In this section
Investing in our people
Our people are a key differentiator. We are committed to developing them and promoting a high-performance culture that supports achieving our strategic objectives. The Group provides comprehensive learning and development opportunities, an employee wellness programme and other upliftment opportunities. AfroCentric strives to attract and retain a diverse
workforce.
We view transformation as a key driver of a productive, innovative and sustainable business. Our commitment to diversity and transformation is demonstrated by managing employment equity (EE) through several divisional EE forums and the National Employment Equity Forum. These forums provide a platform for the Group to monitor EE progress and debate related matters. Our EE policy, EE plan and transformation strategy drive the implementation of EE within our business.
Our EE plan can be viewed on our website:
http://afrocentric-online.co.za/reports/afrocentric-ar2019/pdf/employment-equity-plan.pdf
Our EE policy can be viewed on our website:
http://afrocentric-online.co.za/reports/afrocentric-ar2019/pdf/employment-equity-policy.p
Total workforce profile (including employees with disabilities) at 30 June 2019
| Element | Male | Female | Total | |||||||||||||||
| Occupational levels | A | C | I | W | A | C | I | W | ||||||||||
| Top management | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
| Senior management | 11 | 1 | 4 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 84 | |||||||||
| Professionally qualified and experienced specialists and mid-management | 91 | 27 | 38 | 91 | 139 | 48 | 73 | 222 | 729 | |||||||||
| Skilled technical and academically qualified workers, junior management, supervisors, foremen, and superintendents | 559 | 224 | 114 | 79 | 1 350 | 691 | 197 | 420 | 3 634 | |||||||||
| Semi-skilled and discretionary decision-making | 247 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 310 | 29 | 10 | 35 | 656 | |||||||||
| Unskilled and defined decision-making | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | |||||||||
| Grand total | 917 | 273 | 160 | 214 | 1 818 | 771 | 282 | 696 | 5 1312 | |||||||||
A = African; C = Coloured; I = Indian; W = White
| 2 | The total employee figure of 5 131 is for SA operations only (excluding outside SA subsidiaries) |
Talent and leadership development
Online learning
68 |
The AfroCentric Learning and Performance Academy offers online training. Employees have constant virtual access to legislative courses, Company policies and functional training courses. During 2019, 68 online courses were undertaken by 2 512 employees. This represents 14 582 course enrolments of which 70.4% (10 265) were successfully completed. |
Skills development
AfroCentric invests a percentage of the total payroll into training and developing black employees. There is a difference between measuring and recording skills development and EE requirements (the latter measures the number of people who attended training, not the total spend).
353 |
The Group implemented various SETA accredited internship and learnership programmes which comply with sector requirements and provide accelerated and practical work experience for school leavers, graduates and unemployed people. The Group employed 51 graduates on internships and 302 employed and unemployed school leavers on learnership programmes during the year. |
Short courses, skills programmes and internal training
R4 million |
R4 431 304 was spent on external training providers for developing essential skills required by employees in their current roles. This was in addition to 36 curricula (390 modules) offered internally by the AfroCentric Training Academy. In total, 3 991 class attendances were recorded. |
Leadership development
Two |
AfroCentric's leadership competencies assist the business in implementing the relevant leadership development programmes. These programmes are tailored to the Group's objectives. We believe that leadership is not what you do, but how you do it. Our leaders are groomed to display the behaviours and skills that inspire and engage our employees.. Leadership, team leaders and operational managers' curricula are offered twice a year, with approximately 50 enrolments per intake. The curricula for middle and top management will be rolled out in 2020. |
Study assistance programme
Many employees are unable to pursue further studies due to financial constraints. AfroCentric's study assistance programme sponsors selected employees for approved courses. The study assistance programme is aligned with our business strategy and priorities. During 2019, we sponsored study assistance for two MBA students (R415 083) and tertiary studies for six additional employees (R265 279). A further 15 employees received financial aid from INSETA of R282 743 to pursue tertiary qualifications.
Differently abled employees
125 |
The Group implemented several programmes to recruit differently abled employees on six-month fixed-term contracts. These employees gain work experience while being trained to become permanently employable. Employees from diverse demographics are a valued part of our workforce. In total, R2 575 000 was invested in learning and development opportunities for differently abled employees. The Group's commitment to differently abled people is evident in the number of differently abled employees we employ. All business units in the Group demonstrate full support of this initiative. |
Learnership programmes
4 |
The Learning and Performance Academy implemented several learnership programmes for AfroCentric employees and unemployed individuals. The programmes help candidates earn qualifications and gain valuable working experience. In 2019, 145 employees and 157 unemployed individuals participated in the programmes. |
Bursaries
R650 248 |
AfroCentric's bursaries for medical doctors reduce the skills shortage in the private and public healthcare sectors. Bursary recipients are selected based on academic excellence and their financial needs. In 2019, we invested R650 248 in bursaries for four black female scholars. One student is currently undertaking her third year of studies while the other two are undertaking their second year of studies. We are proud of their performance and our contribution towards developing talent in South Africa. |
Performance management
Balanced Scorecard
AfroCentric uses a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach for performance management. The BSC provides the tools for management to drive competitive success. It translates an organisation's strategy into performance measures that provide the framework for a strategic measurement and management system. To be a progressive organisation, we continuously research best practice to build a high-performance culture.
When managing individual performance, we aim for a "win-win" environment where managers and employees share clear expectations and objectives from the outset. Employees participate in all phases of the process and share ownership of the outcomes with the organisation. Performance discussions are expected to cover more than just performance ratings, with the focus on real-time performance. Leaders should have regular, meaningful conversations aimed at improving performance gaps and enabling individuals to understand how their performance and behaviour link to the organisational strategy and how their contributions drive business growth. We emphasise self-management in achieving total quality and customer service, and employees are encouraged to maximise their contribution in their current role, while having access to opportunities to grow and develop their careers within the AfroCentric Group.
Passion awards
Recognising employees is vital to their performance which directly impacts the success of the Group. Our recognition programme, known as the passion awards, allows managers to recognise employee behaviour linked to the organisation's values. The recognition programme offers monetary and non-monetary rewards to employees. All reward and recognition programmes are coordinated as part of the passion awards programme.
Outlook/future focus areas
During 2020, we will continue ensuring that the EE plan is implemented, and that promotion, recruitment, retention and succession are conducted in line with the economically active population (EAP) statistics of South Africa. Our focus will be on continuing to diversify our workforce.