34 minute read
Get to the point: Can workplaces make vaccination mandatory?
GET TO THE POINT!
CAN WORKPLACES MAKE VACCINATION MANDATORY?
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Two eminent doctors who are working closely with the Covid-19 vaccination programme have pointed out that the mass rollout is necessary to reach herd immunity, and is a key part of the economic recovery plan for companies and the country. It is, however, important to understand the reasons for some employees being hesitant to take the vaccine.
BY RONDA NAIDU
Dr Chris Van Straten
South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout programme is underway, with the objective being to achieve the herd immunity target of vaccinating 67 percent of the population by the end of December 2021. The rollout started on 17 May 2021, with significant ramp up and acceleration from the end of June. Initially, 32,000 vaccines doses were administered a week, and the country was poised to touch 230,000 to 240,000 a day by midJuly. However, unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in the second week of July resulted in the programme being suspended in these areas and a subsequent drop in vaccination numbers.
Dr Stavros Nicolaou, group senior executive of Strategic Trade at Aspen Pharma Group, said, “Ideally, we want to vaccinate the entire country in tandem. We shouldn’t be in a position where one region is more highly vaccinated than another.” He added, “The original target to achieve herd immunity was 40 million citizens and we had mapped a way to reach up to 300,000 vaccinations a day including some weekend work. We had mapped it out and juxtaposed the target against supply.”
In addition, the government has stated that vaccination is not a mandatory requirement although people have been encouraged to get vaccinated in the interest of public health and safety.
Safe working environment
This means that employers have to carefully consider several factors when deciding on whether to implement a mandatory vaccine policy in their workplaces and how to deal with a situation where an employee does not agree to being vaccinated. This approach needs to balance an individual’s rights with
the company’s responsibility to provide a safe working environment.
According to the revised Covid-19 Direction on Health and Safety in the Workplace, which was published in May 2021 by the Department of Employment and Labour, employers should take steps to generate awareness and educate employees on the Covid19 vaccine. In addition, the direction indicates that employees should be given paid time off to be vaccinated and paid leave in the event of side effects.
“The key principle of these guidelines is that employers and employees should treat each other with mutual respect. A premium is placed on public health imperatives, the constitutional rights of employees and the efficient operation of the employer’s business,” reads the guidelines.
Companies considering mandatory workplace vaccination programmes are advised to undertake a risk assessment that considers the risk of transmission, age and co-morbidities. Employers are then required to formulate a clear mandatory vaccination plan that identifies employees to be vaccinated, the process followed to comply with the requirements and whether it will be mandatory for identified employees to be vaccinated. On the latter point, where vaccination has been identified as a mandatory requirement, there are further obligations for the employer. These include informing an employee of the mandatory requirement, their right to refusal as well as consultation options with a trade union, worker or health and safety representative.
Should an employee refuse vaccination, then the onus is on the employer to ascertain whether the reasons for refusal are valid and reasonable, and whether provision can be made for the unvaccinated employee.
It is only, after following these steps, that the employer should consider dismissal for operational requirements and the related labour processes and laws. In essence, the employer should be able to prove that being vaccinated is an inherent requirement for the job.
Tamara Parker
Dr Stavros Nicolaou
Context and leadership
Although this is the formal approach to vaccination in workplaces, there is also merit in HR professionals understanding the context within which people are hesitant to be vaccinated and for leadership to share their vaccination experience.
Dr Chris van Straten, regional medical director of Clinical Governance for Africa at International SOS, who received the J&J vaccine quite early in the vaccination rollout programme, has been very open about his experience.
“I got vaccinated and my stress levels decreased dramatically. Physical and mental health are connected and we need to ensure that the workspace is safe in both areas. Even in the C-suite, people are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression and burnout,” he says.
He adds, “I have also tried to understand why some people are reluctant to get vaccinated. Some of the reasons are worth understanding, for example if a family member has previously had a severe allergic reaction, then that experience scares people as they believe the vaccine may result in an anaphylactic reaction.”
However, these are separate things, as Dr Stavros points out.
“No one can predict the long-term effects of vaccines. They are different to pharmaceuticals. If you get the vaccine now, you will have to wait 15 minutes before leaving, this is because if an anaphylactic reaction were to occur, it would happen within those 15 minutes,” he said.
From a global perspective, over 3.5 billion doses have already been administered over the past eight months and the safety and efficacy parameters are looking extremely good.
Practical workplace considerations
Whatever the vaccination roll-out policy is going to be for your company, it is clear that HR professionals are going to have a lot of work on their hands in the coming months. Tamara Parker, the CEO of Mercer South Africa, says that employers might be required to keep track of which employees have been vaccinated and which haven’t, to make decisions about the return to office work, business travel or interac-
tion with customers. “However, whether an employee has been vaccinated or not is personal information, which should be respected,” she cautions.
For those who opt to remain unvaccinated, or who cannot for medical reasons, Tamara says that employers will need to keep the necessary safety measures in place, including social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, frequent sanitisation, temperature monitoring and symptom checking. “This would help to keep both those who are vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated safe without ostracising either group from the workplace,” she says. “Employers will also need to be more accommodating of employee needs and be more flexible during this time, for example, if one feels safer working from home as opposed to in the office, this should be considered. This will lessen anxiety and make all employees feel respected and valued.”
By July 2021, the following countries have made Covid-19 vaccines compulsory:
• Australia: For high-risk aged-care workers and employees in quarantine hotels, and paralympic athletes heading to Tokyo because unvaccinated members on the team could pose a health risk. • Britain: For care home workers from October. • France: All health workers and anyone wanting to get into a cinema or board a train will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. • Greece: For nursing home staff and healthcare workers from September. Only vaccinated customers will be allowed indoors in bars, cinemas, theatres and other closed spaces. • Indonesia: Mandatory, with potential fines for refusing the vaccine. • Italy: Health workers, including pharmacists, and those who refuse could be suspended without pay for the rest of the year. • Kazakhstan: Mandatory vaccination or weekly testing for people working in groups of more than 20. • Russia: Cafes, bars and restaurants can only serve people who have proof of vaccination, immunity or a negative Covid-19 test. • Saudi Arabia: Vaccination required to enter any governmental, private, or educational establishments and to use public transportation. • Turkmenistan: For all residents aged 18 and over.
*Data from a number of news sources, including Reuters
AS COVID-19 ACCELERATES VIDEO RECRUITMENT, CAMMIO SELECT SHINES
Privacy and protection of candidate data set this video recruitment tool apart from standard meeting apps.
The hard lockdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted the indispensable role of video recruitment. Roland Glass, chief business officer at TalentSmith, explains that in the US, UK and Europe, companies had already identified the inefficiencies of traditional recruitment practices, which were largely dependent on in-person interviews on premises.
The shortcomings for organisations of such a one-dimensional approach to recruitment include high levels of subjectivity, recruiter bias, efficacy of the actual interview, poor data points when comparing candidates, and lack of structure in the manner in which candidates are evaluated.
There are also challenges from a candidate perspective. The most obvious is submitting a paper-based CV for a role, which provides a list of achievements and experience but does not give the hiring manager or recruiter an opportunity to connect with the person behind the piece of paper. “A hiring manager or recruiter can look at 20 CVs and have no understanding of personality or character of individuals. With video recruitment, it is now a portfolio of the candidate, the real context of that candidate, not just a CV as the initial tool. This starts to talk to cultural alignment as well,” Roland says. Through a video recruitment tool, like TalentSmith’s Cammio Select, candidates can submit applications in an asynchronous manner, with the option of a practice environment and redoing responses as some candidates may be using video recruitment for the first time.
Roland also points out that a number of meeting applications, like Zoom and Teams, are not suitable for recruitment. It is therefore important when looking for a video recruitment tool to keep the following in mind:
• Functionality to create a company-branded environment,
• Protection of personal information of candidates, • Provision of a feedback rating system on the platform, • Ability to track candidates, • Allows collaboration on the platform, and • Allow other decision-makers in the hiring process to view information.
As a European product, Cammio Select is GDPR compliant and meets the highest in global standards of data security.
Time and quality
In addition, Cammio Select provides an AI assessment tool that develops characteristic profiles of candidates built out of the video interview, using the Ocean personality test methodology. “Features and functionality that come with Cammio are far more supportive to the company and candidate going through the hiring process than a standalone virtual meeting platform. In addition, it can reduce screening and interview time from an hour or more to just five minutes per candidate,” says Roland.
This type of time-saving is indispensable for HR professionals working within the complexity of high-volume recruitment, a geographically dispersed business, or who are hiring across different time zones.
It is also useful for instances where it is challenging to differentiate based on skills and expertise and the recruiter needs to move quickly to understand whether there will be a cultural fit between the candidate and the organisation. “Video recruitment works extremely well in areas where there are low points of differentiation in credentials. For example, in the retail and call centre sectors, recruiters need to know whether candidates are customer service oriented and video recruitment works well for that,” Roland points out.
Built for South Africa
There are also advantages specific to a South African context, where data and ICT access can be a challenge for candidates. In addition, the labour market is structured differently to the EU, US and UK as recruiters deal with a high volume of applications for a single role. In this respect, Roland advises that recruiters be conscious of how video recruitment pricing models work. “Look at how the licensing works as if pricing is based on the number of applications like it is in some countries, that may not work. I advise recruiters to rather look at the number of hires or roles, rather than applications. It’s also important to have local support, training and account management services,” he points out. Cammio Select was customised for the South African candidate market.
“Candidates can complete the interview on any device, for both asynchronous and synchronous. There are low minimum requirements around data speed. There is no log in, no downloads required. The user experience is streamlined. The candidate can either join a live panel interview, one-on-one live interview or an on-demand video interview in which the candidate would submit a video at a time that suits them in terms of privacy and quietness,” he says. He adds, “It is also very engaging as it’s not just a text-based application and it is customisable from a language perspective.” The need for recruitment to keep up with technological and generational changes that have been taking place across the world for a number of years, and now accelerated by the pandemic, leads Roland to believe that the future of recruitment lies in a fit-forpurpose, end-to-end video experience like Cammio Select, which ensures data privacy, consistent employer branding and is conveniently integrated for maximum efficiency. For more information, visit talentsmith.com.
The nominees for the 2021 CHRO Awards have responded to the challenges of 2020 and delivered the highest standards of HR excellence.
BY SUNGULA NKABINDE
It’s that time of the year again when we lift our hats and celebrate the best that the HR profession has to offer. For the second year running, CHROs and HR directors have faced unprecedented economic, policy and wellness challenges in the workplace. This year’s edition of the CHRO Awards will recognise HR leaders that have helped their organisations weather the storms while priming their people to excel in their roles.
The glittering ceremony will be held on 18 November 2021 at Inanda Club in Johannesburg, where directors and CHROs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions will be recognised and rewarded for their exceptional performance and leadership.
The awards include:
• Employee Value Proposition Award • Talent Management Award • HR & Technology Award • Transformation & Empowerment Award • Strategy & Leadership Award • Learning & Development Award • The Young CHRO of the Year Award
The comprehensive and rigorous awards process is inspired by the success of the CFO Awards, which have become known as ‘the Oscars of Finance’ since being launched in 2014. Having been crowned the 2019 CHRO of the Year, Paul Norman has returned to the cast, this time, as a member of the esteemed panel of judges that will choose the winner. .
The CHRO Awards panel of judges are:
• Jane Waters, COO, Allen & Overy • Tumelo Seaketso, director, organisation transformation, Deloitte Consulting • Moula Mokhobo-Amegashie, managing partner,
Drayton Glendower & Mokhobo • Professor Nicola Kleyn, dean, Gordon Institute of
Business Science, • Paul Norman, CHRO, MTN Group • Raisibe Morathi, group CFO, Vodacom • Richard Sutton, global stress resilience expert • Professor Shirley Zinn, non-executive director • Xolile Sizani, executive director, Nzuri
Management • Vukani Mngxati, CEO, Accenture Africa
THESE ARE THE 20 INDUSTRY-LEADING NOMINEES FOR THE 2021 CHRO AWARDS:
Akhona Qengqe
Akhona joined Yum! Restaurants International in 2015 as the director of Africa franchise development. She later became the director of transformation and diversity employment and began her current role last year. Prior to joining Yum! Restaurants, Akhona was the head of convenience retail at Shell South Africa, and before that, the national convenience operations manager at Engen.
Anne Grunow
CHRO, Fedgroup
Anne has spent more than three decades in the field of human resources and has been the chief human resources officer at Fedgroup since 2011. Prior to joining Fedgroup, she was the human resources manager at Formax for 11 years. She holds a BA (English and Industrial Psychology) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a higher diploma in education from the same institution.
Beverley Bennett
Head of HR, Curro Holdings
Beverley is an experienced expert with a proven track record of 23 years in HR and has been in her current role since 2018. Prior to joining Curro Holdings, she was the group human resources manager at The New Reclamation Group for seven years. She also previously held HR roles at De Beers, ArcelorMittal and Vesco, where she began her career.
Candice Watson
Group human capital executive, AECI
Prior to joining AECI, Candice worked at British American Tobacco, starting in the role of area head of talent and organisational excellence before taking on the role of human resources director. She was also previously the HR director at Pernod Ricard, HR business partner for Africa at Lenovo, HR managing executive at Barloworld and HR consultant at Standard Bank.
Celiwe Ross
Human capital director, Old Mutual Limited
Celiwe started her career in the mining industry after graduating as a mining engineer and spent two years with the global search and leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder. She joined Old Mutual in 2017 as the executive assistant to the chairman and CEO before taking on the role of chief of staff later that year.
Dean Naidoo
Chief people officer, Zutari
Dean Naidoo has been the chief people officer at Zutari since 2015. With over 20 years’ experience in HR, he was previously the group human resources director at Redis Africa for seven years. Prior to that, Dean was the GM for HR at Sovereign Health (which was later purchased by Momentum and is now known as Momentum Health) for 9years. He also spent time at NMP (which became Medscheme) as the HR officer and later the HR manager.
Dieter Veldsman
HR thought leader, The Academy to Innovate HR
Dieter’s nomination is for the work he did as Momentum Metropolitan’s group human capital executive – a role he stepped down from in August 2021. From 1 Spetember 2021, Dieter will be in the Netherlands as an HR thought leader and subject matter expert at The Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR). He is now a registered organisational psychologist.
Donald Khumalo
HR director, Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Donald has spent much of his career in the financial services and telecommunications sectors. His HR journey began with a brief stint at diamond mining company De Beers in 2002. He held a few roles at Sanlam, Absa and MTN. Prior to his current role, he was the executive head of HR for the Enterprise Business Unit at Vodacom.
Eswhin Booysen
CHRO, In2food
Eswhin is a human resources professional with more than 15 years of experience both in South Africa and Internationally. Prior to joining In2Food, he was the head of human resources at Vedanta Zinc International. Eswhin previously worked as an organisational effectiveness and transformation specialist at Anglo American, for three years.
Hope Lukoto
CHRO, BCX
Hope has been in her current role since joining BCX in 2018. She is also the owner, organisational consultant, coach and facilitator at Thariwa Holdings, which was founded in 2015. Prior to that, Hope was the head of human resources at FNB for nine years and held the role of senior human resource consultant at BMW for three years.
Jasmin Pillay
HR consulting director, Microsoft Middle East and Africa
Jasmin joined Microsoft SA as the HR director in 2018. Prior to that, she held a number of concurrent portfolios at Petronas Lubricants International. Jasmin has also worked at Afrizulu Consulting, Aspen Pharmacare, PwC Appointments, Kelly Human Capital and Staffing, Concept Communications Public Relations, and Sancon Refrigeration.
Jeanett Modise
Group HR director, Sanlam
Jeanett joined the Sanlam Group in 2014. She later became the CHRO for Sanlam Investments Group before taking up her current position. Before joining the Sanlam Group, she held executive roles at SAP Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, the Industrial Development Corporation, Mutual & Federal, Hewlett Packard SA and the Department of Public Services and Administration.
Julia Modise
Chief people officer, Bridgestone SA
Julia has over 23 years’ experience in the field of human resources. Prior to joining Bridgestone, she was the executive search consultant for Spencer Stuart Executive Search and Leadership Advisory, which she joined after fulfilling the role of general manager HR at Multichoice Group. Julia has also been the executive head of HR at Growthpoint Properties and group HR director at Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Holdings.
Kim Usher
Group HR director, Illovo Africa
Prior to joining Illovo Africa as the group HR director, Kim was previously the HR director at ABI, the soft drinks division of SAB Miller, which is now a subsidiary of AB-InBev. In fact, she played a significant role in the integration with ABI and SAB Miller over a period of three years.
Lebitso Mokgatle
HR Executive, ENSafrica
Prior to joining ENSafrica as the HR executive in 2014, Lebitso Mokgatle was the general manager of human resources at Hollard. She also previously worked for Absa as a human resources business partner and was the HR manager at Deutsche Bank.
Lebo Lekgetho
HR Executive, Reutech
Kelebogile Lekgetho has been the HR executive at Reutech Solutions since October 2019. Prior to joining Reutech, Lebo served as the senior HR manager at Nashua. Before that, she served in various HR leadership roles, including HR manager for The Paarl Media Group and Times Media Group, as well as an HR officer for the National Regulator of Compulsory Specification and the South African Bureau of Standards, respectively.
Neridha Moodley
People and culture leader, SNG Grant Thornton
Neridha has been with SNG Grant Thornton since 2001 and has been actively involved in human resources for over 15 years. In that time, her role has evolved over the years from a purely transactional HR role to one that is more transformational in nature, through the merger with SizweNtsaluba and subsequent integration with Grant Thornton.
Ruth Wotela
People wellness executive, Silverbridge
Ruth has been involved in the human resources space since 2007 when she held the role of human resources consultant at HR Outsource. In 2009, she took on the role of recruitment consultant at Initiate International. Prior to Silverbridge she was the management trainee: industrial psychology at JvR Consulting Psychologists.
Tarryn Swemmer
Chief of staff, Decision Inc
Tarryn has over 15 years’ experience in human resources. Prior to joining Decision Inc as the chief of staff in 2018, she held various roles at McKinsey and Company, where she built her career over an 11-year period. Tarryn’s final role at McKinsey was that of regional human resources leader for the Africa, Middle East and Eastern European offices.
Use your INFLUENCE for CHANGE
The annual CHRO and CFO South Africa Women’s Event kicked off Women’s Month with 120 HR and finance executives and their mentees participating in an online immersion where they could share ideas, learn from thought leaders, and be inspired.
BY CHUMA MXO
Agroup of over 120 female finance and HR executives gathered on 4 August for a unique online immersion titled Brave New Workplace. The top CFO and CHROs of South Africa leading organisations had each been asked to invite one of their mentees to share ideas with their peers and thought leaders.
Of course, there could be no discussion about the current state of affairs without referencing the Covid-19 pandemic, but rather than dwelling on what has been, the focus of the event was to consider the lessons learnt in the past year and work out how these could be applied in building a compassionate, empathetic and human-centric future workplace.
The event started with four quick “snapshot” interviews, in which executives authentically shared their experiences and learnings from the last year. Themes like the importance of setting boundaries, and practising what you preach emerged.
“A big challenge from an HR point of view was to try to get leaders across the line to guide and mentor people,” said Lebitso Mokgatle, HR executive at ENSafrica. “And to say this is what has worked in the past but it does not necessarily work now.”
She said that one thing that has come into sharper focus for her in the last year was compassionate and empathetic leadership. “Most people required their leaders to show empathy and compassion because of the trials and stress of lockdown. “What I saw is that the leaders who had developed the connections and relationships with their teams prior to lockdown were better able to engage with their teams once we were on lockdown working virtually.”
Thought-provoking keynote
Then the keynote speaker, Ambassador Nozipho January Bardill, came into the Zoom “spotlight” and delivered a powerful address with the theme, “You can’t change the world, but you can change your sphere of influence”.
Nozipho acknowledged that the event was taking place during a raging pandemic when there is a lot of pain, despair and broken hearts.
“Personally, I have lost that sense of freedom and physical health because I have had Covid-19 myself and had to deal with it. I have also dealt with a little bit of mental health where you don't know whether you are coming or going.”
But Nozipho says in all of that, the pandemic became an opportunity for her to write a book “Write to Speak” and was also an opportunity for her to say, “You can affect us but you can't paralyse us.”
She explained that looking at the issues of the pandemic from the institutional perspective and sitting on various boards, she has noticed that it has affected the way leaders influence people.
“One of our colleagues got really ill from the disease and had to undergo surgery because it affected her brain. She took leave and was away for about two months and unfortunately she was reinfected. In the end the issue of sick leave had to be addressed in the organisation.”
Nozipho shared that because the hearts and minds of the company leadership were in the right place, very quickly they had to change their organisation's sick leave policy and make it individual specific. “This took some influence but because we were in the same thinking space it was not a hard decision to make. And I think that's the challenge for many of our organisations going forward — that we are going to have to change the norms and look at ways our organisational systems and policies work and change them drastically because many people are dealing with the long Covid.”
Nozipho shared another issue that has come to her world, which is that there are many women that she knows who have experienced gender-based violence at home.
“And the question is, what provision are we making for women who are victims? Are we sticking to the claim that the public and the private should be kept forever apart or taking a more radical view on this? Are CHROs and CFOs aligned in their thinking on these matters? Should shelters be offered by companies as well as counselling or should companies advocate for justice and the rule of law to protect the women and their interests who are at work and at home?”
Nozipho said the women of South Africa should remember that they are a large portion of the population in the country.
“We occupy 52 percent of the demographic space in the country. We have struggled for a more just, equitable and peaceful country for many years before, during and after 1956. We continue to insist that we need to end the violence and femicide that has been labelled as the second pandemic in our country and we will continue to strive for equality of opportunity in how we are treated in our families at home and the division of labour at home.”
She added that women must continue to fight for the access they have to senior positions at work and how equally resources are shared (equal pay
Partners supporting the CHRO & CFO South Africa Women’s Event
The great mix of inspirational speakers, thought-provoking interactions, and exciting gift boxes was made possible with the support of leading partners of the CFO and CHRO communities, Workday, Dimension Data, Momentum Corporate and CaseWare Africa. The contribution of these great partners underpinned the delivery of a truly stellar event.
to work of equal value), to better care facilities for working moms (maternity and paternity leave) and other demands that will forever be their desire for a happy and fulfilling life.
She concluded, “Happy Women’s month to all of you, we have big problems in our country. We have learnt a lot from the Covid-19 virus as it has touched us deeply in our souls but we still have a lot of work to do. I believe South Africa has a hit rock bottom stage which only can go one way and that is back up.
“We can make a difference and influence our institutional situations, we can take a bit of more time to think about how we can do thought leadership differently and together we need to come out of our silos and work in collaborations, partnerships and find solutions to our social and economic problems.”
The Zoom chat was overflowing with comments of endorsement and support for Nozipho’s message, making it clear that her words touched a chord, and that South Africa’s women leaders are ready to be agents of change.
The keynote was followed by a panel discussion with a number of different women leaders, highlighting how to shape the future workplace.
Moving into thriving
Caryn Baird, group organisational development and human capital executive at First Rand Group said that there are a number of things to think about when driving the shift from surviving to thriving.
“In reality, pandemics like this change us, we are not going to be the same again after the uncertainty, change, trauma and loss we have experienced. While there is no silver bullet in making the shift to being a thriving organisation, in my mind, organisations that thrive are able to embrace and find opportunity in the disruption. They are able to be responsive and agile, ask the question, ‘What does this mean for us and how do we use this inflection point to redirect?’ and to make courageous decisions to ‘flex’ and pivot in whatever way is needed.”
It was clear from the interactive activity that followed, hosted by leadership practitioner Inge Walters, that South Africa’s finance and HR leaders are focused on making courageous decisions for themselves and others. The women in attendance were challenged to formulate their next steps towards thriving, and it is clear that much soul-searching and empathetic consideration will be driving tomorrow’s Brave New Workplace.
QUESTRIAN SCAPADESE
Tracey Rowe says that in riding, as with HR, relationships are the key to success. In this article, she shares a few lessons on what HR practitioners can learn from equestrian sport.
BY PUSELETSO MOMPEI
Derivco’s HR director Tracey Rowe’s first brush with horses was as a baby, when her parents put her in a saddle as soon as she could sit. This encounter would lead to a lifelong passion for equestrian sport, stir up her competitive spirit and be a source of exhilaration and joy for decades.
Tracey grew up in Johannesburg, and her mother was passionate about animals and volunteered with the SPCA. So, when an injured, neglected pony was found in a gutter, they were keen to nurse it back to health, and they eventually adopted it. The pony turned out to be Tracey’s first equine friend. She learnt to ride properly on him, even though he had never been ridden before. She believes that being cared for, loved and recognised brought out his best side and built up the trust between them. It was a life lesson that applies to horses, but also in HR. “Based on someone’s CV or how they perform in an interview, we sometimes misunderstand people. We judge their abilities, previous experience, or passion, without knowing more, and miss out on big opportunities. It is valuable to dig a little deeper so you can grasp someone’s potential beyond first glance.” Throughout her youth, Tracey stayed in the saddle, eventually becoming a member of South Africa’s Pony Club Junior Equestrian team and a competitive rider, mainly in three-day eventing. Also described as an “equestrian triathlon”, this competition tests the overall abilities of horse and rider at dressage, cross-country and show jumping. However, as school and, later, work demands took over, Tracey sold her horses and left competitive riding. After she completed a BA in law and history at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with her mother’s encouragement she enrolled in secretarial college to learn to touch type. Meanwhile, her dad
wanted her to broaden her horizons, so after a year of secretarial college, she went to the UK. While temping as a secretary at SG Warburg & Co (now known as the Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS), she found herself in HR when someone vacated a role, and she acted in a support role while the company looked for someone new in the interim.
She admits to knowing absolutely nothing about HR, had never heard of it, but discovered her passion for people and found she had a knack for it. After three years in the UK, she returned to South Africa where she completed her postgraduate studies in HR and a master’s degree in leadership, performance and change management.
Circling back to riding
“Through the years, riding remained a passion and I would ride whenever I got the opportunity, whether it was in the Berg, in a game reserve or on a beach. “I always knew I wasn’t completely done with riding and it niggled at the back of my mind all these years. There is such a special connection and bond that you develop with your horse over time. It was something I missed a lot, and always knew I would start again, but didn’t know when.” Last year she started to give it proper consideration and after some reflection decided it was time. She bought a horse called Night Fury and started riding again. Two months ago she entered her first show after a 30-year absence. Tracey found that riding, like HR, has evolved. “You would think HR is HR, but it has changed a lot over time. The way HR is run now is so different to how it was in the past, and it’s grown from being often occupied by people who were not sure what they wanted to do, and used HR as a parking lot. Now HR attracts people who appreciate that it is a science, requires studying and understanding people’s behaviours, what drives them and having insight into what makes them tick,” she says. Horse-riding has also shifted, she says: “When I was younger we were taught to kick like crazy to get your horse to go and pull on the reins to gain control, but this has evolved into controlling your horse by applying the right pressure through your legs, and with a very soft hand. The way that you position yourself in the saddle has changed and the judging criteria of the shows has also adapted and is a lot more technical. The terminology has changed a lot too.”
The power of relationship
For Tracey, it was challenging to start riding seriously again because she needed to build a relationship with her horse. “I also needed to build up my own confidence. You do not just get on a horse. You need to understand it, build a relationship, develop trust and build confidence to have a successful partnership.” Tracey says that in riding as well as with HR, relationships are golden. “Whether it is with your horse, or people in your team or people in another division, it takes time to get to know them. People are complicated and complex, and so are horses. They’re also incredibly intelligent, and they can read and pick up on the energy and people’s vibes.” Tracey points out that horses feed on the rider’s energy and showing up in a bad mood can result in a bad riding day. “Similarly, how you show up in the workplace affects your team. If you're impatient, anxious or upset, people can read that, and they will respond accordingly. From an equestrian perspective the same principle applies: if you show up frustrated or irritated, the horse will act out.”
Getting back into the game
Even though she is naturally competitive, when it was time to compete, Tracey was nervous. The competition was in Shongweni, the same place she had had her last show 30 years ago. “Despite the tension, I was incredibly determined to go for it. My attitude was that even if we came last it didn’t matter. Just being there and taking part in the event
and feeling the buzz of competing again was amazing.” Even with the nerves, it turned out that Tracey’s flair on her horse was still there, and she scooped second place. “The result was affirming. It was great to know that I could conquer something that meant so much to me after such a long absence.” Returning to riding has been a very humbling experience, she says. “When I finished riding as a teen, I was at the top of my game, and here I was starting again in my late forties right at the bottom.” Tracey says this is a life lesson: “Sometimes you have to start over after you have accomplished success. Life may take you down a new road and you have to be willing to take some risks and learn again.”
The gift of space in a narrower world
Now revelling in her reclaimed passion, Tracey advises everyone to find something that they are passionate about outside of work.
“It’s become so difficult with Covid-19 for people to be out and about. Before the pandemic people had various outlets to find space, whether it was to work, social activities such as places of worship or sport, which stimulated different facets of our lives. The pandemic has narrowed that down considerably, giving us very little time to spread our wings and do something joyful. “For me, riding has given me an outlet, a release, and the ability to go out and just get perspective. And with the stressful year we have had, we really need to find pockets of time to reflect and think.” Firmly back in the saddle, Tracey is geared up for 2021 and it will be great to see how the next chapter of her journey goes.
Tracey Rowe
HR Director, Derivco
Work: From the Natal Midlands to overseeing HR operations in the Middle East, Derivco HR Director Tracey Rowe’s career has given her and her family the opportunity to discover the world. Prior to her current role, she held senior HR management positions at Deutshe Bank, Investec SA, and J.P Morgan. Education: International Executive Program (INSEAD), MPhil, Leadership and Change Management (University of Johannesburg), MDip (Honours), HR Management (University of Johannesburg)
