Eskom has had a transformation agenda since the 1980s, before the Employment Equity Act came into being, and has achieved various transformational goals.

Eskom’s diversity and inclusion philosophy

• Diversity and inclusion are strategic business imperatives, essential to making Eskom great
• Transformation is leadership driven and is lived through organisational values
• Eskom embraces, values and leverages off the diversity of its employees and their experiences, backgrounds and expertise
• Transformation is not a programme, but who Eskom is
• Diversity and inclusion underpin all human resources policies and practices, and all dealings with customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

Eskom has implemented a robust and ambitious employment equity plan (EE plan), supported by a long-term target-setting strategy (Equity 2020) to drive the transformational agenda for the next three financial years until 2012/13. The EE plan seeks to create, through various interventions, a workplace and workforce profile that is diverse and inclusive; and to ensure that diversity becomes the “Eskom way”.

Eskom’s current review of its business strategy will create opportunities to address equitable representation at top and senior management levels.

Human resource operational measurements

The table below reflects Eskom’s performance against internal transformation guidelines, reflecting employee movements and the achievement of targets set for gender and race, as reported to the Department of Labour.

Eskom company employee profile – Top four occupational levels – (Task grades 9 and above) (%) 

Occupational   level		Actual/Target	Male				Female				Foreign nationals
			A	C	I	W	A	C	I	W	Male	Female
EAP			39.20	6.10	1.90	6.70	34.20	5.20	1.10	5.50	0.00	0.00
Top management   (FAA, FBB)		Mar 2009 Actual	26.32	5.26	21.05	26.32	10.53	5.26	5.26	0.00	0.00	0.00
		Mar 2010 Actual	23.81	4.76	19.05	28.57	9.52	4.76	4.76	4.76	0.00	0.00
		Mar 2011 Target	23.81	4.76	19.05	28.57	9.52	4.76	4.76	4.76	0.00	0.00
		Mar 2011 Actual	28.57	4.76	14.29	33.33	4.76	4.76	4.76	4.76	0.00	0.00
Senior management   (EEE, SSE)		Mar 2009 Actual	18.57	3.10	10.00	42.38	9.05	2.38	3.81	5.48	4.52	0.71
		Mar 2010 Actual	17.80	3.04	10.07	42.62	9.37	2.81	4.22	5.15	4.22	0.70
		Mar 2011 Target	19.73	3.40	9.30	39.23	11.56	2.95	3.85	5.22	4.08	0.68
		Mar 2011 Actual	20.62	3.84	10.55	38.85	10.31	2.88	4.32	6.00	2.16	0.48
Professional, specialists and mid-management   (M/P14 – M/P18)		Mar 2009 Actual	26.33	5.21	7.78	28.06	17.87	2.03	2.92	6.93	2.22	0.66
		Mar 2010 Actual	26.70	5.22	7.49	26.85	18.61	2.04	2.87	6.73	2.69	0.80
		Mar 2010 Actual	27.78	5.28	6.97	24.96	19.98	2.32	2.71	6.60	2.61	0.77
		Mar 2011 Actual	26.80	5.14	7.38	26.11	19.73	2.09	2.91	6.83	2.40	0.62
Skilled technical, academic qualified workers, junior management, supervisors (T09 – T13)		Mar 2009 Actual	32.45	5.30	2.31	21.91	24.83	2.90	1.69	7.49	0.78	0.33
		Mar 2010 Actual	33.85	5.12	2.41	20.81	25.16	2.80	1.71	7.01	0.78	0.36
		Mar 2011 Target	34.32	5.21	2.36	19.51	25.96	3.02	1.65	6.86	0.75	0.35
		Mar 2011 Actual	34.62	5.16	2.46	19.46	26.05	2.96	1.67	6.72	0.64	0.26

A – African      C – Coloured      I – Indian      W – White
EAP – economically active population

Eskom company disability profile: – all occupational levels
unit of measure %

		Total
	Mar 2010 Actual	2.54
	Mar 2011 Target	3.00
	Mar 2011 Actual	2.53

The Eskom target for disability is 3% of the total workforce. This is above the 2% target set by the government. Currently 1 002^RA employees have been identified as people with disabilities. Eskom will continue to strive for a fair representation of people with disabilities.

Eskom group employee profile – Top four occupational levels – (Task grades 9 and above)¹ (%) 

Occupational level		Actual/Target	Male				Female				Foreign nationals
			A	C	I	W	A	C	I	W	Male	Female
Top management		Mar 2009 Actual	21.74	4.35	17.39	39.13	8.70	4.35	4.35	0.00	0.00	0.00
		Mar 2010 Actual	20.83	4.17	16.67	37.50	8.33	4.17	4.17	4.17	0.00	0.00
		Mar 2011 Actual	28.57	4.76	14.29	33.33	4.76	4.76	4.76	4.76	0.00	0.00
Senior management		Mar 2009 Actual	18.65	3.03	9.79	42.89	9.09	2.33	3.73	5.36	4.43	0.70
		Mar 2010 Actual	18.10	2.94	9.95	42.53	9.50	2.71	4.30	5.20	4.07	0.68
		Mar 2011 Actual	20.83	3.70	10.42	38.98	10.42	2.78	4.40	6.02	2.08	0.46
Professional		Mar 2009 Actual	26.31	5.15	7.71	28.59	17.58	1.94	2.88	6.95	2.25	0.63
		Mar 2010 Actual	26.67	5.17	7.41	27.38	18.25	1.95	2.85	6.73	2.82	0.77
		Mar 2011 Actual	26.72	5.05	7.28	26.85	19.28	1.99	2.88	6.80	2.54	0.61
Skilled		Mar 2009 Actual	32.60	5.15	2.36	23.32	23.65	2.77	1.69	7.36	0.79	0.31
		Mar 2010 Actual	34.14	5.00	2.46	21.86	24.05	2.68	1.66	6.88	0.93	0.35
		Mar 2011 Actual	34.28	5.03	2.52	20.72	25.08	2.86	1.66	6.74	0.82	0.28

A – African      C – Coloured      I – Indian      W – White
1. No specific targets for the group – aligned to company targets.

Eskom group* disability profile: – all occupational levels
unit of measure %

		Total
	Mar 2010 Actual	2.29
	Mar 2011 Actual	2.36

* This is the total for Eskom, Rotek, Roshcon and Rotran. Currently 1 012^RA Group employees have been identified as people with disabilities.

Unit operators run power station control rooms 24 hours a day.

The highlight of the transformation process has been the implementation of the three-year employment equity plan.

As part of its transformation agenda, Eskom will continue with the affirmative action drive, the promotion of women and the focus on employment equity for people with disabilities, not because it is required of the company by statute, but because it is the right thing to do. It is also a business imperative.

Eskom’s integrated health and wellness programme promotes a safe and healthy working environment that will ensure its employees are healthy, productive, resilient and engaged throughout their time at Eskom.

Eskom’s occupational health and wellness services

• Medical surveillance
• Employee assistance programme, including work life, biokinetics, sports and recreation
• Comprehensive chronic disease programme, including tuberculosis and HIV/Aids management.

Strategic initiatives ensure that employees are aware of their health status, are empowered to make correct health seeking choices to ensure they maintain good health and wellbeing.

Eskom’s employee engagement model builds employee participation and connects employees and executives in conversations around strategy, performance and people. Eskom has also built more productive and sustainable relationships with organised labour through a partnering model to guide these interactions.

About 30 520 man-hours were lost due to industrial action at Eskom in the last year. Eskom maintains direct lines of communication with managers and professionals and consults in the bargaining unit with recognised trade unions. A one-year salary and conditions of service agreement was concluded with trade unions during the last year.

Central to the negotiations was a review of the housing benefits: Eskom needs to optimise the use of the housing benefit by employees and ensure that housing is available in the areas that Eskom operates in, in line with government’s guidelines for sustainable human settlements.

Eskom, as a state-owned enterprise, has been directed by its shareholder to contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s New Growth Path. In addition to the 5 283^RA learners in the pipeline, Eskom has further committed to partner with its supplier network to train an additional 5 000 learners (2 500 matriculants in trades training and 2 500 unemployed graduates for experiential internships).

To achieve ongoing efficiencies, Eskom is developing a strategy to contain employee numbers by reallocating staff from the existing business to the new build projects and other new focus areas. Shifting the balance from the existing to the new business is only possible if adequate skills levels can be redeployed in critical areas (such as maintenance and delivery on the new build programme). These efficiencies will oblige Eskom to manage increases in overtime and to monitor ongoing adherence to safety requirements.

Current performance

Human Resources Sustainability Index (HRSI)

An important role is to measure and monitor critical factors relating to the sustainability of Eskom’s human resources. A Human Resources Sustainability Index (HRSI) measures key aspects of human resources sustainability. The HRSI is also contracted into leadership and operating unit performance compacts.

The main areas of measurement are: employee satisfaction, employee competence, and employee health and wellness. The measurements and criteria are reviewed annually to make sure they stay applicable.

The HRSI score for the past year was 88.3% (2010: 92.1%) against a target of 80%. Although the score is lower than the previous year, it still indicates that Eskom’s human resources performance was well maintained and that the human resources interventions are relevant and meet the needs of employees and the organisation.

Every effort is being made to ensure that Eskom obtains and retains the right people for the right job at the right time, to ensure a reliable electricity supply for generations to come.

Eskom’s human resource development strategy has demonstrated remarkable resilience over the past year in an environment characterised by constraints, such as the impact of the global economic downturn and international demand for scarce skills.

In line with skills development legislation, Eskom has submitted a workplace skills plan and an annual training report for the period 2010/11.