime, and more. Floatpays provides employees with an alternative to credit and helps them break free of the debt trap. Ang Lloyd spoke to Simon Ward, founder and CEO of Floatpays, and chief people officer Andisa Liba, about how the fintech startup is helping improve employee financial wellness – and the bottom line.

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any South Africans are drowning in debt and living from paycheque to paycheque. During the country’s third wave of Covid-19 and a month after the civil unrest, TransUnion conducted a survey that found 47 percent of those with mashonisa loans (informal lending with interest rates as high as 50 percent) were unable to pay their loans. A Floatpays impact study further shows that 76 percent of South African employees run out of money before month-end. Monthly income earners can’t pay for their taxi fare mid-month, and they’re unable to have a Covid19 test when they need it. They can’t save for an emergency, and long-term financial goals are out of the question. In fact, money problems are the single biggest cause of angst for employees. The 2021 PwC Employee Financial Wellness survey found that

partner

finances were the top cause of employee stress, even above their job, health, and relationships combined. The PwC survey also found that Covid-19 financial stress has caused employees to be significantly more distracted at work and overwhelmingly more likely to look for another job. It’s made them less likely to seek medical help for a health issue due to cost, too. It makes sense that financial wellness is key to a healthier and more engaged workforce, which, in turn, has a positive impact on a business’s success. Yet, the irony is that many organisations place minimal emphasis on something so critical to their bottom line.

Financial wellness affects everything “Pre-Covid-19, it was estimated that people spent up to three hours per day worrying about their finances when they should be working,” says Simon Ward, founder and CEO of Floatpays.

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“If you have financial problems, it affects every aspect of your life.”

Andisa Liba

“If you have financial problems, it affects every aspect of your life. Employee benefits typically start with physical wellness, yet studies show that health is first affected if people are under financial stress. So, financial wellness should be at the top – not medical needs and funeral cover.” But what is financial wellness? For Floatpays, it comprises four parts. It’s having a manageable level of debt (or no debt at all), money to cover an emergency or absorb an unexpected financial shock, the ability to manage your money well, and having a manageable level of financial stress. “Financial wellness is also about having fun with your money,” he adds. “It can be as simple as being able to afford an ice-cream or sleeping well at night because you've spent your money on something you enjoyed, and you didn't have to worry about it.” For Floatpays’ Chief People Officer, Andisa Liba, financial wellness means having a healthy relationship with money, having open conversations about finances, and accessibility. “Money is considered taboo,” says Andisa. “You can go to any braai, and people will argue about religion and politics, but they'll never talk about general finances.” She adds that having a healthy relationship with money includes having access to the tools and financial instruments that help you make the right decisions. “The average South African can't afford a financial advisor, or they don’t have access to financial education. It's high time we made money management easy, accessible, and not daunting.”

On-demand access to pay and the role of the CHRO In a strained economy where most businesses can’t afford raises, salaried individuals – whether they’re lower or more affluent earners – need help to make the most of the money they do have. That’s where Floatpays and the concept of on-demand access to accrued pay comes in. Floatpays is a platform that lets employees access, save, and manage the money they’ve already earned. It’s not a loan, and it has nothing to do with credit. Floatpays gives employees instant, interest-free access to a percentage of their accrued income, at any point in the pay-cycle, for a small, once-off fee. Employees can access their income via an instant money voucher that can be withdrawn from an ATM or via an EFT directly into their account. Employees also have access to zero-fee vouchers for medical or prepaid services, such as electricity and mobile data and airtime. There’s no cost to the employer, and Floatpays easily integrates with existing payroll software. As a seasoned and highly regarded HR professional, Andisa knows first-hand how difficult it can be to pinpoint the cause of an unengaged workforce. Absenteeism and low productivity are often symptoms of a bigger problem, she says, and, for most businesses, a workforce that’s stressed about money will inevitably affect the bottom line. “We must address the root cause of the symptoms. People don't know how to be transparent when it comes to money issues with their employers, and it all boils down to sound money management,” says Andisa.

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“It's high time we made money management easy and accessible.”

Simon Ward

"Sometimes, people don't show up to work because they don't have taxi fare, or they’ve used the bulk of their salary to get to a funeral in Qunu. These problems have always existed. But the root cause is a lack of understanding of how to manage money, and how to ensure that your paycheque carries you through the rest of the month.” According to Andisa, companies need to help employees make better use of the money they already have. “If you have a fixed income, how do you create better spending habits within that and save, for example,” adds Simon. “Third-parties, like Floatpays, offer an innovative solution for businesses to better support employees in building financial wellness," he continues. "Unless you have a line of people asking for salary advances or increases, you probably don’t know what's happening with your employees' financial wellness, because talking about money is difficult, especially to management.”

It's time to colour outside the lines According to global research, South Africa’s average level of financial literacy is only 30 percent – and we performed the worst out of 30 countries. Floatpays is addressing this issue through its app, which features a free budget-planning tool and basic financial education modules. Drawing on behavioural economics principles, employees are incentivised to build their financial acumen, with the prospect of unlocking a greater portion of their accrued pay. Floatpays is currently building further on its financial education offering to give employees practical knowledge, such as understanding how credit works and how a credit score is determined. “We're adding more modules, and they all focus on important aspects of

personal finance management that the Floatpays’ product addresses,” adds Simon. While the training and budget tools are only available for smartphones, Floatpays has a USSD solution so that all employees have access to their earned income, which is important when it comes to the high cost of data in South Africa. Simon points out that an organisation can also opt to have a smart device in their training room where staff can log in and still benefit from the planning tool and education. Floatpays recently launched a savings feature, as their research revealed that employees wanted help with long-term saving. The first of its kind on the continent, it’s a savings account directly linked to payroll and an employee’s paycheque, and it can serve as a 13th cheque. The account is powered by Standard Bank and offers an attractive interest rate of just over four percent*. Says Simon: “Hopefully, we'll see behavioural change, as it allows people to build longterm financial resilience and savings.” Andisa emphasises that now is the time to embrace innovation for social impact as HR practitioners, and that Floatpays solves many problems she’s seen in her experience as one. She concedes there’s no silver bullet, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. “If you're committed to having a workforce that's holistically healthy, you need to colour outside the lines,” says Andisa. “We’re teaching people how to have a healthy relationship with money, and ultimately develop habits to give them a better quality of life.” *Interest rate correct at time of publishing and subject to change. 

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THE HUMAN-CENTRIC APPROACH TO HR South Africa CHRO of the Year 2021, Dieter Veldsman, shares his love for the science of HR – and explains how he helped Momentum Metropolitan put employees front and centre.

BY ANG LLOYD

t the annual CHRO Awards in November last year, Dieter Veldsman was recognised for his work as CHRO of Momentum Metropolitan Holdings (MMH). He also received the HR and Technology Award and the Strategy and Leadership Award. Dieter held the role of CHRO at MMH until September 2021, when he relocated to the Netherlands to join the Academy to Innovate HR, a leading provider of HR thought leadership and digital learning, as an HR and organisational development (OD) thought leader. Dieter began his journey at Momentum Metropolitan in 2018, when he was appointed group executive for people and organisational effectiveness. He was tasked with building an organisational effectiveness function within the Group’s HR division, with the goal to support the ‘Reset and Grow’ turnaround business strategy. In 2019, Dieter moved into the CHRO role, where he continued to work closely with deci-

sion-makers to drive a business strategy that worked in tandem with human resources. “Momentum Metropolitan is an important part of the South African insurance sector; it employs 17,000 people and contributes to the livelihoods of many more. As CHRO, I needed to anticipate issues and offer solutions for the group. At the same time, I had to consider both the human experience of employees and help the organisation to optimise their human capital,” he says.

Reset and grow When Covid-19 hit in 2020, that challenge became even greater. To deal with the crisis, Dieter and the team implemented a phased-approach framework called the 5 Rs: •

Response, balancing business continuity with employee safety;

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Reassurance, work from home support that included guidance on adapting to change and managing boundaries;

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Recovery, a post-pandemic mindset emphasising productivity;

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Realignment, ensuring employees know they are pivotal to the Group’s success; and

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Reinvention, a continuous process of crafting the business’s long-term goals.

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studies at UNISA. He holds subsequent certifications from Harvard, INSEAD, and the Wharton Business School. “I've always been fascinated by human behaviour,” he says. “I was also interested in how humans behave in an organisational setting, and industrial psychology was a way to bring those two interests together.”

Forming a core part of Momentum Metropolitan’s Reset and Grow strategy, Dieter and the team also conceptualised ThinkHumanFirst, a culture philosophy that focused on putting employees front and centre in everything the organisation does. “At the end of every policy, process, and solution, there's a human being,” says Dieter. “Our mandate was to consider what Momentum Metropolitan wanted their people to think, feel, and do, and how we could bring that into the way that HR supports the organisation.” The Reset and Grow strategy, combined with implementing the ThinkHumanFirst philosophy and Momentum Metropolitan’s response to Covid-19, proved highly successful. According to Dieter, Momentum Metropolitan still has a human-centric approach because of the strides made during the pandemic and the time preceding it. In 2021, the Top Employers Institute named the company as one of the top global employers – largely due to Momentum Metropolitan’s innovative people practices, and its ability to deliver on the promise that it makes to its people.

The science of HR Dieter initially studied a BCom in Industrial Psychology in 2008 at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and later concluded his formal

His HR career began as a change analyst with Standard Bank, where he enjoyed learning about how big business operates and how people, processes, and technology must align to deliver business value. He soon realised he wanted to dig deeper into the science of HR, so he joined a small consulting firm as an OD specialist. Here, he had varied clients, and he could gain experience from different environments and start exploring other HR domains, such as organisational design and people analytics. During his HR career, Dieter has developed an “absolute passion” for the science of HR. He completed his doctorate in 2017, which focused on employee engagement and its connection to a business’s financial performance. His PhD led him to entrepreneurship, where he used his thesis findings to join Mindset Management, a software-as-a-service business that builds employee engagement platforms and technologies. At the time he took on the role of head of research and product development; he is still a board member, and the company recently opened offices in the United States.

Time to change the value of HR For Dieter, the future workplace will depend on how technology will augment the human experience. “I've always been interested in how technology can be intentionally designed with a human being in mind, not just to optimise a process,” says Dieter. “I also think that HR will change in the future, as employees will become consumers of HR products and not just HR services.”

Dieter Veldsman Dieter Veldsman has experience across the HR value chain and lifecycle. An organisational psychologist and HR thought leader, he is a regular speaker on HR trends, the future of work, strategic HRM, and organisational architecture. Before relocating to the Netherlands to join the Academy to Innovate HR, he held the position of CHRO of Momentum Metropolitan Holdings.

Dieter explains that we are all digital consumers now. In an analogue world, an organisation viewed people as employees, and an employee participated in HR services. That's changing because HR is going

Education: He holds a BCom Honours, MCom and a DCom.

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“Employees will become consumers of HR products, not just HR services ." digital, and it’s imperative that HR professionals both understand and drive digital adoption. He says, “Think of it as HR being a product that an employee can choose to use; many aspects of the HR function are now self-service, and that's where the human-work experience is shifting to.” Dieter emphasises that HR professionals need to future-proof their careers, no matter their industry. “Digital allows us to scale HR solutions, and suddenly these solutions are available to all employees. Previously, HR could only reach a limited few people due to capacity – that's where you'd only see HR when you were in trouble,” he says. “Now, we have a wonderful opportunity to change the value and role that HR plays because we have the channels and the methods to do it.”

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“The diversity has been rewarding and insightful for me,” says Dieter. “It's a wonderful opportunity to see how people from around the world think, and how their worldviews influence their perspective on HR.” The experience has again confirmed to Dieter that South Africa has so much potential, and that the South African HR community is doing fantastic work. “South Africa is doing remarkable things in the HR domain,” says Dieter. “But I do believe that context is everything: we must stop trying to copy-paste solutions that won't work in an African context. We have a strong enough voice to stand on our own feet and develop solutions that are relevant to our realities.” “As South African HR professionals, we have the opportunity to make an incredibly meaningful impact, and leave our mark on the future of HR,” he adds. 

The T-shaped HR professional

The future of work Dieter predicts that the employer-employee relationship will look vastly different soon, and that the notion of just working for one organisation will change.

Dieter says there are four core competencies that every HR professional needs to master to be future-ready: these form the top of the letter T.

“People will make holistic decisions about where work fits into their life, and not the other way round – it’s already happening. The optimist in me believes we will make decisions about aligning ourselves with employers through the business’s purpose and story, and if that fits with where we want to contribute to society.”

The first competency is business acumen, and the ability to understand how the external environment influences your business and HR realities. The second is to be datadriven and evidence-based to determine the right course of action. The third is digital integration, where the HR professional understands how the world is transforming and what role they play to leverage technology. The fourth is people advocacy through building culture, employee experience, and using HR for the good of society.

Currently, Dieter is based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, at a digital start-up that aims to continuously educate 100,000 HR professionals by the year 2025. It’s a small company that is growing extremely quickly, and it comprises more than 20 nationalities.

“In addition, every HR professional should be strong in at least one functional area, which is the stem of the T,” explains Dieter. “This is their specialist expertise where they thrive, for example, organisational development, remuneration, operations, or learning and development.”

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WHO WILL HELP HR LEADERS LEAD IN THE NEW WORLD OF WORK? Cognitive flexibility is a necessity for leaders who are constantly required to adapt and adjust immediately and quickly as new situations emerge.

M BY RONDA NAIDU

uch has been written about the new normal and how HR leaders are expected to guide their organisations and employees through the transition that the pandemic has suddenly thrust upon the world.

However, little has been said about who will help leaders lead their organisations and teams through this period of unprecedented change and uncertainty. Dr Gloria Mbokota, a lecturer at Gibs who specialises in organisational behaviour, leadership and change has been reflecting on the coaching sessions she has had with executives and management groups over the past two years since the start of the pandemic. “I coach people in executive positions in both the public and private sectors and also provide group level coaching, mainly middle to senior managers. One of the things that has consistency come up among these groups during this pandemic period – albeit in different contexts – is managing the engagement with employees,” she says.

“It therefore requires an element of transformative learningwhich is a shift in a frame of mind.” as well, in addition to policies that need to be put in place to accommodate a new way of managing and leading people. She adds, “We can’t continue as if things are normal. Tied to this, executives and senior managers need to have cognitive flexibility.” There have been many changes with the different levels of lockdown and the impact it has had on the office environment and this requires leaders and managers to have the thinking ability to adapt and adjust immediately and quickly as new situations emerge.

For senior managers, it’s about working remotely while still retaining the level of confidence that people are still engaged while not physically in an office. Tied closely to that are questions around acceptable work requests when working from home, and timing of these. “Employees are on virtual platforms now. So, one of the things I have suggested to executives is to review employee policies taking remote working into account,” says Gloria. This includes a new definition of flexitime, different to the definition in place prior to Covid-19 and potentially redefining that in a post-pandemic space

A simple example of cognitive flexibility is driving on a highway, spotting danger in the lane you are on and changing lanes to avoid the danger. In essence, you are running away from danger. That, according to Gloria, is cognitive flexibility and automatic thinking. Leaders who have cognitive flexibility are adaptable and quick to adjust while those who don’t are resistant to change and want things to happen the way it has always happened. “It therefore requires an element of transformative learning – which is a shift in a frame of mind. We have now had three or four variants of the coronavirus and are we still saying to our employees that

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Dr Gloria’s top tips for HR executives 1. Review HR policies: Consider what is still relevant in a mid- and post-pandemic world and make adjustments. Think about the new normal for flexi-time and don’t forget your recruitment policy. If people can work from home all the time or some of the time, do they have the infrastructure and workspace to do so? 2. Focus on wellness: Consider the company’s employee wellness offerings and ensure that it includes support for employees in a way that they require at the times that they require it. 3. Employee development and practices: Think about the new skills that employees need to adapt and adjust to the new way of work. This may require HR to review and look at the way it operates within the company. Is traditional training still relevant or is there a need for individualised learning programmes?

they should return to the office as if nothing has happened?” she asks.

after the year-end break, a member of the group had died,” she says.

Gloria believes that leaders should recognise that the employee who is returning to the office environment is not the same person who left the office to work from home in March 2020.

She adds, “So, we are also coming back to teams that have lost colleagues and because we have been working remotely, no-one is picking up on these things.”

“We need to consider what we mean when we say employees should return to work. These employees were not away from work when they were working remotely. They are returning to a physical workspace,” she says. With this return to a physical workspace, HR leaders need to consider the new skills needed to manage people who are returning to the office – not in a way that sees it as returning to work, though. Gloria explains that people returning to the office environment have gone through huge changes throughout the pandemic, experiencing trauma related to illness and death, among others. “Late last year, three members of one of the groups that I coach experienced loss. One lost her mother and was preparing for the funeral and she still turned up for the session. When I asked her why she was attending the session under the circumstances, she says that she was expected to. It didn’t make sense as she needed time to make the funeral arrangements and grieve. The second member was a man who lost his mother. He was hospitalised for depression three months later. In another group, when we returned

These are additional aspects that leaders need to deal with, engaging with people to check in and see where they are at, as many are still going through trauma and grieving. It is therefore important that employee wellness programmes are proactive enough to check in with every employee or equip line managers and leaders to understand what is going on in their teams and how to deal with it. Gloria also notes that the pandemic period has become a period of reflection for many people – highlighting what is important in their lives. “What’s coming up in terms of engaging with people is that they are re-evaluating themselves, their purpose and the work they do. That’s tied in with the mass resignation topic currently underway globally. We have also noticed that a large number of people are going back to study and upskill themselves,” she says. For HR leaders, this could mean reviewing employee development plans and aligning with employees’ new sense of purpose and the new skills required beyond the pandemic, according to Gloria.  27

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WORKING ENVIRONMENTS IT’S A DELICATE BLEND Employers and employees have been grappling to find the right balance between remote and in-office working, with vaccination policies for office environments adding to the complexity of finding a solution that is suitable for all.

BY JANE STEINACKER

uilding on the learnings of Covid-19 -related lockdowns and restriction on movement over the past year and a half, CHROs are now tasked with customising a sustainable physical working environment solution that is in the best interests of both the business and the employee. According to Nadia Naidu, human resources director for Merchants, the business was mindful about how it would implement its work-from-home offering from the onset of the pandemic. She says, “As remote working evolved from an option to a necessity for most businesses during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, we understood that we needed to begin tackling some of the local challenges to the trend – such as load shedding, poor network infrastructure (especially in rural and outlying areas) and a lack of resources.” Instead of simply sending employees home with laptops, they took the initiative to design a workfrom-home solution during this time for identified employees. Aptly named Ekhaya, it was essentially an office in a box. The Ekhaya solution contains all the necessary tools and technology to transform any home into a full-functioning contact centre and includes an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), fibre connectivity, home office furniture as well as security and real

time collaboration tools, such as a smartphone and visual display unit. Despite initiatives like this, Nadia notes that “not everyone is suited to working remotely”. This was revealed during a study carried out by Merchants on top and bottom performers, both in-office and working remotely, to identify the prevalent traits of successful remote workers in order to better inform the company’s WFH strategy. The study showed that there are certain personality traits that create top-performing work-from-home employees and others that are better suited to going to the office. Nadia says that the traits that make an employee most likely to become a high-performing remote worker include them being detail-oriented, disciplined, committed, empathetic and caring, as well as having a sense of prioritised personal integrity, and being respectful and well mannered. The company’s top in-office performers are adaptable, articulate, disciplined and committed, have a desire to make a difference and have a positive attitude. While this does form the basis for adopting a hybrid policy of in-office and remote working, it is also worth noting that there are other reasons why working from home is not possible for some employees.

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“One thing that Covid-19 has taught us is that we’re versatile and resilient." These include no fibre connections in the area in which an employee lives, concerns about mental health or other environmental challenges at home that does not make it a conducive place from which to work, according to Nadia. Emma Durkin, the head of human capital at Altron Karabina, also believes that a hybrid model is a wise choice for the company. “One thing that Covid-19 has taught us is that we’re versatile and resilient. If you’re forced into a situation, you make it work. We didn’t want productivity to be impacted and focused our attention on creating an output-centric as opposed to a timekeeping management approach,” she says. Emma adds that as a technology company, remote working is easier to implement and there are a variety of benefits for staff to be able to work from anywhere. However, there are also drawbacks to such an approach, so the business decided to keep its offices open. The largest concern is employee mental health. “It’s really lonely and isolating you know. Last month we asked the brave question in one of our employee surveys, ‘How has your mental and physical health deteriorated since the onset of Covid-19?'. Because we've got quite a close, people-centric culture, people felt comfortable enough to share this with us,” she says. The survey showed that 80 percent of the company’s employees reported a decline in mental health in terms of feelings of isolation, loneliness, increased anxiety and increased low moods. Emma says that the company is welcoming employees back as soon as it is safe to do so, to counter the feeling of isolation but also to make sure that there is a sense of belonging. “We've seen that it's easier to leave a company that you don't have a personal connection to. So we don't want to lose that culture. Virtual connections are great but especially for engagements that require innovation and team building collaboration, we want to do that in person,” she says.

Deb Fuller, group executive: human resources at Nedbank, says the bank will also be adopting a hybrid working model from January 2022. “The hybrid workforce model means that we have a portion of our workforce who will work from a Nedbank office or branch-based site, a portion of our staff who will work remotely and another portion of our staff who will follow a blended approach, working between home and an office-based workplace on different days of the week or month,” she says. To aid Nedbank’s ability to attract and retain critical talent, they also have implemented a ‘semi-gration’ policy that enables some staff to work remotely for the majority of their time, where the operational requirements of their role can accommodate such. The bank’s property portfolio is designed to accommodate a split between onsite/offsite workers, with approximately 60 percent of staff based at a Nedbank campus site on any given day. “Nedbank’s new ways of working promote an office environment of innovation and collaboration that consists of activity-based environments that are digitally enabled. Employees will book office space, meeting rooms or seats, according to the nature of work to be done,” says Deb. Discovery Vitality’s head of people management Sundrie Naidoo has adopted a three-pronged approach. Depending on a person’s role, they may either be able to work exclusively from home, enjoy the best of both worlds with a hybrid model or be required to return. In January 2022, the flexible working model will be in full swing, allowing employees to come into the office. “This is important to support our company culture and to have more meaningful interactions with team members,” she says. What Sundrie has noticed is that many employees are ready to return to the office. “Our staff are quite excited. They want to rebuild their networks and be social,” she says. 

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Deborah Fuller

NIcol Myburgh

Jobs and jabs As the country’s vaccination programme gains traction, companies are relooking employee working arrangements, leaving many CHROs in the unenviable position of balancing rights and responsibilities when it comes to mandatory vaccination in the workplace. Discovery was one of the first companies in South Africa that implemented a mandatory vaccine policy. Sundrie Naidoo, head of people at Discovery Vitality says, “It’s about balancing individual rights and keeping everyone safe.” She adds, “We consulted experts in the field and consulted with our staff.” Of Discovery’s almost 11,000 employees, almost 94.9 percent have been vaccinated. Employees who have requested to not be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons are currently in consultation with a review committee to discuss options and potential solutions. Nicol Myburgh, head of the human resource business unit at CRS HR and Payroll Solutions, says companies needed to follow specific legal guidelines before initiating a vaccination policy. “There are a lot of big risks and big requirements,” he says. Nicol adds, “The first step that companies need to take is to complete a comprehensive risk assessment.” This is to determine the risk profile of each employee in potentially contracting or spreading the virus. The factors that need to be taken into account include whether options such as an employee working from home can be accommodated or if they are client facing and cannot do so. “You can’t make it mandatory or across the board,” he says, “the policy needs to be tailored to suit the employee's role.” There are also several costs that the company, if it is enforcing a policy, is required to cover. “They need to give the employee time off to get the vaccination and this can’t come off their sick or annual leave, and if they have side effects then additional sick leave may be required,” he says. He adds that as long as the time for the side effects to abate is reasonable. An additional risk factor to consider is that if an employee contracts Covid-19 at work, the company is then required to follow the Occupational Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. “If a company is found to not have taken the necessary precautions, it will then be held liable,” says Nicol.

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TOP TALENT IS FLEEING VIRTUALLY SPEAKING With virtual emigration being on the uptick, more and more South African professionals are finding fresh work opportunities that were not feasible two years ago. Here’s how HR leaders can respond. BY PUSELETSO MOMPEI

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orkers with the right skills have been able to take on international job opportunities without having to uproot themselves and their families, signalling a new era of virtual emigration.

The concept of “virtual emigration” refers to a cross-border relationship between where an employee performs employment services and the jurisdiction where the employer is located. Xpatweb’s managing director Marisa Jacobs says this should be distinguished from a home office arrangement, where an employee is allowed to work from home and not come into the office. She explains, “Examples of virtual emigration arrangements would be where a South African employee of a UK company moves back to South Africa and retains the employment relationship with the UK employer, remote working from Cape Town; or where a South African employee emigrates to Canada but still works for the South African employer, just based in Canada.” She says a distinction is possible to a simple remote office or home office arrangement where an employee works for a Gauteng-based employer, and is allowed to move down to the Garden Route with their family and perform employment services remotely.

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The critical distinguishing factor of virtual emigration is the cross-border component, which means that the laws and regulations of more than one country apply to the working arrangement.

Covid-19 side effect Head of human capital at Altron Karabina Emma Durkin says virtual emigration is a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the massive move to working remotely. She says that in the technology space it became very apparent that teams can deliver on projects from wherever they are in the world. “What we have seen is that the trend is international, mostly European based companies, taking advantage of the gig economy. They recognise that South Africa has world-class skills especially in the technology industry and are relatively affordable due to the exchange rate. In addition, we have English-speaking professionals who are able to communicate easily, and there is the time zone compatibility of South Africa in relation to Europe and the UK. For those reasons, South Africa is an attractive fishing pool for technology skills,” she explains. She says that down the line, virtual emigration offers an easy exit out of South Africa with the promise of a relocation visa and costs by employers abroad.

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Emma explains that during the Covid-19 lockdowns emigration halted, but now with borders open again, people are considering their options and international recruitment is firing up again. “This is cause for concern because we are heading towards a skills crisis in South Africa. If our top skills are being deployed on international projects and not contributing to local initiatives, it’s going to hurt the economy,” she says. Marisa adds that in the past decade we have already seen a year-on-year increase in demand for skills and employers expanding their search for talent internationally. The latest Xpatweb critical skills survey shows that 76 percent of employers confirmed that an international search will assist the organisation in meeting its business needs. She adds, “The growing trend of virtual emigration will as such also see South African employers making use of international based employees without necessarily physically relocating them to South Africa. It can be summarised that virtual emigration will further stimulate international workforces and the global search for talent to bolster local supply across the world.” Marisa says earning in hard currency is an attractive pull for South African employees to enter into virtual emigration employment relationships, but cautions that “ensuring you know the dos and don’ts of compliance is essential to ensure you do not get into hot water while maximising your earnings”. She notes that there is a 30-day period to convert your earnings to rand, which means that by planning your conversion optimally, you can receive maximum rand every month. So, with it becoming seemingly easier to work for an international employer with no need to physically relocate and uproot your family, more and more skilled South Africans may enter the interna-

“This is cause for concern because we are heading towards a skills crisis in South Africa." 34

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tional job market, leaving local employers with a smaller pool of local talent available.

Implications Marisa explains that the principle of labour law is generally that the employee is entitled to the dispensation of the country where the employee is physically performing the employment services. “This creates unplanned risk for any international employer hiring a South African employee, as non-compliance with South African law comes with a disgruntled employee having strong recourse through the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and labour court,” she explains. South African labour laws are heavily employee centric and far from the flexibility of a completely free market arrangement like the United States, where hiring and terminating employment relationships are far easier. Any South African employment arrangement with a remote employee based in South Africa, whether the person in a South African or under work visa, requires specific attention by the employer to ensure compliance with South African labour law. This does not only apply to the terms and conditions of employment and policies, but also how the employee is treated, especially where the employee does not operate within the rules. The same principles apply to hires by South African companies of employees everywhere else in the world, and the labour laws of each jurisdiction must be considered. Marisa further explains that when an employee is located in a specific country, this creates an economic and tax presence for the employer in the country where the employee is based. For example, where a German firm hires a South African-based employee, the German company should consider the registration requirement as an “external company” in South Africa under the Companies’ Act as well as Income Tax registration requirement for the company, as the employee in South Africa creates a “permanent establishment” for the employer in South Africa. The same rules apply to South African companies hiring employees in India for example, the rules are generally very closely aligned, as international corporate tax

is governed by Double Tax Treaties, which contains similar provisions across jurisdictions.

Demand for HR leaders Aside from all the technical challenges, this phenomenon requires a shift in how leaders lead. Emma says HR leaders need to reinvent the way they manage people. She says, “It is a new world of work, to try and continue in the old way is fruitless, we will be left behind.” She says retention and talent doesn’t sit in HR only, “It can be driven by HR but it takes an entire leadership team to create an engaged workforce. This is true whether you are sitting in IT, or Finance or HR.” Emma advises HR leaders to invest in leadership training, because the remote way of work entails a different leadership style. “Leaders have to change their style to manage virtual teams, it’s a lot more complex. One of the disadvantages of remote is loss of connection, so we have to find ways around that, because that connectedness leads to more loyalty.” She says flexibility in such an environment is key and expanding options is another consideration. “In the South African context for example, it is about casting our net across South Africa and recruiting talent outside of major centres of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. So, if talent lies in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, we are willing to tap into it and employ remote or hybrid work models,” she adds. Companies are also changing their mindset when it comes to resignations. “We don’t see them as the end of a relationship. Instead, we aim to make the exit of top talent a good one. We expect an increase in boomerang hires, where old employees return. We want them to be able to come back, especially since they may have new experiences, skills, clients and exposure that they can bring back to the company.” she adds.

Mindset switch Emma insists that we have to pay attention and

Emma Durkin

that appetite for remote work is huge and there has also been an uptick in freelancing and contract positions. She says, “Previously professionals needed a certain mindset to embrace the risk that goes with not having a permanent position. Covid-19 taught people that there is uncertainty everywhere, so permanent positions don’t guarantee security due to pandemics, with retrenchments etc.” She says that the appetite to consider more flexible options, such as freelancing or contracting is strong. “In the ICT space, flexibility has always been more desired. Covid-19 confirmed that we can go remote and proved how versatile and resilient people can be.” She says the impact of the virtual emigration trend goes beyond one company, and industries have to come together to think of programmes to fill the gaps we have, so that the economy thrives. “If an industry can come together, with competitors, partners, stakeholders talking, they can invest in solutions. For instance, we have a high unemployment rate, and we need to get unemployed graduates to the pipeline. However, we need people to get relevant, sought-after skills. We need the right people upskilled in the right areas to keep us globally competitive,” she adds. 

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Keep people at the centre of everything Samsung’s Dr Zain Reddiar believes that HR is best done by heart, as employees are multi-faceted and have unique needs that need to be understood and addressed so they can build an emotional connection to the company and the brand.

BY CHUMA MXO ain Reddiar, HR director for Africa at Samsung Electronics, believes his life skills were seasoned during his upbringing, and equipped him with the finesse to lead people from all walks of life. Having spent a considerable period outside of South Africa, Zain has brought his talent and experience back home. “I learnt that people are at the centre of everything,” he says. “And if, as an HR head, you genuinely see your role as nothing more than being the servant of the people, that sets the tone for everything else.” When it comes to employee engagement, he explains that it’s crucial to remember that employees are multi-faceted and have unique needs. Understanding and addressing these needs in this spirit is what builds an emotional connection to the company and brand. Another contributing factor from an HR perspective is communication, which is key to creating dialogue and engaging in meaningful conversations.

He also emphasises the importance of doing regular pulse checks. “We are only as good as our last change. Human psychology is fascinating. Knowing what makes people tick and being able to respond adequately to that is powerful. Regular pulse checks, therefore, not only highlight areas for improvement but also test alignment of strategies,” he says.

The winding road into HR Zain’s path into the HR space was not intentionally taken, but he believes that it fitted into a greater design. He started out in the field of emergency medicine where he worked as a flight medic and first responder. He spent some time working alongside medical fund managers doing medical case management in various call centres. A change in career led him to HR, and he later joined the MTN Group, which he was with for 17 years, starting as a general manager before assuming the role of HR director.

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“All efforts must be channelled towards building sustainable societies and this requires authenticity and commitment from all players.”

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“We are only as good as our last change.”

Zain is very proud of the MTN brand and praises the organisation for its dedication to the people agenda. He recognises the role leaders and mentors play in honing the skills of talented people, and counts it a rare privilege to have been part of such a vibrant HR community across multiple geographies.

ward, HR has an obligation to guide leaders and employees to look to the future with optimism.

He has vast experience with diverse cultures, languages and organisations, and is a transformation expert who believes that when working across borders, language is a crucial part of optimising the HR function, echoing the words of former president Nelson Mandela, who said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Zain’s early career highlights in HR include staffing National Treasury with economists, a role of critical national importance during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy.

“The African continent is alive with possibilities and living life looking in the rear-view mirror could be detrimental, without discounting the travesties of the past through invasion and colonisation, coupled with the need for true transformation,” he says. He believes that this can only be done through a side-by-side strategy. “A divided society is easy to conquer, so concerted efforts must be made to build a united front to mitigate the possibility of another invasion in future as we advance into the digital era and tip-toe into the fourth industrial revolution.

Opportunities disguised as challenges

“All efforts must be channelled towards building

But being an HR professional does not come without challenges, he notes. And organisational challenges create unique opportunities for HR.

sustainable societies and this requires authenticity

The most recent example being the Covid-19 pandemic “which has shifted so many paradigms and fast-tracked age-old boardroom discussions like the work-from-home concept”.

There is no greater task than one that allows inno-

He adds that when the pandemic hit, everyone turned to HR for a response.

way where everyone feels valued, then we will have

“In addition, HR has also been pivotal in shaping business continuity. As the pandemic draws to an end, we hope that a unique opportunity will again be presented to HR professionals, where they can take the reins and partner with the CEO as organisations are steered into the ‘new normal’,” he says.

The complexity of the topic must not be underesti-

and commitment from all players. The HR fraternity is entrusted with the transformation agenda. vation and co-creation. HR practitioners should weave the transformation agenda into the talent strategies in a life giving way. If it can be done in a exceeded the expectation,” he adds.

mated, he says. “Diversity, equity and inclusion remain the order of the day, but much work needs to be done as the employment equity statutory guidelines in South

Zain has experience in crisis management and has over the years navigated business through political turmoil, civil unrest, earthquakes, floods, employee strike action, health threats such as the ebola, malaria and cholera outbreaks, and even air crash disasters.

Africa are now outdated. In its current form, it is exclusive of the new identities people rightly have to opt for. Life is about choice,” he says. “We are more alike than different!” he adds, explaining that he is a multilingual and culturally sensitive individual who is passionate about protecting the rights of employees and

Navigating transformation

believes in creating a safe and equitable working environment.

Zain is of the opinion that to be able to move for-

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About Zane Reddiar Zain Reddiar is a multi-faceted individual, because when he is not wearing his HR hat, you can find him flying high above – quite literally. In addition to his academic and professional achievements in human resources, Zain is an accomplished aerial performer on both the trapeze and aerial hoop. The circus has always been a real passion, he says. Zain holds a number of qualifications, including a Dr of Management and Msc Science from The Da Vinci Institute. He is also a certified human resources professional and has completed the global advancement programme, Organisational Leadership, at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.

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FINDING NEW WAYS TO PAY

With unprecedented levels of financial stress affecting employee productivity and mental health, companies are looking at innovative ways to prevent the ‘payday poverty cycle’.

BY JANE STEINACKER

oth employees and companies are facing increasing economic pressure, much of which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 induced lockdowns, which restricted movement, curtailed operating hours and forced changes to long-standing operations with a large number of people in one location. Employers are therefore looking for ways to support employees who are facing unprecedented levels of financial stress, while keeping a close eye on payroll and ensuring that retrenchments are kept to an absolute minimum. While consumer price inflation in South Africa stood at 5.3 percent in the third quarter of 2021, economic growth in the country plummeted with a 1.5 percent drop in the GDP. In simple terms, the cost of living is increasing while real income, both for companies and employees, is decreasing. Companies are keenly aware that employees under financial distress affect the business adversely.

She adds that there has been an increase in requests for salary advances, however such an approach is not sustainable. “We prefer not do salary advances, it’s like putting a plaster on an open fracture. It might solve the initial problem but in two months’ time the employee will be in the same financial position as they were before,” says Emma. Instead, Altron Karabina decided on a two-pronged approach to assist employees. The first was to partner with a financial wellness company that is able to offer loans at a preferential rate. “It’s a safe loan machine and there's a payment schedule where they can be paid back over time,” she explains. While this stop-gap solution is available to employees, the business has also instituted another long-term solution, by providing financial wellness education. “We've all been in the same situation that Covid has hit us hard, where we just try and rather give education on managing your finances, rather than doing advances,” she says.

Taking strain “There’s a lot of financial strain and businesses aren’t able to realistically meet inflation in terms of increases. A lot of people have lost their jobs, so they're really battling in terms of monthly payments,” says Emma Durkin, head of human capital at Altron Karabina.

Loss in productivity Looking at both long-term and short-term options is important as employees in financial distress have a negative impact on the business as well.

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“A financially stressed employee will spend, on average, 20 hours a month dealing with financial issues at work equating to about 27 working days being lost,” says Simon Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Smart Wage. According to Simon, the focus should be on “eradicating the payday poverty cycle”. He adds that after more than 18 months of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, finances are proving to be the main cause of employee stress, ranking higher than job, health and relationship stress combined. “In South Africa, according to a 2019 survey by DebtSafe, debt-related stress is one of the key factors attributed to negative mental health in the workplace. Debt collectors, landlords and emergency expenses have little respect for work-related pressures, and the loss in employee productivity that happens as a result is estimated to cost employers a substantial amount each year,” he says. Simon says that there are options to provide employees with the necessary tools to better manage their money.

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Access One way of doing so is through Earned Wage Access (EWA), where employers can offer employees access to their already-earned wages throughout the month. There are also innovative solutions for employees to receive salary and wage payments via a digital wallet, as part of the disbursement mix, without incurring transactional and related traditional banking fees. Funds received by a digital wallet are protected from external deductions such as debit orders, with the options of making purchases at major retailers, prepaid airtime or data, electricity and water at a zero transaction charge. “Most employees get a monthly salary, but in principle if they’ve worked a week in the month, why shouldn’t they be able to access that week’s wage when they need it? Many employees have expenses throughout the month and want to access what they’ve worked for to date,” says Warren van Wyk, director at PaySpace, which works with payroll and HR software. 

“A financially stressed employee will spend, on average, 20 hours a month dealing with financial issues at work equating to about 27 working days being lost.” 41

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INTERNAL BRANDING MATTERS Building powerful brands relies heavily on the positive behaviours of employees towards delivering on the brand promise both inside and outside the organisation.

BY PUSELETSO MOMPEI

oday’s employees are looking for brands that have a clear purpose, transparent culture, and a genuine connection with their values. They want to work at an organisation where their contributions fit into a bigger picture and they feel that the work they are doing is helping to better society. While ideally employees would have exposure to the brand and its messaging through internal communications, that’s not always possible — especially when employees work remotely or are customer facing. Internal branding is about how employees view an organisation’s brand, their knowledge of the brand and the role they play in delivering the brand promise to current and potential customers. Basetsana Taku, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, whose paper, The Impact of Internal Branding on Employees’ Brand Supporting Behaviours, states that building powerful brands relies heavily on the positive behaviours of employees, and with the current climate it is important that employees demonstrate the brand values of their employer irrespective of where the service encounter takes place.

“It is about how we choose to view and treat those we serve.” – Jasmin Pillay, HR consulting director for Microsoft, Middle East and Africa Her research findings indicate that internal branding through employee brand identification, brand commitments and brand awareness positively result in employee supporting behaviour. Microsoft, which has a staff complement of more than 144,000 people across the globe, including offices in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, has built a fulfilling and purposeful employee experience. Jasmin Pillay HR consulting director for Microsoft, Middle East and Africa, says that building brand ambassadors is about matching Microsoft’s company culture and values with the team.

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Basetsana Taku

“When we think about brand ambassadors, and brand advocacy, we believe it must be innately warm and authentic and defies methodology – there is no rule book or style guide. It is about how we choose to view and treat those we serve,” she says. She adds, “We recognise that culture is the bedrock of everything we do as a company. Our culture has evolved over time and we have adopted a growth mindset that allows for employees to experiment and innovate in an environment which is welcome of diverse people, cultures, and ideas.”

The cost of neglect Every year, companies allocate a considerable budget to training and developing employees. HR also spends a lot of money, time and effort to recruit the best people.

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Jasmin Pillay

– looking at the world through their eyes, leading with listening to truly understand and acknowledging their needs and wants and advocating for the best possible outcome for these stakeholders. “Our products, services, communications and people all shape the perception of our brand, through every interaction and touch point,” Jasmin notes. “We believe that no matter what a person’s position in the company, their actions and talents produce a ripple effect – through the organisation and out to our customers and partners. Our team is the driving motivation for each interaction, decision, product, and process – everybody is a brand ambassador/ advocate for our business,” she explains. Basetsana agrees and adds that it is possible to turn every employee into a number one brand ambassador, even long after they have left the organisation.

Basetsana says, “It is therefore important that HR creates an environment that does not only make people feel valued but also one that nurtures and encourages brand advocacy and loyalty internally.”

However, she cautions that if HR leaders neglect internal branding efforts, they risk losing great people. This would ultimately negatively affect the employer brand and eventually make it harder to attract top talent.

According to Jasmin, building advocacy means acting on behalf of Microsoft’s stakeholders (the team, customers or partners) by empathising with them

“People want to work for the best companies to work for and those companies are made by the current employees, thus it’s so critical that inter-

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by-product of genuine interest and authentic and meaningful conversations!”

nal branding is prioritised as part of building best employer brands,” she emphasises.

A changing workplace In her research, Basetsana found that the office used to be a place where employers communicated brand messages to employees through formal and informal platforms, but now that people are working from home, staying connected with employees has become a challenge for many organisations. She says, “Internal branding efforts or selling the brand internally in simpler terms, now more than ever, need to be intensified to remind employees of the organisation’s values, brand messages and most importantly the brand promise and how to deliver it.” If done correctly, the impact on employees’ engagement and morale will be positive and ultimately impact the bottom line. Jasmin believes that human resources leaders have an incredibly powerful role to play in being brand ambassadors, especially given the evolution and transformation of people practices and focus. “What we do on a daily basis in support of business and leaders is all about the experience of our customers (our employees). I care about what our employees care about. I want to have conversations with them about what matters to them. I want to hear about the good and not so good days, their aspirations and fears, the tools they like and don’t like, the big wins and the losses, the fun and sad stuff and everything in-between that they want to share and talk about,” she says. Jasim adds, “The good and trusting experience that I hopefully leave them with is all the brand evangelisation needed and the best part is that it is a

“People want to work for best companies to work for and those companies are made by the current employees.” – Basetsana Taku, researcher, University of Witwatersrand

The transition to virtual workplace arrangement may have a negative impact on the internal branding efforts, particularly for companies who have not placed enough emphasis on it. Basetsana notes that the employer-employee relationship will also be tested by this new normal of a virtual workplace environment, work-life balance and productivity. She emphasises that trust will become critical in building and maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship where all parties will act responsibility in terms of their contractual obligations. “Organisations that enable whatever level of remote working this new normal imposes on their workforce with the necessary tools and using whatever digital equivalent is available to continue – hopefully with more creativity – those rituals that they performed in their teams to live their values and entrench the brand internally will emerge more resilient,” she says.

Continuously doing better At Microsoft, building the culture is not a point in time, with a start or end, but a continuous reshaping of employee’s mindset to deliver on the bigger mission, which is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. Jasmine says, “Through advocacy we can connect with our customers and build rapport with our audiences in an authentic, relatable and human way. At the heart of all of this our customers will find empathy and humility. Empathy is an integral part of our ethos, bringing the values that tie our people and the business together to life. A growth mindset culture is not possible without it.” She adds that when a company advocates for its stakeholders, being customers and teams, they in turn become advocates, thereby building brand loyalty and trust. “Ours is a culture that helps us be better and do better and support each other along our learning journeys. And we are all committed to closing the distance between our espoused culture and the lived experience for each other and our customers,” she adds. 

CMY

Sanlam Benchmark Research 2021 Key take-outs from the 40th retirement industry survey 2

1 Cost of retirement fund administration

0.55%

R52

Cost for stand-alone funds (slight reduction since 2019)

average cost for stand-alone funds in rands

0.59%

R41

Cost for participating employers in umbrella funds (the same as 2020)

average cost for participating employers

Contribution trends

Stand-alone funds and participating employers’ employer contribution levels are steadily increasing again since a drop in 2018. However, 2021 recorded a slight drop in employee contribution levels in umbrella funds of 0.7% although still up from 2018 levels.

Employer contribution

10.8% 9.4%

average employer's total contributions in stand-alone funds average employer's total contributions in umbrella funds

Member contribution

3 Contribution suspension

41.0%

27.0%

of participating employers in umbrella funds suspended retirement contributions due to Covid-19

in stand-alone funds

4 Retirement funds and rewards/loyalty programmes have not yet gained traction in a retirement funds context.

88.9%

funds and employers are offering default investment portfolio plus member choice. Proposed changes to Regulation 28

8 Retirement benefits counselling outcomes In-fund Phased Retiree Outof-fund Cash Retirement counselled

49.0%

of stand-alone funds and,

36.0%

7 Default regulation and member behaviour 25.0%

46.0%

57.0%

Retirement Benefit counselling Base: All those who have not seen an improvement in member behaviour Stand-alone funds Annuitisation

Preservation

9 Impact of Covid-19 Impact of Covid-19 on cyber security

Impact of Retirement Benefit Counselling at retirement

2.0% 1.0% 3.0% 2.0%

5 Health integration

Stand-alone funds have not seen a significant improvement in member behaviour since the implementation of default regulations.

Only 6.6% of stand-alone funds and, participating employers will be investing 4.7% ofin infrastructure investments.

contributed by members in participating employers in umbrella funds

of participating employers believe a holistic, integrated health and financial wellness programme delivers higher productivity and staff happiness.

Less (10.0% to 13.0%)

of total package contributed by members in stand-alone funds

of participating employers in umbrella funds do not offer rewards/ loyalty programmes

More funds and employers are selecting a combination of default investments with and without member choice

Ave 6.3%

79.0%

of stand-alone funds said they do not offer rewards/ loyalty programmes

6 Investments 20

Ave 6.6%

Impact of Covid-19 on Members’ Finances

Increase in the risk of cyber security as a result of staff working remotely.

55.0% 27.0% 35.0% 70.0% Retirement not counselled

46.0% 41.0%

31.0% of participating employers reported retrenchments at the workplace.

Stand-alone funds

Participating employers

The Sanlam Umbrella Fund data indicates that members that are counselled at withdrawal are twice as likely to preserve For 40 years, the Sanlam Benchmark Survey has been South Africa's most comprehensive retirement industry research. In 2021, 90 stand-alone funds, 10 stand-alone union funds and 100 participating employers in umbrella funds were surveyed. Sanlam is a Licensed Financial Services Provider.

Financial Planning

Investments

Insurance

Retirement

Wealth

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community conversation

THE TRANSITION TO SELF-DIRECTED TEAMS Efficiency, increased productivity, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment are just some of the benefits of self-directed teams. Little wonder then that they are gaining popularity in organisations. Ruth Wotela, chief wellness officer at SilverBridge, shares unique insight into the company’s experience in this arena.

BY CHUMA MXO

elf-directed teams, also known as self-managing teams, self-regulating teams, or autonomous teams, are gaining popularity in organisations. They are often set up because it has been found that they are linked to, among other things, increased productivity, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment. In a Community Conversation sponsored by Workday, SilverBridge’s chief wellness officer Ruth Wotela shared their journey of completely doing away with line managers and creating self-directed teams.

were very large and you would have a team of 18 with one manager.” Ruth said this was difficult, especially for new people joining the company. “We found that new people were really struggling to learn and upskill and gain experience,” she said. “We realised that we needed to have a structure that provides broader access to the experience and the expertise that sits across the organisation.”

Implementation

Like many other organisations, over the past almost two years, SilverBridge went through the process of looking at the way they worked. This included where they work, what they do and how they organise themselves, and this is where the conversation began around how they should think about being sustainable and scalable. “As a technology company, when Covid-19 hit we were in a space where we were seeing an increase in demand for what we do in terms of helping companies. Although that was great, it put a lot of pressure on our business,” Ruth said. She added, “Last year, the organisation went through a huge recruitment drive. This is largely because of the demand of what we do, and the products and the services that we offer to our customers. This resulted in a need to really look at how the company was growing, because we ended up in situations where our teams

“Given our way of working, we realised that self-directed teams were something that we should look at, in order to help us be sustainable and scalable,” she explained. The organisation did a lot of research on this and looked at how companies in similar industries were addressing the matter. It was clear the solution would not lie in appointing many people to manage teams. Some of the characteristics that define self-directed teams are: • No managerial control, • High level of trust, • Common goal, • Shared responsibility of tasks, • Accountability for output, and • Authority to make decisions. Research shows the main benefit of self-directed

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teams is increased efficiency and productivity, as teams are able to find opportunities and solutions quicker because they don't have to wait for approval or go through red tape for them to take the next step. Other advantages of self-directed teams are increased employee engagement, satisfaction and commitment. A lot of conversations and planning went into the process at SilverBridge, so although the journey started a while ago, implementation of self-directed teams began during the latter part of 2021. “We needed to think of how we could make the best with the people that we have, and focus on doing things that would benefit our people and possibly give them an opportunity to learn and to develop,” Ruth said. “There were also a couple of companies that talked about how they work with self-directed teams in a way that gives opportunities for people to rotate in different roles either within the same team or in other teams across the organisation,” added Ruth. This all contributes to enabling teams to really be innovative in how they work and share knowledge. There's also a lot of research now that shows that the younger workforce is very much interested in developing expertise rather than rising through the ranks.

Outcomes and lessons learnt Ruth said they can already see a couple of results they were hoping for and points out that it is a learning process. “The first thing is that our culture and our way of work-

ing enabled this to be an easy transition. There’s a lot that we’ve learned, and that we’ll continue to learn,” she said. “We keep highlighting to our people that we need to support and encourage each other in this process as no one knows exactly how this should work. It’s a learning process and a learning journey for everyone. The efficiency of working in smaller teams is already apparent and has also facilitated a quicker way to upskill. “In some aspects, there’s been much quicker decision-making, where people don’t need to go through a manager and the manager needs to escalate it to exco,” she said. There’s also increased and easy access to expertise across the organisation, and communication and collaboration have increased. “We can already see that this is something that is more sustainable, looking at the learning, and the level of responsibility and accountability that has taken place,” Ruth added. “This really supports our strategy as an organisation.” There are, however, a few things that still require a lot of focus. “I think one big thing is continuous conversations around enabling the shift in the mindset and our way of working, and for some employees, there's a lot of coaching, support and assistance to encourage them to step up and take on more responsibility. We've seen that we need to continue to provide support for the development of leadership skills as well,” she concluded. 

“In some aspects, there’s been much quicker decision-making, where people don’t need to go through a manager and the manager needs to escalate it to exco.” – Ruth Wotela, chief wellness officer, SilverBridge

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COMMIT TO CULTURE TAKE THE HUMANITY TEST Renowned thought leader Stan Slap took a close look at maximising commitment to culture during tough times in one of the top CHRO Community Conversations of 2021.

BY ANG LLOYD

ounder and CEO of an international consulting company called SLAP, Stan was the first to identify company culture as an independent organism that exists to protect itself, and he is also the first to distinguish between managing culture and general employee culture.

During his presentation at the CHRO Community Conversation Tough Times: Tougher Teams, which was sponsored by Workday, Stan explained how culture is the key to move from an environment of surviving to one of thriving.

“The key is to create a culture that takes its energy from solving problems.” For many CHROs, recruiting and retaining top talent, adapting them to change, and creating behaviours of accountability and high performance, are still top priorities. But to get people to stick with you and urge others to do the same is the million-dollar question – even more so in an uncertain, pandemic-driven world.

“The enemy you're dealing with is the fierce turbulence of uncertainty – in which you have to land a human capital strategy. You feel like a blind man in a dark room, searching for a black cap that isn't there,” he says.

“In the real world, neither business logic nor management authority will ever convince an employee culture to adopt a corporate cause as if it were its own,” Stan says.

According to Stan, even the smartest companies in the world subscribe to the most dangerous strategic myth: strategy must be planned well to be successful, when, in fact, a strategy has to be implemented well.

Welcome to the jungle Stan encourages people to imagine living in a jungle, never having met another person, and the only concern being survival.

“That starts with being able to enrol your culture with ferocious support of that strategy, transformation, or performance goal. If you can do that, you're well on your way to achieving strategic success,” he says.

“You'd constantly be taking in information to vet it: is this path safe? Are there snakes in the trees? A great thing that can happen to you is if you finally meet someone else who lived in the jungle; now you have your information about how to survive, you have their information, and both of you are

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community conversation

exponentially safer. The best thing that can happen to you is if you meet a lot of other people who live in that jungle – now you have everyone's information about how to survive and you can look beyond survival; someone will want to be chief, for example. This is a culture,” he says. A culture is a self-protective organism that exists to improve the chances of everyone’s survival, and it requires a sense of safety – if it feels unsafe for any reason, it will detach. “A culture also seeks information: what’s being said, what’s not being said, facts, rumours, patterns, happenings; it vets everything for credibility and then shares it obsessively and exclusively among itself. It’s a close society and won’t naturally reveal to you what it believes. To reveal too much could make it vulnerable,” he adds. Stan points out that it’s almost impossible for the human brain to simultaneously maintain opposing emotions: you can’t be happy and sad at the same time. A culture is the same: it can't be hopeful and hopeless; energised and exhausted.

Don’t lose your soul To end his presentation, Stan offered next-step suggestions.

Stan Slap

Firstly, he suggested that HR executives should “look up, look down, look around”. In other words, look to companies that are experiencing unprecedented success, not despite these tough times, but because of them.

Chat box A lively discussion packed with real-world insights took place after Stan’s presentation. Celiwe Ross, human capital director at Old Mutual, was keen to better understand how HR executives could engage effectively through a screen, with remote work posing a challenge to connecting to a culture on a human or in person level. Stan responded by saying, “Companies are used to creating a sense of belonging through busyness, buildings and badges. The culture will find a way of getting together; you need to find a way to sponsor that, be transparent, and recognise that your people are having issues at home.” Penwell Lunga, the human capital executive at KAP Industrial, asked, “If you are a manager and exist outside the employee culture, how do you gain insight into an employee culture, which is critical for you to shape it towards a specific direction? Do we send spies?” Stan responded by saying, “Don't bother to send a spy; the culture will mail you back the body parts!” He explained that a culture will always trust itself more than it trusts you, the HR executive.

Secondly, he encouraged the audience to focus on what isn’t changing, as it’s critical to retain a culture’s perspective. Lastly, he encouraged the audience to “feed your heads” – the organisation’s heads, that is. He wrapped up the presentation with his most urgent recommendation: the necessity of passing the humanity test – something that every company will now pass or fail. “You can lose a lot of things as a company during these tough times, like margins and profits. But you can’t lose your soul,” he says. 

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TAKE OUT YOUR TALENT

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Building a broader skills base with talented employees is becoming more challenging and HR leaders are looking to innovative ways of attracting and retaining talent. One such approach is harnessing the value of talent exchange programmes – both within and outside an organisation.

BY JANE STEINACKER

inning talent is the most critical factor for business growth. This is the view of 97 percent of CEOs who participated in PwC’s Talent Mobility 2020 report: The next generation of international assignments.

According to the report, 79 percent of CEOs will change their strategies for managing talent as a result of the downturn, with 55 percent aiming to change their approach to global mobility including international secondments. In the wake of a foreseeable upturn, the winners and losers of the next decade will be defined by those who are able to attract, retain, and deploy their key talent globally, the report predicts. One of the tools that CHROs are embracing in what is commonly called the war for talent is the use of internal and external talent exchange programmes. “Talent exchange programmes display forward thinking by industries,” says Emma Durkin, head of

“Talent exchange programmes display forward thinking by industries.”

human Capital for Altron Karabina. “Practically it’s been an economic and psychological life saver.” Emma is referring to the many people in the tourism industry who assisted in medical facilities. Using their skills in customer service, people from the tourism industry were able to assist with the influx of Covid-19 patients requiring medical assistance. This allowed trained medical personnel to focus on the healthcare requirements of the patients. Altron Karabina works in a niche area, she says, so external talent exchange programmes are not practically suited for current business needs. “Internal talent exchange programmes that offer employees within an organisation an opportunity to understand different divisions and get a more holistic picture of the business would be useful,” she says.

Talented assets One company that has actively embraced internal talent exchanges within its global network is KFC. “We are a people business that happens to sell chicken,” said Akhona Qengqe, chief people officer at KFC Africa. Akhona is active in KFC’s global network, she sits on a quarterly committee to promote Africa’s talent to the rest of the world – with South African talent being recognised by international markets as an asset.

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“It’s about setting people up for success and not failure.”

Akhona Qengqe

“If you’re doing well in South Africa, it is not just about skills and expertise but also about being resilient to an everchanging and fluid market,” she says. This shows that skilled employees from emerging markets are actively participating in the global talent pool. “My focus is on talent retention and talent mobility,”

Akhona says, “Moving talent across different geographies and in different business units provides a better experience and makes for better leaders. It’s about fast tracking an employee's path to growth in a fast line highway.” She adds, “To create a talent exchange programme that is suited to a talented employee's personal growth, the business needs to be flexible.”

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“Many potential employees ask if there is an opportunity to work outside the continent.” KFC is not afraid to create new roles and opportunities that don’t currently exist, according to Akhona, as this ensures that an employee's growth is not restricted to whether a manager or executive leaves the business. “This allows people to grow regardless of the people above them,” she says.

Success over failure

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last two years, but this is not simply for the sake of moving people around, “it’s about being deliberate about who we want to move and why”. The active talent exchange programme within KFC is also vital to attracting the talent that the business wants. “Many potential employees ask if there is an opportunity to work outside the continent,” she said.

Risk mitigation Despite these positive spin-offs of a talent exchange programme, there are concerns that such a programme may facilitate a brain drain. Akhona, however, sees it more as a matter of mitigating the risk of losing a talented employee forever. “If someone leaves on their own then we have lost those people forever,” she says.

It is, however, an exploratory process and employees need to be given the freedom to engage in what Akhona refers to as short term assignments (STA), of between four to six months.

Pioneering businesses are also working together on external talent exchange programmes. Vodacom, for example, started with a graduate talent exchange programme a few years ago and is now focusing on more senior talent.

“It’s about setting people up for success and not failure. If someone is at the tipping point of their current role, an STA is a good way for them to dip their foot in a new role,” she explains.

“The response has been incredible,” says Vodacom SA’s executive HR director Njabulo Mashigo, with many new potential partners showing interest in the collaboration.

As a result, the employee can take the role for a trial run as it were, and if the employee decides that a role doesn’t suit, then they can either return to their current position or try something new without prejudice.

Vodacom’s partnership with Unilever involves two senior marketers who are immersed in projects that contributed to their digital expertise and external organisational exposure while transforming their career experiences and driving a culture of lifelong learning.

The recent migration to online and remote working over the past two years has been instrumental in facilitating this process. For KFC Africa, it has broadened opportunities for employees both within the continent and in the global marketplace, with talent exchange being a two-way street. Akhona says, “We look at opportunities in America, the United Kingdom and Eastern markets as well. We are also able to import talent from other areas where we currently don’t have that skill set to empower and train our local teams.” She has deliberately amplified these efforts in the

“The talent exchange needs to make sense for both organisations and we are ready to scale the model,” Njabulo adds. Vodacom is currently reviewing four potential partners, which will be confirmed in the first of 2022, following an extensive due diligence process. “We are reviewing the competencies within the potential partner, legal considerations as well as a risk analysis. Our intention and priority is to take existing employees and support them to thrive,” she notes. 

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awards

THE 2021 CHRO AWARDS CELEBRATING SA’S LEADING CHROs

n the night of 18 November 2021, It was an evening of the prestigious CHRO Awards recognised five outstanding HR leaders celebration, inspiration for the work that they are doing and much-needed Held on 26 November 2020, the second annual recogn on the people sideCHRO of business.Awards The winners received their awards berecognition at the for the work that they outstanding CHROs ongalathe people sid fore theirare peersdoing in an elegant dinner held at the prestigious Polo Club at Inanda. 2021 CHRO Awards, business. The CHROs were welcomed with champagne, cockfollowing a challenging tail steak tacos, tempura prawns and canapés and BY PUSELETSO MOMPEI with sounds of a beautiful violin in the background period of lockdowns while mingling with their peers at what has recently and uncertainty for HR become a rare in-person opportunity since the onset of Covid-related lockdowns. leaders. As the awards evening formally got under way, executives were ushered into a glittering ballroom to tables set with crisp linen, polished silver, and sparkling glassware, where a sumptuous three-course menu was curated by leading Johannesburg caterers, Word of Mouth. The candles were lit, and the HR leaders were treated to a highly entertaining welcome by popular comedian Riaad Moosa.

BY CHUMA MXO

He was followed by CHRO SA community manager Sungula Nkabinde, who provided the welcome

nised five de of the

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awards

address, during which he acknowledged the important contribution of event partners like Momentum Corporate, Deloitte, Dimension Data, SHL, Mercer SA, and Workday.

our nation, upon our collective shoulders. I believe the responsibility to usher in real justice, fairness and righteousness is ours. I believe it is our responsibility to birth a nation that is at peace.”

The keynote speaker for the night was Tantaswa Fubu, Barloworld’s group executive: human capital and transformation, who focused on the concept of leadership. She said that leadership transcends company and time boundaries, and right now, in our country, people need leaders like they need oxygen.

Tantaswa also left the close-knit CHRO SA community members with another question to ponder, as she closed off her address, “The question that arises, therefore, is how can we as this community nudge, encourage South Africa to use the past and the present pain as the stepping stones to be the best we can be as a nation?”

As Tantaswa reflected on the goings on in the country, she put forward the idea that, “This nation needs to heal, it must heal and it can heal.”

The thought-provoking keynote was followed by an inspirational talk by Dr Adriana Marais, director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa.

She added, “People need a courageous couple of souls to birth a better country, a better world. I then stretch my imagination and thoughts, and ask what if those couple of souls are among the CHRO community, with us here tonight?”

Adriana founded Proudly Human in 2019 and explained how she is currently leading the organisation’s Off-World Project: a series of off-grid habitation experiments in the most extreme environments on the planet, in preparation for life on the moon, Mars and beyond, as well as a sustainable future on Earth.

This gave the elite group of nominees much food for thought. Tantaswa said, “Here in this room, we can commit to take the responsibility to lead South Africa, to heal

The pioneering South African urged CHROs to join the project, pointing out that every new civilisation needs HR professionals.

CHRO

awards

Following a period of massive change in the world and within companies, it was fitting that Adriana ended with a quote from philosopher Marshall McLuhan: “There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”

CHRO of The Year 2021. He also took home the HR & Technology Award and the Strategy & Leadership Award. Fortunately, despite travel restrictions, Dieter was able to travel back to South Africa to accept his awards – in person – at the gala awards evening.

With that in mind, it was time to move on to the highlight of the evening, announcing the winners and handing out awards – and celebrating the hard work and achievements of the CHRO community as a whole.

He said, “Firstly I would like to thank the Momentum Metropolitan team and then CHRO SA for all the work that you do for HR professionals and the colleagues and peers around the table, for the amazing work and difference you make. It’s really a privilege to call myself a part of the HR community. This award is all for you.”

Winners The big winner of the night was Dieter Veldsman, HR thought leader and domain expert at Academy to Innovate HR based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It was for his work as human capital executive at Momentum Metropolitan that Dieter was awarded

Candice Watson, the group executive: human capital at AECI, took home the coveted Young CFO of the Year Award, and the Learning & Development Award. On receiving these awards, she said, “I am absolutely humbled to be receiving this award. This award represents so many things, but the one thing it rep-

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resents is that where you start in life is not where you will end up. I went to university without a bursary, with unemployed parents and I was raised by my grandparents and just a sheer tenacity to change my circumstances for my generation.” Candice added that the award was in honour of her son, Joshua Watson, because “he’s decided to follow in my footsteps and study human resource management”. “I want this to be a beacon to him that with God all things are possible,” she added. Jasmin Pillay received the Employee Value Proposition Award, for her time as the HR director for Microsoft South Africa. She took on a new role at the technology giant, as director of HR Consulting for Microsoft Middle East & Africa, in July 2021. She said, “Thank you for this award. Behind it is a

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great team of HR professionals and their phenomenal work. Congratulations to all my fellow nominees.” The Talent Management Award went to Celiwe Ross, Old Mutual human capital director. She said, “Thank you very much for this acknowledgement. I really want to acknowledge my team which has done an amazing job. Thank you to you as my colleagues for the recognition; I appreciate it so much. And congratulations to all the nominees and my fellow HR professionals.” Donald Khumalo walked away with the Transformation & Empowerment Award for his work as HR director at the JSE. He joined FNB as human resources executive in October 2021. He said, “Thanks to CHRO SA for this award. I would like to dedicate this award to my former colleagues at the JSE who have made this possible.” 

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awards

CMY

WINNERS: 2021 CHRO AWARDS Learning & Development Award: Candice Watson, Group Human Capital Executive, AECI Limited Talent Management Award: Celiwe Ross, Human Capital Director, Old Mutual Employee Value Proposition Award: Jasmin Pillay, Director, HR Consulting – Middle East & Africa, Microsoft SA HR & Technology Award: Dieter Veldsman, former Group Human Capital Executive, Momentum Metropolitan Transformation & Empowerment Award: Donald Khumalo, former HR Director, JSE Strategy & Leadership Award: Dieter Veldsman, former Group Human Capital Executive, Momentum Metropolitan Young CHRO of the Year: Candice Watson, Group Human Capital Executive, AECI Limited CHRO of the Year Award: Dieter Veldsman, former Group Human Capital Executive, Momentum Metropolitan

THE 'OSCARS' OF HR

17 NOVEMBER 2022

The Polo Room, Inanda Club, Sandton CHRO-Awards.co.za 59

CHRO

insight

ENTER THE CHIEF HYBRID OFFICER The pandemic is hybrid work’s industrial revolution – the catalyst for reimagining how we work. Does this mean there’s a vacancy for a chief hybrid officer in the new world of work? BY DAVID SEINKER, FOUNDER AND CEO, THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE

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ybrid work models are here, hot and happening. In fact, a study conducted by Advanced Workplace Associates found that of the 10,000 people surveyed across the globe, only three percent of white-collar workers want to return to the office five days a week.

Reporting on the survey, Advanced Workplace Associates warned that many employees would resign if forced back full-time. Seen within the context of the Great Resignation, the global phenomenon whereby skilled employees are voluntarily quitting their jobs en masse, it would be short-sighted of companies to ignore the benefits of a hybrid work model as a means of both ensuring employee retention and attracting new talent. At the most fundamental level, hybrid work models offer a best-of-both approach to where work gets done, combining the flexibility of working from

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home with the creative, collaborative environment the office provides. But the successful adoption of a hybrid work model will come to rely on the leadership and management provided by a chief hybrid officer (or head of hybrid, or people officer – the exact naming is irrelevant), who serves as the link between the workforce and the workspace. It’s neither office manager nor HR officer, but rather a hybrid of both, with added insight into the value of hybrid work with a skillset that is cross-functional, multidisciplinary and rooted in a keen understanding of change management. A McKinsey & Company article talked about our “once in a generation (if that)... opportunity to reimagine how we work”, citing the Industrial Revolution, World War II and the proliferation of personal computers as some of the key drivers of change in this space. The pandemic is hybrid work’s industrial revolution – the catalyst for reimagining

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insight

“The hybrid officer is an exceptional communicator, tech savvy, a natural facilitator, excellent host and able to serve as the connection between leadership and teams.”

David Seinker

how we work. Embracing this opportunity in a sustainable, mutually beneficial way will require effective management that starts with checking assumptions about the nature and nuances of work at the door. Enter the chief hybrid officer, a position where the fundamental task is ensuring remote and in-office teams remain connected and working to nurture and maintain company culture. The role of chief hybrid officer will be different in every organisation, but the outcome is likely to be similar across industries. The job description may include designing and managing a consistent work experience for all teams, whether remote or in-house, maintaining engagement (to avoid an out-of-sightout-of-mind scenario), and supporting employee wellbeing in a relevant way.

Furthermore, the hybrid officer is an exceptional communicator, tech savvy, a natural facilitator, excellent host and able to serve as the connection between the leadership and the various teams to ensure all parties are on the same page at all times. As such, it’s a role that requires an empathetic approach, because hybrid work is the manifestation of a model that acknowledges that productivity and performance have little to do with place. As the workplace continues to evolve into a space for networking, brainstorming and connecting, the role of the hybrid officer, and indeed hybrid work itself, is going to involve a lot of experimentation. And, as Alexia Cambon, research director at Gartner, points out, “as a result of all that experimentation, it makes sense to have a dedicated source”. 

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dinner

HR HAD TO TAKE THE WHEEL DURING THE PANDEMIC Leading HR professionals gathered at the Saxon for a delectable dinner and valuable discussions around navigating multiple crises. BY CAYLYNNE FOURIE

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dinner

“The pandemic amplified the resilience in us. And empathetic leaders rose from the challenge.”

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eading HR and business professionals gathered around a dinner table at the Saxon in Johannesburg on 8 March, for conversation and collegial insight into how they navigated the multiple crises they faced last year.

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“Covid-19 has been an enabler for CHROs and has put HR back where it belongs – at the table with everyone else,” explained Masenyane. “HR was actually driving the agenda.”

Sipping on delicious wines, the CHROs in the room agreed that HR had suddenly become the driver in the boardroom as people became the centre of organisations’ strategies during the pandemic and July unrest. Athol said that leaders realised what the HR professionals had always known: that “happy people equal productive people, and that taking care of people can unlock potential”. Dumo added that the concept of employee value proposition (EVP) took on a whole new meaning, and organisations were compelled to look at the entire human more holistically in the design of their EVPs.

And this continues today, she said: HR is still driving the agenda as organisations grapple to shape their future of work due to changing workplace requirements. Edwin made full use of this newfound lead and wanted to create a home away from home at Glencore. He rolled out an interactive app throughout the organisation for employees to communicate with each other as well as their leaders, and it quickly became a way for them to hold their colleagues and bosses accountable. “Because of this initiative, we broke all our productivity and financial records last year.” Qinisekile explained that, “When you look after people, the results will follow.”

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Resilience was a common term used throughout the three-course dinner, which was made possible by Momentum Corporate. This innate ability to bounce back in the midst of a crisis was noted to be true of the leaders in the room – and extended to employees in each of their organisations as well.

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continuing their conversations late into the night. They all left the Saxon with new advice and ideas from their peers around navigating the next challenge: what the future of the workplace should look like. 

Tumelo said that they also saw people taking initiative and stepping in when someone else needed help.

The dinner was attended by:

“It was inspiring to see the true spirit of humanity during this time,” agreed Vinolia. “People were caring for each other, cooking for each other and praying for each other.”

Athol Swanepoel, head of HR, Nestlé East and Southern Africa Dumo Mbethe, Momentum Corporate CEO Edwin Hlatshwayo, Glencore HR director Joël Roerig, CHRO South Africa managing director Masenyane Molefe, PPS group HR executive Qinisekile Dhlamini, Momentum Corporate head of business development and key client management Sungula Nkabinde, CHRO South Africa community manager Tumelo Seaketso, Deloitte transformation head Vinolia Singh, Adcorp Group chief people officer

And in turn, leaders also became more vulnerable during this time. “The pandemic amplified the resilience in us,” Athol said. “And empathetic leaders rose from the challenge.” The HR leaders stayed for more wine after dessert,

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insight

IT’S TIME TO CREATE SAFE SPACES Safe spaces are the breeding ground for value-creation where innovation is industrialised and productivity maximised.

BY YVONNE MKEFA, GROUP EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS EXECUTIVE, OLD MUTUAL few years ago I became aware of the fluctuation of my energy during the work week. I was curious about it and started looking at my good workdays in the office, particularly how I would feel at the end of each day.

Physical and psychological

I would check the number of meetings;

Safety in the workplace falls into two categories: physical and psychological; the tangible and the intangible. There are, of course, examples that straddle both categories like sexual harassment and assault.

who I spent my watercooler time with at the office; when I personally went to get my cappuccino. I looked at how I reacted or responded when checking

It goes to show just how training has a close relationship with the mind. Where your mind is at will affect how you train. This is the same with safety. How safe you feel affects how your mind functions and how you show up.

Legislation ensures that employees are safe in their workplaces, while psychological safety still relies on organisational interventions, which in themselves require commitment from its leaders.

my diary, how I felt as I walked to my car at the end of the day or when I had forgotten my phone and needed to walk back. I looked at various things. I noticed that there were days when I just did not want to leave my desk for a meeting, a coffee or a chat – and I also noticed that there were days when I ran out to do the same things. Initially, I thought it had something to do with the people I was interacting with. Through a process of elimination, I realised it was not that. But whatever it was affected how I was showing up at work and for myself. I discovered that the shoes I wore affected how I showed up. I need to let you in on this fact: I only started wearing high heels very late in life, and I mean late. So each day in those shoes was like a training session and affected my energy. When not in high heels during offsite workshops, on Fridays and even Slipper Day, I was a bundle of energy. For the past 20 months, I have had my Fridays/Offsite/ Slippers Days 99 percent of the time.

Recently, there has been a pronounced and visible focus on psychological safety for employees, to ensure that employees bring their whole and authentic self to work and the work they perform. This type of safety is intangible yet it can cause so much harm to an organisation. I see safe spaces as value, an indicator of organisations that respect and protect the dignity of its employees as humans first. Safe spaces are the breeding ground for value-creation where innovation is industrialised and productivity maximised. Working in an environment where you feel unsafe is simply unfair and if one has options, they should leave that organisation. No person must be asked to cope at work. Unfortunately, coping becomes the default option, particularly given that being in an unsafe environment is not always so obvious. Sometimes people unknowingly internalise that state of being as being normal. They continue to function, making the best out of their situation and adapting, thus devising coping mechanisms.

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Think of someone who leaves their home knowing that there is a hole on the walkway to the reception, which they must squeeze past to avoid any injuries because the maintenance departments have not gotten to it. This would affect how a person starts their day. Again, think of an employee preparing to attend a meeting where they will not be allowed or scared to share their view, despite having been employed for their contribution. Such preparation will be substandard, if at all. Show me an employee who is being touched inappropriately by their senior, and I will swiftly point out an employee who will not show up authentically or even flourish as they will not want to draw attention to themselves. This is all psychological damage and the harm is greater than the physical as it may exist unnoticed for a long while.

Fear is the enemy In The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, Timothy R Clark, says, “As I learned first-hand the absence of physical safety can bring injury or death, but the absence of psychological safety can inflict devastating emotional wounds, neutralise performance, paralyse potential, and crater an individual’s sense of self-worth. The implication is that organisations that lack psychological safety and compete in highly dynamic markets are galloping their way to extinction.” It has been proven that organisations benefit from diversity. Safe spaces allow different views, ideas and personalities to have a place at the table. They create a culture of openness, inclusion and eclectic decision-making. Safe spaces increase chemistry and morale, which in turn increases productivity and great customer experience. Clark says, “The other thing you learn is that fear is the enemy. It freezes initiative, ties up productivity, yields compliance instead of commitment, and represses what

“Safe spaces allow different views, ideas and personalities to have a place at the table.”

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would otherwise be an explosion of innovation.” He adds, “One of the first things you learn about leadership is that the social and cultural context has a profound influence on the way people behave and that you as the leader are, straight up, responsible for that context… If you can banish fear, install true performance-based accountability, and create a nurturing environment that allows people to be vulnerable as they learn and grow, they will perform beyond your expectations and theirs.”

Rank and power South Africa has an unfortunate past of inequality and oppression, whose legacy still lingers on and lurks over our collaborative spaces. Our race relations and gender equity have not reached maturity. Our education system still presents to corporate South Africa peers who show up differently at our meetings, with one employee showing up authentically because of the confidence that has been inculcated over time and their command of the language of business. On the other side we may have a peer that does not possess such attributes, and may be mistaken as not having much to contribute. The voice of the latter must not be muffled by the former; and the former must be coached to embrace the responsibility of creating safe collaborative spaces. This is about rank and power. Rank is about vertical relationships where leaders must assume this responsibility while power is about both vertical and horizontal relationships where leaders and peers are responsible for the creation of safe spaces. An organisation is an ecosystem that is not without its complexities and therefore when we look at safety, we must do so holistically – vertically and horizontally. 

CHRO

team

Hello, again! Moving into the role of community manager at CHRO SA, I will be doing a lot more talking and having many more conversations with HR leaders as we enhance the esteem of the HR profession – together. For the first time since the inception of CHRO SA magazine, I am not writing the editor’s note but am instead making my debut in a new role on the CHRO SA dream team. It’s hard to put into words what my journey as the managing editor of the magazine was like. How does one sum up four years and eight issues of the magazine writing about some of the most inspiring and interesting people that make up the country’s HR leadership landscape? In a word, it’s gratitude. I feel blessed to have been able to tell all your stories – from Matimba Mbungela’s passion for getting HR professionals to grasp the importance of understanding the numbers, to Abey Kgotle’s tale of romance and recovery on a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycles – I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to share parts of your stories with the rest of this amazing community. This is not so much a ‘goodbye’ as it is a ‘hello again’. As the community manager, I will not be doing much of the writing and editing any longer but, as many of you will have seen already in our bi-monthly community conversations, the HR Indaba Breakfast and, more recently, the 2021 CHRO Awards, I’ll be doing a lot more talking. If this growing community of exceptional HR leaders has taught me anything, it is that you do your best work when your purpose aligns with that of the organisation you serve. At CHRO SA, that is to facilitate peerto-peer learning and networking among executives and to enhance the esteem of the HR profession. The last 18 months have demonstrated exactly how invaluable your responsibility is and, as a student of leadership, I cannot help but marvel at the resilience, ingenuity and good old fashioned ubuntu many of you have demonstrated throughout this pandemic. I hope this year will not be as tumultuous as the last two and I look forward to many more inspiring and insightful conversations with you all – both in person and from behind a screen… again.

SUNGULA NKABINDE snkabinde@chro.co.za +27 72 741 6171

INVEST IN YOUR PEOPLE

AND BOOST YOUR SUCCESS Become a member NOW! Support the CHRO community with a membership and grow the brightest stars in your HR team. Your support allows CHRO South Africa to keep growing. A membership is also the best professional gift for two of your direct reports. They will be able to attend and benefit from all CHRO events, receive all editions of the CHRO Magazine and be invited to join monthly online CHRO Community Conversations. Meant for: CHROs, HR Directors and up to two handpicked senior direct reports.

IMMEDIATE BENEFITS: » Exclusive invite to CHRO SA Community Coversations » All issues of CHRO Magazine delivered to your desk » Support the CHRO South Africa community » Exclusive invite to all CHRO Summits » Exclusive invite to CHRO Awards » Exclusive invite to CHRO Day » Bi-weekly newsletter » HR Indaba Network VIP team invite

2022 CALENDAR 3 March 2022 Finance meets HR Summit 6 April 2022 HR Indaba Online 12 May 2022 CHRO Day 23 June 2022 Cape Town CHRO Summit 3-6 October 2022 HR Indaba Experience 17 November 2022 CHRO Awards

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Community Conversations once a month and weekly HR Indaba Network webinars (Online).

Contact: Sungula Nkabinde snkabinde@chro.co.za | +27 72 741 6171

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CHRO Magazine 2022, Issue 1

Articles inside

The human-centric approach to HR

People at the centre of everything