Top Employers Developing solutions oriented to the future
The psychological state of the organisation is essential
Historically, human resources (HR) has been perceived as the crushers of innovation and implementers of restrictive policies, but Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) has implemented innovation as one of its core company values and through this is encouraging an environment of creativity and entrepreneurship.
“Challenging the way things have always been done is a key priority for us,” says Lorato Mogaki, Amplats’s executive head, human resources. “By actively developing new solutions, encouraging new ways of thinking and finding new ways of working, we are dramatically improving business.
“We challenge the status quo and are open to learning new approaches and encouraging new ways of thinking. We actively develop future-oriented solutions and find ways to use resources more efficiently and effectively by seeking and applying learning from our own experience and that of others.”
Mogaki says that Amplats recognises the strategic value of participating in certification programmes. The Top Employers Institute recognises and celebrates excellence in HR. The certification is only awarded to organisations that achieve the highest possible standards in employee conditions.
“We are proud to be associated with this initiative and being certified as a Top Employer is a form of recognition for the work that we do. It also offers an opportunity to promote our brand and attract the best talent.
“HR’s initiatives are informed by the business strategy,” continues Mogaki. “We have competent HR practitioners across all our operations, key to implementing and driving initiatives at their respective operations. We are also very selective in what we implement and prioritise, focussing only on initiatives that will optimise the impact of HR, improve the lives of our communities and maximise business results.”
Personal touch
As a substantial entity, the challenge is maintaining morale through recognising the individuality of every employee. Mogaki says the company has been successful in preserving a balance between achieving greater HR service-delivery efficiencies and maintaining the personal touch.
“Employees are the cornerstone of our business and having a skilled, diverse, motivated and productive workforce is fundamental to delivering our business strategy. We invest in the development of our people, giving them the necessary skills and resources to grow with our industry and with our company. We understand that continuous empowerment translates into the success of an organisation.
“Our HR development is a vital strategic tool to ensure ongoing employee engagement, top performance and quality service delivery. It is also integral to workplace transformation.”
Mogaki says the company strives to attract and retain the best talent, offer a meaningful and stimulating work environment, provide opportunities for personal development and remunerate competitively, while it also recognises and rewards excellence and actively encourages all types of diversity.
An organisation t he size of Amplats could be perceived as restricted by reams of red tape, but Mogaki says that its HR policies are consistent with the company’s values and are aligned to employment legislation. She also says policies are designed as guidelines for employee behaviour and play a key role in creating a more productive workplace.
“There is a general acceptance of policies and the purpose of each and every policy is clearly defined.
“It is important policies are relevant, which is why we review them at least annually. It is also important that employees clearly understand what each policy is trying to achieve. Policies are crucial because they ensure uniformity and consistency in decision-making and operational procedures. They assist in maintaining the direction of the organisation even during periods of change and clarify roles and responsibilities.
“Policies are strictly enforced in order to promote a culture of trust and sound employee relations, and consistency is the key. Applying company policies inconsistently can jeopardise business success.
Our belief is that business should be conducted honestly, fairly, legally and responsibly,” says Mogaki. “Failure to comply with policies may lead to disciplinary action.
Bridging trust gaps
“Policies and standards are in place to ensure we uphold the commitments we make to our stakeholders and work towards a common set of goals. We have identified the issues that may have the greatest impact on our success, which include our ability to optimise production costeffectively and efficiently within a changing and complex business and socio-political environment.
“We also understand, manage and meet stakeholder expectations and bridge any trust gaps, safeguarding our employees’ and communities’ health and safety, seeking to ensure access and affordable infrastructure while minimising our footprint and our obligation to comply with legislation, regulation, voluntary codes and social compacts.
“We promote a culture of accountability and encourage employees to take ownership of their decisions, actions and results, deliver on promises and acknowledge mistakes. Above all, we promote a culture of not passing the buck.
“The foundation of innovation and creativity is an environment conducive to and embracing diversity. One of our biggest focus areas at the moment is organisational culture transformation and to promote strategic success, we have embarked on a transformation journey.
“Historically we have been very effective at managing and delivering on systemic or tangible requirements. However, to reach strategic success it has been agreed that an equal focus will be directed towards the people side of the organisation, referred to as Tshiamo, the Tswana word for overall wellness or wellbeing. This psychological state should be the purpose of any organisation’s transformation efforts.
“We believe that change is the only constant. In anticipating, preparing and acting on change we need to take the hearts and minds of our people along if we want to be successful. Our departure point is both to empower people to be successful and to create an environment where they feel significant — thus making others successful.
“It is our aspiration to create an ambiance where it is as important and exciting to make others successful as it is to be successful as individuals.
“Programmes and initiatives in creating this ambiance focuses on our leadership and the styles of leadership we are promoting. This is why we engage with all our employees and stakeholders at a personal, job, team and organisational level, and our actions are aligned with our values.
“This transformation effort is owned by the chief executive, as the custodian of the company’s culture, and is currently being delivered through the Platinum Review Office in alignment with all functions within the organisation.”
Breaking down silos
Discussing HR service delivery, Mogaki says one approach that seems to work well is the development of centres of excellence and communities of best practices where the HR practitioners in different parts of the company develop their expertise in a particular area of speciality and still serve the larger needs of the company.
“This fosters collaboration and breaking down of silos. Practitioners are provided with opportunities to benchmark initiatives and learn from others, and are encouraged to design and implement new solutions to respond to the changing working environment.
“There are various other talent development and retention initiatives that focus on reward and recognition in order to motivate employees to contribute more.
“To compete in an ever-changing world, businesses must frequently realign themselves. One of the ways that HR can provide value is through understanding how different internal and external changing environmental, organisational and workforce factors will likely influence the business.
“Organisations must design HR strategic initiatives that will not only respond to the challenges but also give businesses a competitive edge. It is important to track workplace trends in order to evaluate the impact that particular changes are likely to have on people and processes and strategically partner with business leaders to design fit-forpurpose solutions.”
As a company with a multi-gener- ational workforce there many different attitudes towards authority and particularly HR, and as part of its culture journey, Amplats recognises this, says Mogaki.
“One of the benefits of embracing diversity is that a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences and ideas, creating flexibility in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands.
“Our approach in developing and designing policies include consultations with various stakeholders that embrace the different generations in our workplace, to gather input and align expectations. It is important to match generational preferences with strategies to assist employees to reach their full potential and remain engaged.
“South Africa comprises many different ethnic groups each with a deep heritage, strongly embedded cultures and fascinating traditions. Anglo American Platinum is committed to a work environment free of discrimination to promote and advance sound and productive working relations and mutual respect. Our policies are inclusive and sensitive towards racial and cultural issues.
“Tackling discrimination helps to attract, motivate and retain employees and enhances your reputation as an employer.
“The evolving role of HR has led to a focus on strategic partnership and less on service delivery. However, in our mining environment, which is volatile and dynamic and comes with unique challenges, it is crucial for HR to master the art of striking a balance between strategic partnership and service delivery.
“HR needs to become more proactive — understanding the trends and planning ahead for what the organisation will require and to be aligned to the business strategy. HR must develop business acumen, and understand all aspects of and stay closer to the business in order to drive innovation,” concludes Mogaki.