The Rumble in the Jungle is one such thesis of how one can bounce back when life had ejected him. However, it must be observed that even though professional frustrations leave many with permanent emotional/mental scars, the process of re invention and starting all over again can be more vigorous, and more demanding because the fulfillment that comes along with finding one’s purpose and footing again is often greater than the rejection and the ejection. October 30, 1974 is the date synonymous with one of the greatest ‘comebacks” ever recorded in history. It is the anniversary for arguably one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century: The Rumble in the Jungle. It was at the Mai 20 Stadium where two boxing champions George Foreman; the undefeated heavyweight champion, a power puncture and Muhammad Ali; a good talker, fast and sleek, faced off in Kinshasa, Zaire. By 4:00 am 60 000 people had filled the stadium to witness the momentous moment.

Muhammad Ali
The fight was a major turning point in the careers of both men, particularly Ali. It was the moment (of bouncing back) he regained the heavyweight championship he’d forfeited in 1967 as a result of refusing induction into the U.S. Army. It was also the moment, perhaps ironically, at which his public image began to turn decisively away from “divisive black nationalist” and toward “broadly popular American celebrity.” Born Cassius Clay, Ali won a gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960 and then rose quickly up the ranks of heavyweight title contenders. His initial public persona was bright, charming, and telegenic, and he immediately placed himself among the very small number of fighters in history who were as entertaining to listen to or read about as they were to watch in the ring. Upon winning the heavyweight title in 1964, he announced himself a member of the Nation of Islam and instantly became the country’s most famous black nationalist; upon being classified 1- A for the draft, he stated his intention to refuse induction and sought to be re-classified a conscientious objector on the basis of his status in the NOI.

Ali had been able to resume fighting in 1970 while he appealed his conviction for draft evasion. His first effort to regain the heavyweight title, however, failed at the hands of Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. Billed as the “Fight of the Century,” it was Ali’s first professional defeat. Frazier continued to hold the title until 1973, when he lost it in a brutal tworound, six-knockdown bout to Foreman. The fight itself was dramatic and entertaining. Foreman was favored. Everyone expected Ali to “dance,” to emphasize movement and footwork, mostly because he’d told everybody so all throughout training camp. Much of

the boxing press, especially those rooting explicitly or implicitly for Ali, feared that he might be humiliated or seriously hurt if he took any other approach. Instead, Ali came out aggressively in the first round, taking\ the fight to Foreman with a series of dramatic right-hand leads. For the next several rounds, Ali executed the socalled “rope-a-dope” maneuver going to the ropes early in the round, inviting Foreman to tire himself by throwing body punches, attacking late in the round. Ali absorbed enormous punishment in the process. His strategy was nevertheless eventually effective, and in the eighth round Ali knocked out an exhausted Foreman with a series of powerful combination punches. The one, who had read and executed The Elasticity Code, finally won the fight.

The elasticity code – The art of bouncing back: The game of tennis is made possible and pleasurable the ability of the tennis ball to bounce. The harder you hit it against the ground the higher it will go as it bounces. The greatest men and women who have influenced and shaped life as we see it now are men who have hit rock bottom real hard their rise has been high and it has seen them souring with eagles. Muhammad Ali knew that without enduring the power punches from Foreman, this showdown could mark the end of his boxing career. He quickly had to recalibrate the operations of his mental faculties. His mind had to adapt to the painful reality that each heavy punch from his adversary should serve as a springboard to him re claiming the heavyweight title. Like a tennis ball, a professional knockdown should serve as temporary setback that setup’s one’s greatest comebacks. There are three secret success codes that are found in what we will call the success Bible/Elasticity Code.

Power of the tongue
You are what you say because you are the embodiment of your dreams. Bouncing back requires a champion’s mindset and it is quicker for those who speak positively about themselves. Ali knew that the odds were stacked against him and as such he used the power of his tongue to win the fight off the ring. If Ali had fed his mind negativity of the ring, chances are he would have been knocked off on the first round. If you want to bounce back, have a positive view about yourself at all times. A winner’s mindset is a positive mindset.

Discipline:
Muhammad Ali hated training, but because of a defined purpose ahead of him he trained. Our path to recovery and bouncing back is often impeded because we live lives that lack a clearly defined purpose. A winner’s mindset has a clearly defined purpose.

Focus:
George Foreman was a power puncher. Muhammad Ali’s survival was hinged upon a focused mind. Looking away for a second from Foreman would have gotten Ali knocked down. A life lived without focus will permanently be a life of failure. Winner’s mindset must be focused.

Romans 12: 1-2
Why seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight that beset us, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Keeme Clyde Retshabile (Pastor)

Seventh day Adventist Church

Sources:

March Horger. (2019): History Milestone-The Rumble In

The Jungle: www.origins.osu.edu

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, there was already a steady rise in mental health issues reported worldwide. Did you know that mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall global disease burden1 and that depression is the number one leading cause of disability worldwide2? NUMBER ONE! The most recent statistics show that 792 million people live with a mental health disorder. This equates to slightly more than 1 in 10 people globally3. Is this really surprising, given we live in world that is always on, with pressure from social media, increased globalisation, climate change and a trend towards extremist political views? Now add a pandemic to the mix and we have a perfect storm. This article will put forward the case as to why employee mental health should be top of the business agenda (now more so than ever) and provide the five things (based on my experience as a Psychologist) that businesses can do to better support the mental health of their people.

The why:
What I am hearing from business owners and HR is less worry about employee performance (which in many instances has increased), but rather a deep concern for the wellbeing of their staff. Again,ABOUT TIME is what I say. The WHO projected back in 2000 that mental disorders would increase from 12% of the diseases worldwide to almost 15% by end 20204. They could not have foreseen that a global pandemic would impact this number significantly. It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in any given week will experience a common mental health problem5. Let me say that again, 1 in 6. In my immediate family that means 2 of us experienced a common mental health problem in the past 7 days. The estimated cost to the global economy of lost productivity due to depression and anxiety is $1 trillion per year6. In the UK, where I live, 12.7% of all sickness absence days can be attributed to mental health conditions7 and in the US, depression is thought to count for up to 200 million lost workdays annually at a cost of $17-$44 billion. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There is evidence that supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace can actually increase productivity and reduce costs. Research suggests that for every dollar a company spends on the treatment and support of mental health they see an average return of investment of $3.27 in reduced healthcare costs9 and $4 in improved health and productivity8. Further to this, employers also save on average $5.82 in lower absenteeism costs for every dollar spent on employee wellness programs. If doing the right thing is not enough of an argument to convince you to support employee mental wellbeing; the bottom line is: It is financially beneficial to your bottom line to invest in supporting the mental wellbeing of your employees.

The How:
There are a number of things workplaces can do to support employee mental health & wellbeing. From my experience these are the top five things to consider when designing a mental wellbeing programme.

Number 1: Understand the need – The one sure way for a mental health programme to fail is to design it without understanding the unique needs of your organisation. Use data. Look for trends and themes in place such as exit interviews, feedback from unions, health risk assessments, sickness/absence records, and employee engagement surveys.

Ask your employees. Do not assume you know what your employees need when it comes to their mental health and wellbeing. Ask them. Take the time to survey your staff so you can target your investment smartly. You can tap into the thoughts of your employees through interviews, feedback circles and questionnaires. Use the findings to plan and deliver support programmes and inform workforce policies and practices.

Number 2: Involve your team; Go top down and bottom up – Senior leader commitment. We all know leadership creates culture and culture drives performance so having a clear commitment from the senior level of the organization that mental health matters goes a long way to showing how seriously your organisation is taking mental wellbeing. It also establishes a culture\ that values diversity, authenticity, inclusion, and acceptance. Find a sponsor. Preferably someone senior. You want the sponsor to be an advocate for change. Someone who will talk about their mental health and wellbeing, who will challenge discrimination and raise awareness to reduce stigma. If the sponsor is a sponsor in name only, you may as well not have one.

Involve employees. When I designed and implemented a mental health and wellbeing network at a financial institution where I worked in the city of London, one of the key factors in its success was having passionate employees involved. Mental health impacts everyone – encourage participation from all levels, teams, functions in the organisation. By having senior support and employee involvement, you can create an approach to supporting mental health at work that protects and improves mental health for everyone.

Number 3: Manager training and support – Line managers are often the first people to notice when something is not right with an employee. Giving managers the necessary skills to confidently support employees living with mental health problems and the wellbeing of all staff is vital to the success of any mental health programme. Consider providing training in mental health awareness, how to have sensitive conversations, managing sickness / absence and how to support employees returning to work. Support your line managers further by giving them access to relevant information, Human Resources, health & safety guidelines, and occupational health services. And equally as important, ensure they are also taking care of their own mental health.

Number 4: One size fits no one – Remember to consider the important characteristics that make your organisation unique such as size, office and work locations, products and services, employee demographics, and customers. A one size fits all approach to mental health may not necessarily work. When designing the aforementioned programme, it became very apparent to me that different office locations, had vastly different needs so it was imperative to provide local initiatives as well as company-wide ones.

Number 5: Create awareness of available resources – One of the most important things when supporting mental wellbeing at work is to ensure you signpost to employees where and how they can access mental health support services and facilitate access to these services. Raise awareness of any existing internal resources such as employee assistance programmes, mental health first aiders, training programmes and occupational health. If budget is a concern, consider making use of the vast array of external resources out there such as primary care doctors, psychiatrists, counsellors, charities, friends & family, the internet, and religious institutions. Signpost these on your intranet, in newsletters and corporate communication. Creating awareness about mental health does not need to be expensive. I know this from firsthand experience. I ran a mental health awareness campaign for 3500 staff with NO BUDGET. I got creative. I used what I could find online, published access to external resources and asked charities and mental health networks to help me by providing free training events. All it took was some gumption, a group of passionate employees and a supportive sponsor.

Conclusion:
We all only have so much capacity to deal with everyday stresses. Add to that a global pandemic that causes isolation (which we know is not good for mental health), fear and anxiety about the unknown long-term implications, grief from losing loved ones and uncertainty, and we have a perfect storm. Supporting mental health at work is no longer a choice. When the economy starts to recover and the world opens its doors again, employees whose wellbeing was not supported during this time, will vote with their feet. The business case for caring about your employee’s mental wellbeing has never been stronger.

REFERENCES:

1.Vos, T., et al. (2013) Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: asystematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet. 386 (9995). pp.743-800.

2.https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/depression

3.Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2018) – “Mental Health”. Published online at

OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https:// ourworldindata.org/mental-health’ [Online Resource]

4.Murray CJL, Lopez AD (1996b). Global health statistics. Cambridge, MA, Harvard School of Public Health on behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank (Global Burden of Disease and Injury Series, Vol. II).

5.McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital. Available at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/ catalogue/PUB21748/apms-2014-full-rpt. pdf [Accesed 5 October 2016]

6.https://www.who.int/mental_health/in_the_ workplace/en/

7.ONS. (2014). Full Report: Sickness Absence on the Labour Market, February 2014. Retrieved from webarchive. nationalarchives.gov. uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov. uk/ons/dcp171776_353899.pdf [Accessed 28/07/16].

8.https://www.cdc.gov/ workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/ depression/evaluation-measures/index.html

9.https://hrtechweekly.com/2019/03/18/5- workplace-wellness-statistics-you-should-knowabout/

The year 2020 is a year of downfall according to the projections by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which suggest a deterioration in economic growth for Botswana in 2020. The Ministry of Finance estimates that the economy will decline by 8.9 percent in 2020. The IMF forecasts the domestic economy to contract by 9.6 percent in 2020. The April 2020 World Economic Outlook sees a contraction of 5.4 percent before the domestic economy can bounce back to a growth of 8.6 percent in 2021.

According to the June 2020 WEO Update, global output is forecast to contract by 4.9 percent in 2020, 1.9 percentage points lower than the April 2020 projections, markedly worse than the 2008/09 financial crisis, and it is expected to be the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. For the first time, all regions are projected to experience negative growth in 2020, with recovery projected to be more gradual than previously forecast. For advanced economies, output growth is forecast to contract by 8 percent in 2020, from 1.7 percent in 2019. Overall, risks to global output growth remain skewed to the downside. They include possible recurrence of outbreaks in places that have gone past peak infection, requiring the reposition of some containment measures, a prolonged decline in economic activity leading to firm closures and tightening financial conditions.

The recovery of 2021 will be like the economy falling in an inevitable bottomless black pit because the 2020 contraction is almost equal to a twoyear loss of output. These sentiments were suggested by Bank of Botswana Governor, Moses Dinekere Pelaelo, in the central bank virtual meeting with journalists. “The disparity in forecasts attest to the challenges of making forward projections when there is uncertainty about the duration of constrained economic activity, the resultant adverse impact on productive capacity, as well as the speed of resumption of production and pace of recovery in demand,” Pelaelo told journalists after the MPC meeting. According to financial statistics, inflation was constant at 0.9 percent between June and July 2020 and remained below the lower bound of the Bank’s objective range of 3 – 6 percent. However, inflation is forecast to revert to within the objective range in the third quarter of 2021, according to the central bank. MPC Statement said the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent containment measures have severely throttled economic activity globally and domestically as production, supply chains, project implementation and provision of goods and services are constrained. “Similarly, consumption and spending are disrupted, hence domestic demand pressures and foreign prices remain subdued. Consequently, overall risks to the inflation outlook are skewed to the downside. However, inflation may rise above current forecasts if international commodity prices increase beyond current projections and in the event of upward price pressures occasioned by supply constraints due to travel restrictions and lockdowns,” said MPC.

The Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.6 percent in the 12 months to March 2020, compared to a faster expansion of 4.5 percent in the corresponding period in 2019. The central bank explained that the lower increase in output is attributable to the contraction in mining output and deceleration in output growth of the nonmining sector. Mining output contracted by 6.1 percent compared to a growth of 5.5 percent in the corresponding period in 2019, mainly due to weaker performance of the diamond, soda ash, copper and coal subsectors. On the other hand, non-mining GDP grew by 3.6 percent in the year to March 2020 compared to 4.3 percent in the corresponding period in 2019. BoB explains that the lower growth in non-mining GDP was mainly due to a deceleration in output growth of the trade, hotels and restaurants, transport and communications, construction and manufacturing sectors. Lockdowns and closures of borders or disruptions in business operations and consumerism is a mirror of the contraction in GDP which also reflects the substantial curtailment of economic activity at large. “The resultant decrease in global demand and disruption in supply chains, as well as curtailed economic activity locally, has affected several sources of economic growth for Botswana. Notably, these include exports, such as minerals and tourism as well as non-food retail economic activity,” said Pelaelo.

A broader view is that the global economy is projected to contract by 4.9 percent in 2020 but to rebound to 5.4 percent in 2021, Bank of Botswana says this will be anchored by unprecedented policy and resource support by individual countries and multilateral institutions. “However, the recovery projections are fraught with uncertainty with respect to several critical factors, namely, the intensity and effectiveness of containment measures; the extent of supply disruptions; fiscal and market financing constraints; shifts in spending patterns; trends in commodity prices; and, ultimately, business and consumer confidence. A similar pattern of developments pertains with regard to Botswana,” the Bank of Botswana Governor said. “These would generally be positive for economic activity in the medium term. Therefore, the MPC decided to continue with the accommodative monetary policy stance and maintain the Bank Rate at 4.25 percent,” Pelaelo said.

1.Restructure business models

2.Retrench

3.Close completely

Before considering these options as per Section 25 of the Employment Act companies are to notify the Commissioner of Labour of their situation. Upon receiving a positive response to proceed with the process from the Commissioner of Labour the following steps are to be followed:

1. Notify all employees, who will be affected directly or indirectly, of the situation and their proposal to deal with the situation

2.Employees would then be given an opportunity to go and consider the employers’ proposal and even come up with other optional proposals.

3.A consultative meeting would then be held to consider the employees’ proposals.

4.Management would then go consider employees’ proposals.

5.Another consultative meeting will be held with management and employees to finalize the direction the organization is taking.

6.If there will be retrenchments the criteria of selection have to be clearly stated.The usual criteria used is LAST ONE IN FIRST ONE OUT.This is by looking at the effective running of the business, ability, experience, qualifications and skills of the employees.

7.Management then engage the those who fit the above selected criteria on a possible retrenchment package including terminal benefits.

8.Management then would write to each affected employee stipulating calculations of possible retrenchment package including terminal benefits and last date of employment.

9.Upon completion of the process Management would file a Redundancy Form with the Commissioner of Labour stating the profile of retrenched employees.

It is important to note that this is a process and not an event. The Commissioner is notified not to rubber stamp an already perceived decision. Consultations should be done in good faith with intention of both having an effective business and retention of employment. The above steps are applied when the working environment is not Unionized or there no already existing Retrenchment Policy or Collective Agreement.

If at Point 4 Management decides to vary conditions of employment, the general rule is that terms and conditions of a contract of employment may only be varied with the consent of both parties. Under the common law no party has the right to vary or amend such terms and conditions unilaterally and if one party does so act and it is not accepted by the other party it amounts to a repudiation of the said contract. There is however an exception to this rule as regards contracts of employment, because a contract of employment cannot remain static over the years, as some element of change is inevitable, which change, according to the common laws, must be mutually agreed by both parties. If an employee however refuses to accept such a change, the employer may, according to the principles of equity, under given circumstances, unilaterally amend such terms and conditions of employment, because an employee cannot be allowed to exercise a power of veto over any such proposed amendments.

For such unilateral change in the terms and conditions of an employee’s employment contract not to be unfair, the following requirements, according to the principles of equity, have to be complied with;
(a) there must be a valid reason for the change; and
(b) the change must be effected through a fair procedure.

With regards to having a valid reason, there should be a commercial rationale behind the amendment; that is, it must be based on a rationalisation of an economic, technical or structural nature, to render it substantively fair, and it must also not be illegal, as being in conflict with any statutory provision or unlawful, as being in conflict with a collective labour agreement. In so far as a fair procedure is concerned, although it is basically management’s prerogative to amend terms and conditions of employment, the court can never sanction any blatant implementation without allowing the employee to challenge this decision of management. There must be bargaining to deadlock and the employee must be allowed to resist any alteration in accordance with available conciliatory machinery, before it can be said that the unilateral amendment was fair.

Below are Court Judgements to be used as reference:

(1)Mogopudi v. Ed-U-Comp (Pty.) Ltd. [1995] B.L.R. 505

(2)Fitzani and Others v Security Specialists Botswana (IC F93/05), unreported

(3)Green Industrial Enterprises Corporation (Pty) Ltd v Ben and Another [1997] B.L.R. 99, CA

(4)Moatshe and Others v Office Furniture Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd (IC 253/05), unreported

(5)Phale and Others v Dwinchi Woodtech (Pty) Ltd (IC 391/04), unreported

(6)Moyo V. Kgolagano College 1995 BLR 778 (IC)

(7)Ntloyakgosi V Central Automative Aircons And Repairs Pty Ltd 2010 2 BLR 49 IC

•Market view expects stability in the price in the long term as the company refocuses

•Opportunities might present themselves to the patient/long term investor who might be able to pick up volume at low and attractive prices

Recently Choppies traded the highest number of shares in the session crossing at just above 65,000 shares while the price remains unchanged at a low price of P0.60 per share. Choppies stock was frozen for 20 months after the retailer failed to publish financial results contravening Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) regulations.

Choppies financials were not forthcoming pending changes in auditors after PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) resigned in September 2019 and was replaced by Mazars in February 2020 as well as the legal and forensic investigations. Choppies was also dogged by controversies coming from all directions, which the supermarket chain has been trying to put to bed. After being in the freezer for almost two years, the Choppies stock began melting just a few days of it being back from suspension.

As soon as the market opened after the much anticipated lifting of its suspension, Choppies had 1,765,579 shares changing hands and a turnover of P1.2 million, but the share price has remained at 69 thebe since 2018. The price then gradually plummeted to 60 thebe until now. “As expected, significant trading in the stock was observed in the first 10 days of trading (after the suspension was lifted) where cumulatively, 10.62mn shares changed hands at prices ranging from 69 thebe to 66 thebe,” says a market analysis. Coming from a frustrating suspension, Choppies became the MVP of BSE being a major contributor in a turnover of P1.5 million and 1,842,542 total volume in the first week after being unfrozen. Stockbroker Motswedi Securities has been giving an in-depth view into Choppies stock performance since the retailer came from suspension. “With the suspension lifted on the trading of Choppies’ shares, the Group’s shares can now be freely traded once more on the BSE. This will allow shareholders who have been unable to take any positions in the last 20 months whilst the stock was suspended to once again start trading, and not to be locked in or out of transacting in the stock,” Motswedi Securities advised investors. Motswedi securities talked with much optimism, saying Choppies stock is one of the most liquid on the BSE, will over time turn in aid price discovery and possible realizations of value whilst also boosting market turnover. This is a welcome development for the BSE equity market where turnover has been subdued for most parts, said the stockbroker.

According to a market observation, the first trading moments of Choppies after suspension, when the stocks shows all the bullish signs, was accounted for by retail clients. This is because when retail clients participated, institutional investors take time to digest the fair amount of financial results covering four reporting periods, namely the year end to 30 June 2018, interims to 31 December 2018, year-end to 30 June 2019, and interims to December 2019, and which were all presented at once. ‘‘So far, the demand has been able to absorb the supply, but the position might well change once institutional investors have finished the process of analysing all this financial information on the company that they are currently assessing,’’ said Motswedi Securities recently. Choppies is currently in a closed period, with the results for the year ended 30 June 2020 expected to be released by end of September 2020. Motswedi Securities promises more informative analysis will come after the results are released in September and the market might get some direction as to where the stock is headed. “In the meantime, we might see some further weakening of the share price in the short and possibly medium term, whist we also expect some stability in the price in the longer term as the company refocuses, and consolidates its positions in those markets that have been identified as key for the improved performance and profitability of the company, going forward,” said Motswedi Securities. Motswedi Securities advised that, until a more thorough analysis of all the long outstanding results has been done including up to year ended 30 June 2020 and more interactions with senior management has been carried out, extreme caution in trading in Choppies stock should be taken. The stockbroker researchers said however, at current levels opportunities might well present themselves to the patient, long term investor who might be able to pick up volume at low and attractive prices.

One of the main observations by Choppies results which have been pending for two financial years is the cut down of the retailer regional footprint as a way of patching a hole spewing losses. For the year ended June 2019, Choppies had an annual turnover of P9.62bn, v/s P10.79bn in the prior year.

According to analysis, in the aftermath of a series of poor financial performance spanning a number of years, Choppies revisited its strategy to improving profitability by closing a number of lossmaking regional operations subsequently exiting those markets. While its stock was frozen in the local bourse and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, since October 2018, Choppies exited South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique markets. These discontinued operations collectively accounted for 44% of the Group’s total turnover in 2019 but contributed to most of Choppies losses, with some having never registered profit since becoming part of the Choppies Group. Choppies is now present only in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. These are viewed as better or more profitable operations which will present the company with viable prospects for growth. According to observers this is expected to assist in increasing shareholder value in the long term. The Botswana operations in 2019 was the biggest contributor to the continuing operations since the company listed on BSE in 2012 contributing 77.4%, followed by Zambia at 10.9%, Zimbabwe at 9.5% and Namibia at 2.2%. The Choppies Group added three more stores to its Botswana portfolio, bringing it to a total of 91 stores in the country for the period ended 30 June 2019. Choppies commands a market leading 34% market share in Botswana.

In 2019, Zimbabwe was the only other region to produce profits, albeit a marginal one at P2.04mn. Zambia turnover increased for the same period, following the opening of three additional stores. The South Africa operations which were discontinued was the second largest contributor after Botswana with an overall trading revenue at P3.74bn in 2019. The SA operations suffered a blow due to existing high levels of competition from well-established retailers who wrestled for consumers with Choppies. At this region EBITDA’s loss skyrocketed to P196.6mn from P18.4mn as a direct result of depressed trading conditions in the North West province of the region. Observers say Kenya market greeted Choppies with “difficult market conditions” resulting in an operational loss of P58.2mn in the period ended 30 June 2020, compared to a lower operational loss of P27.8mn in the prior period. The Tanzania and Mozambique markets also added salt into Choppies wound with losses of P18.2mn (2018: loss of P5.9mn) and P15.5mn (2018: loss of P11.7mn) respectively. While there are still negotiations for the sale of Tanzania operations, according to Choppies directors, the Mozambique operations have been transferred to the Zambia operations. The non-movable assets like buildings are to be disposed for an amount of P10 million or US$1millon, the proceeds to which will be used to settle outstanding loan balances.

What is Talent Management?
Talent management is defined as “the methodically organised, strategic process of getting the right talent onboard and helping them grow to their optimal capabilities keeping organisational objectives in mind.” Ref.: 1 It is “the full scope of Human Resources management processes to attract, develop, motivate and retain high performing employees.” Ref. 2 Talent management, therefore, seeks to attract the right people into an organisation, strategically develop those people, grow and retain them so as to meet the strategic goals of an organisation. Invariably, talent management model (below) pervades all areas of human capital management. The integrated model of talent management illustrates this very well.

The starting place for talent management is the organisation’s strategic direction.The economic theory of supply and demand applies in this case. The demand side is dictated by the direction the organisation is taking and the skills and capabilities that would be required to achieve the strategic vision. The vision defines the future that the organisation is aiming for and, hence, the structural efficiencies for this future business. The required skills are defined in terms of both skills sets and numbers.

With COVID-19 accelerating the pace of change, organisations are being forced to redefine their strategies in order to adapt to the new world of work. Consequently, human capital has to assess this demand side for skills and capabilities and ensure that organisations are not found wanting. Once the demand assessment has been done, there is a need to look at the supply side. This involves assessing the existing skills and capabilities and determining if they will meet the future demands of the organisation. Various approaches have been used by organisations to assess human skills and capabilities. Essentially these approaches look at differentiating people based on their capabilities.

The 9-box review grid, based on the McKinsey model, is one tool that has been used extensively to differentiate talent. Although widely used, this model has its drawbacks as it doesn’t contextualise the work done by individuals. It has also been used subjectively especially with regard to determining potential and arbitrarily in terms of percentages of employees in each of the categories. More progressive organisations have moved towards capability assessments based on the Systems Leadership and Stratified Systems Theory. The purpose of this theory is to assist managers create the conditions in an organisation where people willingly work to their potential in achieving the organisation’s purpose. The envisaged outcomes of this are to place the right people in the right roles, doing the right work. Therefore, people work productively to their potential when their capability is matched to the complexity of the work they work they do. It is not the intention to discuss these approaches in detail save to illustrate the assessment of skills and capabilities on the supply side of talent management and to establish the resultant talent gap between supply and demand.

Once the gap is determined, organisations then need to be able to attract the right skills as to macth the their strategic objectives. This is an obvious imperative given the prevailing and dynamic change the world of work is experiencing. Attracting talent is about luring suitably qualified and experienced people to apply for existing or anticipated positions within an organisation. This hinges on an organisation’s employee value proposition (EVP). An employee value proposition is a specific promise of value to employees. EVP needs to be aspiring, differentiated, compelling, truthful and consistently delivered through all channels. It defines the culture of the organisation, its people, the work done, the opportunities and rewards in such a way that it differentiates it from the rest. A compelling employee value proposition will attract the right skills to an organisation. Once the right skills are acquired it is imperative that they are deployed to right jobs and developed so that they skills remain relevant in the current dynamic work environment. Finally strategies to retain them must be put in place given the nature of the war for talent taking place. In their book “War for Talent”, Michaels et al contend that the war for talent goes beyond human resources process to a prevailing mindset that emphasises the important role of talent to achieve business goals.

Wither to Talent Management?
In the light of the above discussion, what direction should talent management take, especially in the developing world and in Botswana. Talent management is essential for any organisation to achieve its strategic and operational objectives and the changing playing field demands human capital practitioners to be proactive in facilitating talent management. In re-shaping talent management, there is a need to pay attention to the following imperatives:

1. The increasing use of technology in business.
Digital transformation has had a dramatic impact with the advent of COVID-19. Many organisations were caught unawares and especially so the human capital management discipline. Artificial Intelligence, blockchain technology and big data are more and more becoming the order of the day. It is important to re-shape talent management in line with the increasing use of technology. People analytics are taking a new shape with the use of technology. People analytics are deeply data-driven and people processes, functions, challenges, and opportunities use technology to achieve sustainable business success. People assessment analytics are available and these lead to better interpretation and thus decision making for talent management. The resultant decisions are data-backed and are not easily accessible but applicable to every stage of an employee’s tenure in the organisation. Digital technology has also evolved from prescriptive to predictive analytics. For talent management, this helps organisations to better plan to close the gap between the demand and supply equation presented above.

2. The takeover of business leadership by millennials.
Millennials are taking over the leadership of the business world from the baby boomers. This brings in significant dynamics for talent management. According to Jay Gilbert, “research has shown that boomers identify their strengths as organizational memory, optimism, and their willingness to work long hours”. In contrast, he says “millennials have a drastically different outlook on what they expect from their employment experience. Millennials are well educated, skilled in technology, very self-confident, able to multi-task, and have plenty of energy”. Talent management needs to adapt to the needs of this different crop of employee and meet them at their point of need. The major advantage is their amenity to technology hence their easy adaptation to digital transformation.

3. The evolving diversity of the workforce.
The workforce has taken on a new diversity requiring a different approach to talent management. There is an evolution towards out-sourcing and part-time work and the talent frameworks have to take this into consideration. Succession planning, for instance, is not as rigid as it has been in the past, with options open in the world. It is, therefore, imperative that the new shape of talent managers take these dynamics into consideration.

4. The fluidity of roles in the work place.
Cecile Alper-Leroux in her article “Re-engineering the workplace”, identifies three types of fluidity that are becoming crucial in this age of the workplace. These are job fluidity which describes a workforce where people are not tied to or identified by a specific job description; rather, they flow among initiatives and supervisors to maximize their contributions. Organisational fluidity accepts the reality of how work gets done, generally through collaborative efforts with diverse minds and skills coming together. Identity fluidity which encourages new levels of self-definition and expression, with the knowledge that feeling safe in one’s authentic uniqueness fosters innovative ideas. These dynamics have an obvious impact on the definition and implementation of talent management. Some organisations are developing a penchant of employing people for graduate development based on their cognitive and analytic skills instead of technical background. This is especially so in the world of banking, commerce and retail.

5. The changing ways of work.
The world of work is changing. Work is no longer just about where one goes to but more of what one does. Virtual offices are becoming the new normal. The variables used for defining and categorising talent take on a new meaning. The emphasis on output and achievement of targets become the most important measure of performance as hours of work become irrelevant.

6.The increasing employee mobility.
Increase employee mobility has become prevalent and this impacts organisations’ ability to attract and retain talent. The new calibre of employee is restless and ever seeking for change hence mobility between organisations is becoming more frequent than in the past. This is exacerbated by the global village concept which has opened the world to people seeking growth opportunities. The war for talent thus knows no boundaries and opportunities are more accessible due to the information age. The above dynamics highlight the need for change in the way talent is management. Generic talent management needs to be replaced by a more individualised approach due to the diversity of the workforce. Human capital management has no choice but to be proactive in managing talent in order to contribute to the success of organisations.

References

1. Ghosh, P (2019) What is Talent Management? Definition, Strategy, Process and Models; HR Technologist.com July 17, 2019

2. Van Vulpen, E What is Talent Management? 5 Tips to Do it Right; DigitalHRTech

3. Bersin, J (2010) A New Talent Management Framework

4. Gilbert, J (2011) The Millennials: A new generation of employees, a new set of engagement policies; September / October 2011.

5. Alper-Leroux, C (2017) The Reengineering of the Workforce November 30, 2017