Senior Manager Employee Relations (ER) Business Intelligence at Sasol

Short Description / Purpose of Job

Responsible to –

• Operate as a trusted strategic business partner and integral member of the Employee Relations function across all the Operating Model Entities (“OMEs”) in Southern Africa.
• Actively support Head Employee Relations to develop, manage, drive, coordinate and facilitate Employee Relations’ integrated collective bargaining and engagement strategies as well as to define and track engagement metrics across all the OMEs in Southern Africa.
• Build Employee Relations’ service delivery and engagement plans that are aligned with Energy Business Strategy
• Ensure effective running and functioning of the Employee Relations’ case management system (e.g. er-Navigator system)
• Ensure production of reliable data analytics and statistical reporting in relation to Employee Relations matters and trade unions’ membership trends.
• Provide regular reporting to Head Employee Relations on performance of Employee Relations function across all OMEs in Southern Africa.
• Oversee the translation and implementation of the ER strategy across all OMEs in Southern Africa in such a way that stakeholder management and employee engagement is approached in a constructive and collaborative partnership building manner.
• Ensure governance and compliance by Employee Relations’ function.
• Please note that even though the position is based in Sandton, however the successful incumbent may from time to time be deployed / rotated for fixed terms to other business /operations (based in Secunda and/or Sasolburg) for purposes of collective bargaining turn around and stabilising the ER landscape.

Recruitment Description / Key Accountabilities

• Collaborate with Employee Relations Teams across all OMEs in Southern Africa to ensure alignment; coordination and synergy relating to Employee Relations’ strategy; tactics and service delivery plans.
• Play a central and integrating role among ER Teams as well as between ER function as a whole and other relevant functionaries across Energy Business. 
• Promote labour peace and stability (Healthy Collective Bargaining) across Energy Business.
• Foster a values-driven partnership between the company and trade union stakeholders.
• Strengthen, through engagement with trade union partners, the motivation and advancement of employees within the Energy Business.  
• Drive the relationship and engagement management with key stakeholders (trade unions, management, employees and other relevant functionaries within Energy Business).
• Promote the effective and functional running of the partnership forums and/or forums of same purpose within the Energy Business.  
• Monitor trade unions’ membership and manage threshold pertaining to the recognition and granting of the organization rights.
• Oversee compliance with collective agreements between the company and trade union stakeholders.
• Providing support and guidance through all stages leading up to and including strike action, including picketing.
• Providing thought leadership; guidance and support in the collective bargaining processes e.g. partnership forum meetings; wage negotiation processes; consultations pertaining to operational and other processes etc.
• Provide highly specialised and strategic Employee Relations advice/guidance (through consultations and/or in writing) to relevant stakeholders.
• Promote a democratic workplace culture which gives employees a voice and an ability to impact workplace outcomes.
• Ascertain and lead the communication of decisions and actions on wider Employee Relations, precedent setting, morale and reputational risk.
• Identify training needs and lead training efforts designed to equip line management and HR with knowledge and understanding of: labour legislation and associated codes, employment standards, human rights codes, relevant health and safety legislation, all applicable internal policies, and codes and procedures which have bearing on labour relations.
• Provide expert guidance to ensure that treatment of employees and application of discipline as well as rewards is fair, consistent and compliant with the relevant laws, applicable policies and procedures.
• Ensure line managers are equipped through training with skills and competencies to oversee/conduct sound fact finding and investigations, grievance hearings, disciplinary inquiries and appeal hearings.
• Develop and implement strategies that eliminate all forms of discriminatory conduct and practices in the workplace including acts of harassment, victimization, racism, sexism, etc.
• Ensure (through facilitation and liaising with the relevant statutory bodies or government authorities) that necessary instruments required for operations e.g. required licenses in terms of labour legislation are expeditiously issued.
• Provide thought leadership; guidance and support in the facilitation of relevant negotiations or consultations with trade unions relating to matters that affect operations.
• Ensure that internal investigation processes, grievance inquiries, and disciplinary processes are conducted consistently and in compliance with the relevant laws, policies and procedures to minimize risk of the company being financial penalized.
• Provide necessary expert and highly specialised support to Legal Services in respect of running the arbitration process e.g. ensure that relevant records are available and transcribed, documentary evidence is collated, potential witnesses are made aware and available.
• Work with Legal Services in assessing prospects of success and the need to settle the disputes amicably to avoid unnecessary costly and protracted legal processes.
• Identify savings opportunities for the company and drive the Employee Relations strategy having that in mind.
   

Minimum Formal Education

• LLB is a requirement or equivalent qualifications: training and experience 

Minimum Experience and Competencies

• Be an admitted Attorney / Advocate.
• Must have practised labour / employment law for 10+ years.
• Must have deep understanding of South African Labour Law.
• Must have a good understanding of Labour Dispute Resolution processes in South Africa.
• Must have the ability to apply and interpret all labour and employment related pieces of legislation.
• Must have the ability to provide both written and verbal advise/opinion on labour/employment related matters at all levels pertaining to both Individual & collective labour issues.
• Must have the ability to develop, review, interpret labour/employment related policies; agreements and pleadings.
• Must have proven knowledge and understanding of the relevant landmark labour / employment case law.
• Must have demonstratable experience in developing, managing and measuring the impact of service delivery plans and engagement strategies.
• Must have demonstratable experience in building relationships with people and engage at all levels.
• Must have the ability to effectively influence and manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to achieve the required outcomes.
• Must have creative ideation from concept to delivery.
• Must have strong research and analytical skills.

Certification & Professional Membership

• Membership of the relevant Legal Professional Council / Law Society or any relevant professional body will be taken into account.

Competencies

• Business Acumen: An intuitive and applicable understanding of how a company or unit makes money.  Displays a thorough understanding of what drives profitability.  Maintains a market-focused approach to business.  Keeps an overall big picture understanding of the business and its interrelationships enabling a person to make better business decisions.  The ability to make good business judgments and quick decisions in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.
• Critical reasoning: The action of critically thinking about something in a logical, sensible way and taking all factors into consideration.
• Leading change: Requires creating experiences for people that reveal new possibilities, while uniting them to drive strategies that harness the resources to win in the marketplace. It requires optimizing the culture of an organization while making investments to drive business growth – simultaneously
• Negotiating: The ability to compromise in a cooperative effort to reach mutually satisfactory conclusions and results.
• People Leadership: Authentically and inclusively engages people to follow; leads culture transformation. Builds capability and leverages diversity for competitive advantage.
• Relationship Management: The conscious aim to develop and manage long-term and/or trusting relationships with internal or external customers, distributors, suppliers, or other parties in an environment which can include marketing, selling, servicing and other areas where a relationship is crucial to on-going success.  At a senior level, it includes C-level relationships with senior management such as CEO [Chief Executive Officer], CIO [Chief Information Officer], and CFO [Chief Financial Officer].
• Self-Mastery: Takes accountability for driving own growth through developing self-awareness, reflecting, seeking feedback and self-correcting.
• Situational Leadership: The ability to effectively deal with a variety of situations and circumstances that arise unexpectedly and requiring management action.
• Verbal Communications: Any exchange of words, either written or spoken, used to transmit information.
• Written Communications: Sending of messages, orders or instructions in writing through letters, circulars, manuals, reports, telegrams, office memos, bulletins, etc. It is a formal method of communication and is less flexible.