Human Resource Assignment: Improving Performance & Culture of South32

Question

Task: Develop a human resource assignment illustrating the performance and culture related initiatives of South32?

Answer

Introduction
South32 is a mining company selected in the present context of human resource assignment, whichis considered as the world’s largest producer of manganese ore and owns largest silver mine across the globe. It is based in Australia and is spread globally. The basic aim of the company explored in the human resource assignment is to operate and be committed to their resources which include both minerals and human. They believe human resource (employees/ communities and government), if work in harmony can create a brighter future for all. That is the reason South32 incorporates various policies and programs to improve and maintain the performance of the employees and corporate culture of the organization. South 32 ensures upskilling of employees or workforce at all the levels. In this report, there is analysis over performance related initiatives undertaken by the company and initiatives taken to maintain corporate culture of the company(South32, 2020). Maintaining good corporate culture is essential as these are the reason because of which there is high retention of employees in the company and employees are being committed towards the work required to be done to increase the productivity and efficiency in work.

Performance Related Initiatives
Human resource is the most important factor in an organization thatis responsible for the growth in performance and productivity of the business. Every single individual in an organization contributes to the success of incorporating strategies in the company. Therefore, it is an important task to manage and improve the performance of the workforce. Performance of the workforce means efficiency in the work by employeefurtherthey provide quality work and fulfill all their duties or responsibilities in a timely and effective manner. Performance related initiatives undertaken by the South32 are illustrated in the following section of human resource assignment-

• Performance based appraisals, benefits and rewards to motivate employees to work more efficiently and it will assist in increase in employee’s commitment. It can be explained with help of Hertzberg’s two factor theory, as these factors leads to motivation in employees to work harder. South32 in South Africa, with the aim to encourage growth and motivation among employees, is owned by 2 percent by employees through Employees Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). Further in general it is the policy of the company to offer their people employee share plans which allow them to become part owners while receiving South32 limited shares at no cost to eligible employees(South32,2020).
• Conduct peer reviews to assess reason for underperformance and then provide training and development programs strategically to employees in respective field and area. Programs include- Graduate and vacation student programs, Traineeships and Mentoring programs. With the help of these programs, people gain technical, professional skills; local people get opportunity to learn operational skills and gaining expertise in various sectors of the organization.It can be further assessed with the help of Three-Dimensional Theory of Attribution where, employees can develop their behavior which can influence their behavioral attributes like stability, locus of control and controllability in the future.
• South32 has maintained a platform of learning and support where they provide membership of professional associations and education. Further, there is a practice of conducting a meeting between employee and supervisor on a frequent basis, so that there will be transparency and effective communication in an organization. Every employee has their own set of skills and management qualities, these meetings will assist in providing guidance and directions, build trust and feedbacks ensure a career growth by developing career path for the employees. Moreover, South32 ensure reporting taxes, royalties, operations and other payments in order to maintain transparency that helps in building trust in the company. Improvement in performance can be measured in-
• Speed and efficiency- It has been observed that accomplishment of work per day has been increased which can be assessed with the decrease in employee’s occupational illness and leaves which was 2.8 in 2018 and reduced to 1.6 in 2020. And the work is expected to be completed in the target time limit.
• Quality- There has been substantial improvement in the quality of work done by the employees in the competitive working environment. South32 is growing rapidly in the global market and there has been increase in operations globally.
• Trust- It can be measured with the increase in the ratio of employee’s retention in the company. By accepting direct feedback and employees being comfortable in voicing their opinion, South32 has developed a relation of trust within the company(Glassdoor,2020).
• Consistency- It has been observed that there is stability and consistency in the number of existing employees and increase in the number of new staff.

South32 aims to develop their future talents, further they believe to increase the employee’s performance- the company needs to grow from within(South32, 2020).

What are the culture related initiatives taken by the company explored in the human resource assignment?
There must be a working environment where employees are happy or excited to go to work. South32 believes that their people are fundamental to theirsuccess. Their aim is to create a workplace where everyone is able to perform to their full potential every day- Graham Kerr, CEO. Corporate culture is basically the value, code of business conduct and those plans and policies that characterize the organization. South32 aims to create the corporate environment of care, trust, togetherness, transparency, excellence accountability and positivity. A good corporate culture is the only reason that helps in retaining existing employees and restoring trust of the new ones. Good corporate culture is directly proportionate to theemployee’s performance and their commitment towards work and organization. Benefits of maintaining corporate culture is- it helps in recruitment process in the organization and possess high retention rate(Adamy,2015). There are four types of organizational culture-

Source: Builtin.com
These qualities identified in the human resource assignment are the basic quality of an organization which includes- flexibility, discretion, differentiation, stability and control(Heinz,2019). South32 is working very hard to create diverse workforce as it operates in various countries and communities. Corporate culture related initiatives undertaken by the South32 are-

• The first step taken under this consideration is health initiative and maintainingwork life balance in order to maintain and motivate employees for having a work-life balance.South32 organizes workshops or send brochette to employees regarding its importance and how they can achieve it. There are various ways through which company can incorporate work- life balance, one of them is implementing easy Fridays or no work Friday and giving mandatory leaves to the permanent employees. It can be explained with the help of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs where there are 5 levels- physiological, safety, love, esteem and self- actualization. An individual is only satisfied if he/she obtains all the levels. South32 needs to take further initiatives for the purpose of achieving Maslow’s Hierarchy needs.
• Discussing company strategy and tactics with the employees, even cross sectional / different departments. South32, encourage employees for giving input or opinions and new ideas regarding company standard, practices and services and motivate them while accepting changesas opinionated by them. It will create a positive and healthy working environment in an organization as it will create an environment of trust and faith which will eventually boost employee’s morale and commitment towards the organization.
• South32 develops various policies and plans for employee’s satisfaction. As it considers emerging trend in the place where they work which includes- consistent increase in women in the workforce, women as leaders, representation of black people and achieving gender and pay equity in the organization. Moreover, theyimplement rotations wherever possible, monitor and improve consistently so that the career of each employee flourishes. It gives light to Expectancy Theory, where there is a belief in employees that their work will result in the success and their desired goals.
• To encourage productivity, performance and teamwork, South32 incorporates various development programs, awards and recognition, guest speakers for inspiring and motivating employees. South32 also provides market-leading parental leave policies, employee volunteer programs, employee assistance programs which can be accessed by employee’s family as well which aims at providing counselling and support and Inclusion and diversity policy that ensure in providing equal opportunity for growth, development and fulfillment(Business Insider,2020).

It can be measured with the help of statistics-
Black people in team management- 45% in 2018 and 57% in 2020.

Women in our workforce- 17% in 2018 and 19% in 2020.
Women in leadership (Board)- 33% in 2018 and 38% in 2020 (South32, 2020).

Further, there is an increase in employee’s retention ratio. Corporate culture plays a significant role in retaining employees and recruiting new employees in an organization.

Conclusion
With the help of assessing people and culture in a business organization, it can be concluded in the human resource assignment that for the growth and development of an organization, human resource plays a significant role in the success of the organization.In the given report, there is an analysis on performance initiative undertaken by South32 and corporate culture in the business. It is identified that South32 has taken immense steps and initiatives to maintain and increase the employee’s retention ratio. Further to maintain corporate culture, South32 has incorporated various policies and programs to give significant importance to women, black people and pay equity in the organization. It has not only assisted in the retaining employees and increase in employee’s performance but also aids in overall success and development of the organization.

References
Adamy.J.(2015). 3 initiatives to improve company culture and performance. [Online]. Assessed from. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-initiatives-improve-company-culture-performance-james-adamy

Business Insider.(2020). South32. [Online]. Assessed from. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/south32

Glassdoor.(2020). South32. [Online].Human resource assignment Assessed from. https://www.glassdoor.co.in/Benefits/South32-Australia-Benefits-EI_IE1054866.0,7_IL.8,17_IN16.htm

Heinz.K. (2019). The 4 types of organizational culture you should know. [Online]. Assessed from. https://builtin.com/company-culture/types-of-organizational-culture

South32. (2020). 2020 Half Year Financial Results Presentation. [Online]. Assessed from. https://www.south32.net/docs/default-source/exchange-releases/2020-half-year-financial-results-presentation.pdf?sfvrsn=acd1b65b_2 South32. (2020). Company Profile. [Online]. Assessed from. https://www.south32.net/