CHRO SA caught up with her to find out more about her vision for the role.
Nametsegang Maruping took up the reins as group executive: human capital at Altron on 1 February and says she is looking forward to the challenges her new role will bring.
She will also retain her role as head of human capital in Altron Rest of Africa division, which she has held since 2018 when she joined the organisation. Her responsibilities have included leading and providing human capital strategic oversight across Africa and the Middle East with a key focus on Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
“I am very excited to enable employees to be a part of achieving the company’s goals in a conducive environment,” she says. “This talks to activating and enhancing the tools that are available to further advance both the employee’s career aspirations as well as company’s goals.”
She says the new Altron 2.0 strategy is about change and continuity. It builds on the previous One Altron strategy and sets new goals, while continuing to provide an enabling culture for employees. “Employees saw the One Altron strategy as a success, delivering on the financial goals, and are equally excited about Altron 2.0, so it’s not just a top-down document,” says Nametsegang. “It will succeed based on alignment, focus and collaboration across the divisions of Altron, premised from the organisation’s values.”
She is enthusiastic about figuring out what capabilities are required for the ‘new normal’, saying this means “understanding what we need to embrace, but also let go of in this transitionary period. I really see part of my role as enabling our teams to operate successfully in this new era that we are in.”
She says creating a conducive environment ultimately revolves around culture: “The ‘workplace’ as we knew it is changing. We find that people are more and more working wherever their laptop, phone and connectivity are. She observes that “workplaces of old were deliberately designed to foster engagement, either meeting at the coffee station or walking towards the water cooler and starting a conversation on your way there. We now need to find creative and alternative ways of deliberately fostering relationships and connecting as teams.
“The workplace is becoming owned by the employee, so trust in our employees to deliver on outputs is a huge factor in our world. By embedding and fostering the right culture, people become engaged, empowered and can thrive. It also means having clear policies and guidelines on expected ways of work: supporting and assisting employees as they achieve their goals and objectives.”
An area of priority for her is that of employee wellness, particularly as it relates to the effect Covid-19 has had on the physical, mental, psychological and socio-economic wellbeing of the employees within the organisation. This is especially for those employees who may be taking longer to adapt to the new ways of work, those who feel burnt out and those who have the challenge of juggling work requirements and their personal priorities.
Nametsegang asserts that succeeding depends on how strategically you adapt and leverage your knowledge, skills and insights as an HR leader to effectively partner with the teams in the organisation. For her it’s about using employee data insights, employee engagement mediums, technology, talent management strategies, capability building and employee and living the Altron values, which are very close to her heart.
“At Altron, we have a diverse workforce representative of the various demographics of our country, made up of multigenerational teams, currently comprising 30 percent 41 years old and above, 40 percent between 31 and 40 years old and 30 percent under 30. The question then becomes how do we continue to create an inclusive organisational culture that meets our people where they are, in order to bring out the best in them.”
She says her previous experiences working for multinationals and looking after teams across various geographic areas taught her a lot around operating in a digital world to create an inclusive workplace culture, the benefits of grooming and growing talent from within and how to help people succeed within an organisation.
“I’m a product of people’s belief in my potential and have grabbed the opportunities afforded to me. In this role, my intention is to pay it forward and lift others up. Even though Altron is a technology solutions provider, at the heart of it are its people and that’s the space where I want to make a lasting impact.”
Nametsegang thrives on co-creating and embedding the organisational culture and nurturing an environment that develops and promotes talent and high performance. As she looks ahead, her immediate focus is on helping the organisation to operate in the new hybrid environment where employees are engaged and empowered to succeed.
