Modern Quarrying October-November 2016

REGULAR UPDATE ASPASA

that have the highest turnover rates and design an effective employee orientation programme. He says that big changes are happen- ing on the technology front and that it is dramatically changing the way compa- nies work and the way we do things. In his recently published book The Fourth Industrial Revolution , which formed the backdrop for discussions at the World Economic Forum (WF), Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairperson of the WEF argues that: ‘Of many diverse and fascinating challenges we face today, the most intense and important is how to understand and shape the new tech- nology revolution, which entails nothing less than a transformation of mankind. We are at the beginning of a revolution that is fundamentally changing the way we live, work and relate to one another. In its

Pienaar suggests that the aggregate industry apply the followingmethodology to attract new blood: P Provide a positive work environment R Recognise, reward and reinforce the right behaviour I Involve and engage D Develop skills and potential E Evaluate and measure “Under the final E, we need to conduct employee satisfaction surveys at least once a year; initiate interviews and sur- veyor concerning the real reasons people come to and leave an organisation; and improve hiring processes to create a bet- ter match between the individual’s talent and job requirements. “Also to provide flexible work arrange- ments for working parents and older workers; hold managers responsible for retention in their departments; start measuring the cost of turnover; and focus on the key jobs that have the most impact on profitability and productivity,” Pienaar says, adding that it is also worth- while to examine those departments

“The process of branding therefore needs to be taken to a recruitment level if the industry is to thrive in future. The value of our industry’s brand should therefore reflect the needs of potential employees. “Employers and industries that have ‘high employer brand value’are perceived by potential employees as more attrac- tive than those with lower brand values. A potential employee’s appraisal of an employer brand is therefore prompted by factors including their awareness and perceptions of the employer brand, which may be developed by word of mouth, personal experience and marketing strategies.” He says branding theory and practices should therefore be expanded to differen- tiate firms and the industry to make them desirable from an employee perspective. Just as traditional advertising communi- cates characteristics of a product to con- sumers, so too should employer branding be applied to recruitment, and jobs should be regarded as products to attract current or potential employees.”

In its ongoing effort to mitigate risks on quarries, Aspasa has just released a comprehensive Best Practice Guideline on dealing with vehicle management in quarries (Photo Dale Kelly).

30

MODERN QUARRYING October - November 2016