Tuesday 24 May 2016

The Women behind our Women

Here at Safari Destination, the sheer number of women in the workplace means that women’s issues receive attention. Our two Managing Directors, Carina and Lorraine, are fantastic role models of what women working together can achieve. And they are both working mothers, having to cope with the reality of work-life balance. In response to this reality, the company provides a kiddies’ house on the company premises. Mums are responsible for hiring their own caregivers who then look after the children in a safe and secure environment. These caregivers are very special women.  In the month of May, Safari Destinations celebrated the contribution of these ” women behind our women”.  Each working mother shared a few words. These words were printed in our bi-monthly newsletter and each caregiver was also given a copy of the photos with the words below. It was a special moment.

Roxanne, Boineelo and Kyle: I am quite an over protective mom, so I truly appreciate that there is someone watching Kyle throughout the day. I know that Boi really cares about him and always takes good care of him. She can be both gentle and stern with Kyle. He has someone caring and gentle when he feels sad or scared.  We make a good team as we raise Kyle together.  I think of Boi as Kyle’s office mummy. 

Karen, Komotso, Nikita and Courtney: I am so lucky that Komotso cares for my children and so I trust her with them. Komotso to me is a life saver. Without her, I would not be able to achieve what I do at work. I’m grateful that I am in a position to provide Komotso with a job, which helps her support her family.  Having 6 children of her own, Komotso treats both Courtney and Kita as her own.  She loves my little girls and looks after them well.

Kim, Lillian and Tate: I would not be able to cope without Lillian.  Tate absolutely adores her and when we go on holiday, he misses her so much he sometimes cries for her!! Lillian has been with Tate since he was 2 weeks old.  She is also teaching Tate to speak Setswana, as he is a Motswana.

Lorraine, Bea, Megan and Taylor: Bea is an extension of my family and I could not manage without her support. I trust Bea with the lives of my children – her honesty, loyalty and patience is invaluable. I would not be where I am today without her support. I often envy the time that she spends with the kids but I am also grateful that they have a second mum in their life to look out for them and meet their needs.

Ramona, Otshephe and Isabella: I am really glad I found Otshephe.  I can go to work and have little Bella close to me. It is a great relief to know that my daughter is in good hands while I am at the office. I am looking forward to a long working relationship.

Thelma and Thuto, and her twins, Kgotla and Kgosi: Thuto has become so close to my kids they ask for her when we are home. Kgotla goes to the loo and calls out “Mommy where is aunty? I have pooped.” J  I am happy to have found her.

Verena, Evelyn and Leila: Evelyn has only been with us and looking after Leila for 4 months, but it’s amazing how quickly she has become pretty much a part of the family. She is so much more than Leila’s Nanny. She is just my life supporter in every way!! It is great to have her helping me!

Ashley, Helen and Bella: Helen is a great help so that now I can go to work and relax with peace of mind that she is taking good care of my daughter. Bella is always happy to see her and I know that she is in safe hands.

 

Thursday 12 May 2016

Happiness at Safari Destinations

 

Our philosophy at Safari Destinations is that having fun at work is critical to our success.

Fun cannot be had without laughter and laughter is the stuff that binds us together. It is what the academics call “building social capital”. Simply put, having fun together creates shared memories, helps us get along better, thereby facilitating co-operation and co-ordination amongst staff.  Engaging in fun activities can also lead to staff being more creative and productive. The researchers also say fun at work can result in lower absenteeism, less sick days and greater satisfaction. A recent survey amongst our staff about the happiest moments at work included staff relating their involvement in fun activities organized.

So what do we get up to? The latest fun activity was an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt, with clues leading to various locations until at last, the easter egg bounty was found.

Besides running staff only activities, the company’s social agenda includes plugging into what is happening within the community and sponsoring staff involvement in these activities. A fabulous win-win for the company and the community! The latest example, was staff participation in a Masked Ball run by a local school to raise funds. May the fun times continue!

Friday 15 January 2016

Developing of Staff

We are sure that our readers are also interested in our in-house training and how we develop our staff:

While many companies claim that their staff are their best asset and that the development of talent is a key strategic priority, it is rare to find a company where this philosophy is lived out on a daily basis. All too often the development of staff is a task undertaken when “we have time”.  In my experience, things are different at Safari Destinations (SD). Staff development at this small but dynamic company goes beyond being a necessity for survival in a developing country with a small population and limited skills.

It is a matter of success and a source of pride.  As the new HR Manager at SD responsible for driving the staff development agenda, I have often heard the following from Lorraine Potter, one of the Managing Directors of SD: “This is a learning opportunity. This needs to be shared with staff. How can we do this?” I arrived to find weekly training sessions an ongoing practice. Talk of developing the product and destination knowledge amongst the reservation’s team is foremost in the minds of management as this is key to the company positioning itself as an expert on Botswana and the experiences available to travellers. Material resources had already developed to support the reservation’s staff in acquiring this knowledge and learning about the organisation’s processes.

One to one mentoring by a senior takes place with all new staff in this team and has been the practice since the early days of the company.  Informal feedback on performance is inherent in these roles with more formal feedback taking place every 3 months in the first year and thereafter, every 6 months.  A recent development is that staff themselves (and not only management) are responsible for the training of new staff.  This is in keeping with the philosophy that we never stop learning and that while we teach, we learn.  With the rapid expansion of the company and inevitable stretching of staff resources, the company restructured and appointed team leaders in the reservation’s team in late 2014. But the values and practices, on which the company was first built, have held strong and are fiercely protected by the two Managing Directors, Lorraine Potter and Carina Grüninger. One such value is the commitment “To constantly strive to learn more about our country, agents, suppliers, our jobs, ourselves and each other”.  Transforming this commitment into action requires leaders who themselves actively demonstrate their own openness to learning, are excited to learn from others and make the time to learn as well as create the space and opportunity for others to develop and grow.  This is what I have found working at SD. It is the foundation on which the company has grown and been successful and provides fertile ground for the future for as management guru, Peter Senge says: “The only sustainable competitive advantage is an organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition”.