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14,500 union members participated in a short-lived strike
in August 2008 and 1,680 bargaining unit employees
participated in industrial action in August 2009. Telkom
continues to engage with unions in order to find equitable
solutions.
• Heartbeat
The company measures the level of employee
engagement, through the annual Heartbeat Survey.
In the year under review our employees were more
committed to Telkom and indicated that their intention was
to stay with the Company and take up the challenges that
come their way. For the first time in a long period
employees are proud to say that they are part of the Telkom
family. They are willing to continue to focus on the positive
in spite of negative economic conditions; internal
performance pressures; and changing market forces.
The great news is that even in the light of the above
challenges the Company’s engagement increased by a
pleasing 10%. Some 62% of the Company’s employees
were engaged compared to 52% in 2008. It is expected
that this will be reflected in increased individual, team and
Company performance, as well as in the retention of the
right people in the Company.
Engaged employees focus on what’s good for the customer
and what’s good for shareholders. There is positive growth
in customer satisfaction in most of the customer segments,
which is indirectly the result of the positive engagement of
our employees.
Telkom intends to continue its effort to improve employee
engagement through a particular focus on improving the
accessibility and availability of top management and
improving Telkom’s ability to attract and retain a quality
workforce.
Talent management
Managing our talent pool is a critical aspect of our
business, from retaining key skills to unearthing the leaders
of tomorrow. We have a number of initiatives in place to
ensure we are well placed to face current and future
challenges.
Telkom Annual Report 2009 67
Hartebeeshoek keeps track of South Africa
The multi-billion rand Hartebeeshoek satellite station lies deep
in a valley between Krugersdorp and Hartbeespoort Dam.
Since its opening in 1975 it has relayed literally billions of
signals from two satellites deep in space to South Africa’s data,
television and voice units, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Donovan Horn is one of the 28 people that man the station.
As a technical specialist, Donovan heads a team of eight
technicians who ensure that the station runs smoothly and
efficiently. “We have to be fully operational at all times and our
equipment is in what we call full redundancy mode so that if
anything goes down it kicks in automatically,” he says.
For some people, working at the station could be a lonely
experience, but not for Donovan. “We are surrounded by
prime bushveld with its myriad species of flora and fauna, so
there’s always something to see, whether it’s a Piet-my-Vrou
whose call echoes from the satellite dishes, or our lone
Blesbok. The only thing I do miss about ‘civilisation’ is that
there is no canteen on site so, if you forget your lunch, the
nearest hamburger is 23km away!”
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