Page 48 - Gondwana Value Creation Report 2020

HOW WE MAKE AN IMPACT Gondwana has provided medical aid for all employees since 2016. All Gondwana employees have, Championing our Covid-19 response 50.51% of our employees enjoy the benefit of medical aid and Our eyes are on the future

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47.59% receive a monthly medical allowance.
Employee health and welfare
To continue supporting and fostering our people, future focus areas include the following:
The 1.9% of employees not covered are either on probation or on
○ The Learning and Development Team will continue skills assessments and evaluation
a fixed-term contract, and will qualify for medical benefits once
at a minimum, access to private primary healthcare. It has been a continuous drive by the People
employment is made permanent.
○ Tracking and managing talent
Team to encourage employees to take up the medical aid benefit as an option, as opposed to the
medical allowance, which is limited in its benefit to employees. We are exceptionally proud of the
○ Expanding the Academy’s training by moving the courses to the lodges to include a wider audience, as opposed to the smaller
High-standard employee accommodation was built at Etosha
increase in the percentage of employees enrolled in the medical aid to 50.5% (2019: 48.7%), as
venue at the Kalahari Farmhouse
well as the reduction in employees with no medical aid to only 1.9% (2019: 11.6%).
Our employees’ accommodation
○ Expanding the Learning and Development Team to build capacity and offer more diverse skills training
and working areas set the
It was immensely important to maintain medical aid and medical allowance benefits in response to King Nehale. ○ Developing and implementing a Quality Assurance and Support Team
○ Training the Occupational Safety and Health committee extensively
the pandemic. We encouraged employees on medical allowance to switch to medical aid but made no ○ Reviving service delivery skills, focusing on customers’ experience
changes to these benefits so that employees kept their medical care, and access to Covid-19 diagnostic highest standards.
tests if necessary. ○ Continued investment in our teams in terms of leadership development
We aim to provide employee accommodation and working environments that are of the highest Every Gondwanian carries our culture and values, and it
standard. We have put our own standards in place, which exceed occupational health and safety
regulations and ensure quality of life. falls to each of us to do so with honour.
Employee accommodation at Etosha King Nehale matched the standard set at The Desert Grace Medical benefit breakdown
with improvements where possible. Unfortunately, employee accommodation construction at
Palmwag Lodge was halted due to Covid-19, but will continue as funds become available. – number of employees
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GO1000 Development programme for senior managers
In addition:
The GO1000 Development programme aims to create and develop better human beings. The 2020 group was much smaller than in
○ All Gondwana employees have access to our People Team, which supports them in making 2019, and a lot of thought went into the selection process. We considered it critical that:
appointments with appropriate general practitioners and other medical professionals. It also ○ Skills development and knowledge transfer from the 2019 programme continued
provides training on the benefits of medical aid options, and assistance in managing the cost
of healthcare received. ○ We really invested in the next line of leaders in the business
○ We partner with the Cancer Association of Namibia to provide employees with access to an 505 The 16 participants, of whom 13 were women, were evenly split between Windhoek-based and lodge-based employees. They
annual check-up. 536 completed five modules, each comprising day-and-a-half face-to-face sessions, and each participant had a dedicated coach to
○ The Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Aids Programme provides annual HIV/Aids awareness meet with between modules.
training, testing and counselling. “We are proud of what this group of Gondwana leaders
○ We partner with LifeLine/ChildLine Namibia to make counselling available to employees and
their families if needed. With the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak and ensuing lockdowns, Gondwana embarked on a search for achieved on the Go1000 Growing Leaders programme which
○ All employees who handle food and beverages are given an annual food handlers’ evaluation by protocols and service industry benchmarks for such a crisis. Silke Ahrens was tasked with becoming our
independent general practitioners. Covid Champion, ensuring we followed world standard protocols and put in place processes and procedures was completed in November 2020. The programme was
that not only stood the test of international standards, but became the gold standard of Namibian hospitality. Medical aid
○ Family planning assistance is provided by mobile clinics, managed by the Ministry of Health and Medical allowance run over the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated
Social Services, which visits our lodges regularly. Further to ensuring compliance with all regulations, Silke has become our go-to person for all things Covid-19 None
related. lockdowns, and despite disruptions, delays, moving to online
○ We provide continued access for all employees to free WiFi at our properties.
In the event of possible exposure to Covid-19 of employees, the People Team has:
○ Many employees belong to Gondwana amateur fishing, soccer, running, cycling and volleyball formats and all the associated uncertainty, within the business
teams. ○ Ensured that medical support is made available to all employees, whether in Windhoek or at
○ All Academy training programmes now have a module on self-care and wellness, highlighting our lodges Gondwana spent and the world at large, the delegates really dived into the
the importance of healthy and balanced lifestyles, and to teach employees about the benefits ○ Arranged for access to Covid-19 testing through trusted partners learning and grew through the process. The final module check
of healthy eating and exercise. ○ Contracted external partners to ensure workspaces are disinfected N$1.8 million
○ We responded to Covid-19’s mental health impact with regular updates and assurances from ○ Organised 24-hour access to medical support for teams and guests at our lodges out was a special and moving time of recognition of the journey
Gys and the People Team through the MD broadcast group, team WhatsApp groups and on new employee that has been travelled and growth witnessed.”
company memos, among other things.
accommodation and on upgrades
2019: N$1.2 million – Rob Broster, senior associate, Lockstep Consulting

An additional six candidates, beyond the 16 listed above, received professional coaching to aid their development.

46 VALUE CREATION REPORT 2020 GONDWANA COLLECTION NAMIBIA 47