Page 96 - Gondwana Collection Namibia Value Creation Report 2021

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We managed clusters of outbreaks within the company. Sadly, Developing resilience: A key people challenge was assisting
Florentia Amuenje we lost one Gondwanian to Covid-19. Many of our employees employees who used to be in larger teams to cope with the Committee overview
are grieving the loss of loved ones. We are saddened by the additional workload in a much smaller team. The company
2020 and 2021 felt like social impact of Covid-19 and long for the deeper human prioritised the mental wellbeing of our employees and continue The people committee (the committee) reviews and endorses
connections that life once offered. to fine tune and provide holistic physical and mental support to the people strategy to ensure it aligns with the broader
one long year as the Despite these challenges, we demonstrated that is it possible to employees. company strategy and accomplishes its objectives. The
committee has oversight over the functions managed by
coexist with Covid-19. We harnessed the potential of the local Succession: Some top-performing employees found alternative the People Team at an operational level. These include HR,
impact of Covid-19 tourism market to keep our doors open. employment. We have lost approximately 12.5% of employees remuneration, Board nominations, employee share schemes,
to attrition since the outbreak of the pandemic. We continued talent management and succession planning. The committee
While our people plans for 2021 were significantly disrupted
affected our capacity by Covid-19, it was also a year that demonstrated excellent developing our employees to ensure we have a deep bench of also provides the People Team with guidance and access to a
talent and successors to ensure business continuity.
broader range of skills.
for implementing people management capabilities. Management engaged Our future focus The People Team ensures compliance, among others, with the
with employees and created work environments to motivate
and retain employees, despite the salary cuts. The company following:
our people projects. experienced some employee turnover, which enables the Reshaping our people strategy: The impact of Covid-19 will ○ The Labour Act, 11 of 2007 in terms of fair recruitment
continue to be part of the conversation. This includes creating
company to reflect, repurpose and reset the organisation
Throughout continuously. This meant that our focus was on cross-skilling people strategies that can weather new waves and variants. This ○ The Affirmative Action (Employment) Act, 29 of 1998 for
and employment practices
employees to take up multiple roles.
committee is an excellent platform to discuss what recovery
the pandemic, Our Covid-19 vaccination numbers, especially compared to the looks like for Gondwana and for our employees. This includes which an annual affirmative action report is submitted
to the Employment Equity Commission to report on our
the critical questions on whether our organisational structure
Gondwana assisted national average, are a reason to applaud our employees. While and people strategy is still fit for purpose. alignment with the requirements of the Affirmative Action
Gondwana encouraged employees to get vaccinated, we never
Act
coerced them into being vaccinated. We believe in the power
its people to of informed consent. Promoting vaccination throughout the This committee will continue to focus on ensuring that the ○ Health and occupational safety regulations
company has the requisite skills to achieve its strategic
○ The Gondwana Code of Conduct, which sets out ethical
tourism sector is vital to keep local tourism going while enjoying
objectives and that our performance processes and succession
transform and adapt the return of international travellers. plans are responsive to the short-, medium- and long-term ○ Gondwana’s recruitment processes, which aim to identify
conduct
impacts of the pandemic.
to the new normal. What we did in 2021 Vaccination drive: We will continue to educate and create individuals whose values align to the Gondwana Way
During the year, the committee focused on three key items: awareness about the pandemic and aim to achieve a vaccination (new employees undergo induction training during which
This included learning, Covid-19: To manage the impact of Covid-19 was top of mind. rate close to 100% of those eligible for vaccination. they are familiarised with the Code of Conduct)
We are not enforcing mandatory vaccinations at this point, Assisting our employees: This includes assessing the impact The committee is chaired by Florentia Amuenje, and external
unlearning, and however, encourage employees to do so. We believe that of the pandemic on employee wellbeing and to continue to experts Hilma Weber, Gondwana’s former head of HR, and
vaccine hesitancy is not driven by anti-vaccine theories, but provide the needed support. How do we lead and continue Jaco Boltman, a labour law practitioner, attend meetings.
relearning in response to rather fear of the unknown and the desire for more education. to listen to the voices of our people? We will find ways to
Gondwana had a 60% vaccination rate by year-end. This give employees platforms to express their views and provide
changing organisational compares favourably to Namibia’s overall vaccination rate of feedback.
20% of the target population. We educated, encouraged, and
requirements. enabled employees to get vaccinated. Technology and automation: Our efficiency will be aided by
technology and our ability to automate for growth. This will
allow us to facilitate greater engagement with customers and
deliver the unique Gondwana service.

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