IDC’s Mushungwa shares on what it takes to be a role model amid Covid-19 disruption
She believes that we should also strive to achieve gender equity so that our workplaces become a reflection of our national demographics
Out with brick and mortar and in with remote at-home work environment is a maxim that aptly describes the new but vastly transformed workplace - thanks in part to Covid-19, which has accelerated adoption of this phenomenon.
The reality is that our homes are likely to become a permanent feature of the work environment for the foreseeable future. Despite the shift in dynamics, expectations on output and delivery has largely remained the same and companies that were pioneers in adopting flexible work-fromhome (WFH) strategies are coping with the sudden requirements.
“Companies, especially those in the technology space had a head start hence their agile adjustment to the new work environment,” says Patience Mushungwa, the executive for human capital for the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Yet for others, especially those in the services sector, whose employee’s daily grind requires extensive interactions with their clients, inadvertently increasing the possibility of contracting or transmitting the virus, the adjustment has required a delicate balancing act. It is managing this transition and associated risks that has thrust some leaders in the spotlight.
Mushungwa has been integral to ensuring the corporation’s seamless transition to new ways of working. Most important to the IDC has been the need to ensure that the transition does not impact productivity and the mental wellness of its staff. “Although we were quick to activate our risk plans and in implementing a work from home structure, we were alive to the fact that human beings are social in nurture. Contact in the workplace helps to distress and this is part of our DNA,” she says. Virtual meetings have replaced in-person interactions in the process eroding the distinction between a home and a workplace. The resultant captivity to the home environment and this transition is understandably proving to be a challenge.
However, Mushungwa argues that this phenomenon is not unique to South Africa but corporates the world over. Change is constant.
“This pandemic is one of its kind because it has not only impacted the workplace but altered our social norms. Managing this pandemic, there were always going to be trade-offs, which is why we have had to give up our social liberties to save lives,” she says.
Against the backdrop of working in an environment characterised by a rampaging virus, how best can an entity use its staff in critical duty without risking their health?
Mushungwa says the IDC’s staff have been exceptionally resilient. They have persevered through the initial steep transition to working from home. The agile response of both IDC’s IT and Risk departments has been critical to ensuring a seamless transition to the new normal.
“Only a fraction of critical staff can report at the office, and this is on a rotational basis. The idea is to ensure that only the barest minimum of staff is in the office at any time. Our office structure, including workstations, have been reconfigured for easy adoption of social distancing protocols,” she says.
To ensure consistency and quality output, IDC recently approved a subsidy for staff to acquire inverters or UPS systems, enabling them to cope with power outages.
“Through our wellness department, we continue to offer a variety of counselling programs to help our staff cope with multiple demands – transitioning to out-of-office work, balancing the corporation’s need for productivity, serving our clients and being care providers during this unprecedented time,” she says.
The corporation has continued to render its core services including providing traditional business and tailored distress funding interventions to
existing, as well as new clients, while supporting efforts to grow and transform the economy. Of significance to Mushungwa is that the IDC has
been able to seamlessly keep its wheels turning – this despite its rapid adoption of the work from home structure.