A key learning from the last two years is that nothing is impossible. We saw how many South Africans stood up in solidarity against the looting incidents and to support the victims of the floods in Durban. We have seen how a pandemic has brought people to their knees and how people came together to give hope, and uplift others during one of the most challenging times we have experienced as human beings. The greatness of ordinary South African communities lies in how individuals rise to the occasion.
Workers’ Day celebrates a significant milestone as we salute those that actively played a role in uniting our beautiful country and its people to ensure equal rights and overcome barriers of the past. It also reminds me of a quote by Helen Keller I am fond of which says alone we can do so little but together, we can do so much.
From an investment company’s perspective, our great results are a direct consequence of the incredible people in our workforce and team that have shown grit and determination and have worked tirelessly to make sure that with us, investing is personal. We are passionate about helping people achieve their personal investment goals whether it is to ensure that you have savings in place when unforeseen circumstances impact you financially, to pay for school fees or to save for a dream holiday.
The global pandemic had a significant impact on our working conditions. I can remember the day that our president announced Level 5 lockdown. We had a short time to ensure employees were well equipped to do their jobs in the wake of the new normal.
Through the incredible effort of our IT team, we were able to set up our entire workforce to work remotely in no time and there were no disruptions or impact on our business and most importantly our clients. Our international business, Momentum Global Investment Management (MGIM) acquired a business while working from home! Some of the employees in the UK met each other for the first-time months after the integration.
Momentum Investments’ work from home model urged the Human Capital team to ensure that employees were able continue to do their work well but also to take care of their families during this time. While we have a high-performing culture, we also prioritise our employee’s wellbeing.
We are proud of the various wellness initiatives we have implemented and continue to drive throughout the organisation. As a Human Capital team, we focused our attention on three wellness elements – financial, physical and emotional wellness. Some of the interventions included online fitness classes, webinars with industry experts like professional counsellors, clinical and educational psychologists to engage with our employees on real life challenges to adapt to the roles that we all were expected to play.
As an investment business we are also passionate about the financial wellness of our employees. We believe in the power of financial advice and that having a financial plan and budget is important. We also give all our employees access to our financial experts to ensure that they could make sound financial decisions during a time when many had partners or even children that lost their jobs. We continue to share engaging newsletters with practical advice so that employees can take ownership of their wellness. Wellness is a journey and not a once-off event.
The world has moved on from how we use to work in the past before Covid-19 hit and our workplace is now a place for collaboration, connection, and creativity. We are now in the process of implementing a new hybrid way of work. To do this, we have created a platform with relevant information, research and articles on two levels – one for our leaders and another for our employees. With this, we can empower each person in our business to effectively manage in this new hybrid way of work.
For us, Worker’s Day is an extension of our passion for people. True authentic care for our employees is a key driver and what sets the business apart. This day should be a time to reflect how a business can empower and equip employees with the right experience and exposure to do more than just cope but to flourish and become the best versions of themselves. With Worker’s Day we must give people a day to themselves and as a country, we must appreciate and celebrate all our workers that keep the economy afloat.
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