Our staff
We are recognised throughout the industry for the high calibre of our employees
and our standards of nursing. We make Life Healthcare a great company to work for, through:
- an environment in which people are empowered to develop their full potential;
- ongoing investment in staff development;
- fair representation of gender and race; and
- growth opportunities, skills development and career enhancement at all levels.
Different cultures enrich the organisation and diversity in the workforce is celebrated
and encouraged. Our employment practices attract and encourage cultural and personal
diversity regardless of race, gender or religion. We run a national diversity forum
that monitors cultural issues, identifies cultural challenges and encourages understanding
and sensitivity.
Our priority is to focus on the delivery of a unique and special brand of health
and care to patients. In a Life Healthcare facility, supporting doctors, nurses
and administrative staff all strive to optimise and enhance our patients’ experience.
Our investment in development and training is designed to retain and motivate staff
to ever higher standards of health delivery and provision of care.
Human capital
Life Healthcare manages a permanent and sessional staff complement of 13 900 employees
as well as a number of agency staff. In South Africa, the growing shortage of critical
skills, particularly in the healthcare industry, has prioritised the retention and
motivation of employees. We aim to develop highly motivated and productive employees
by nurturing them and monitoring their career paths. They are empowered to reach
their potential as part of the Life Healthcare team. We support employees in their
career aspirations and encourage them to share a common vision and passion for the
company. We are committed to ensuring that the employer/employee relationship is
sustained so that individuals feel that their personal contribution is encouraged,
recognised and rewarded.
Recruitment and retention of skills
Life Healthcare is mindful that the ability to recruit and retain staff of a high
calibre is a critical success factor in our competitive healthcare industry and
is vital to the provision of quality care.
South African healthcare workers are constantly targeted by foreign countries. To
combat this, we have stepped up recruitment of experienced specialist nursing and
pharmaceutical professionals in particular, and have renewed our focus on training
interventions, succession planning, career development, and retention strategies.
We are involved in various recruitment initiatives, supported by South African Nursing
Council (SANC) and other statutory bodies, to increase nursing capacity. In an effort
to promote nursing as an exciting and rewarding career we also hold open days at
our hospitals and target school leavers. We also invest significantly in skills
development and training and continue to implement world class clinical governance
standards in all of our operations.
Employee empowerment
Investment in the professional and personal development of people serves as an effective
retention strategy. It is important to advance social and economic transformation
for the continued performance and success of our group and of South Africa. We promote
a culture of continuous learning throughout the organisation to build our human
capital and maintain a strong complement of well-trained and motivated people. Career
advancement within Life Healthcare is backed by well established and formalised
review processes that identify above average talent and outstanding performance
at various strata of the group.
Work outputs are reviewed on a continuous basis. Appropriate development programmes
with agreed goals aligned to our operational strategy, are formulated for individuals
who show potential. Apart from our ongoing development and training initiatives
for staff at all levels, Life Healthcare provides staff bursaries, as well as bursaries
for employees’ children to study for a tertiary qualification and on merit, managers
are offered education at master’s degree level.
Employee support
Our group has contracted with an external service provider, Employee Wellness Programme(EWP), to provide a support
and information service to which employees and their family members have access.
The programme encourages and assists employees to take responsibility for their
own physical, mental and financial well-being by fostering self-sufficiency and
resilience. Qualified, experienced counsellors provide this service and confidentiality
is assured. Support is offered in the context of workplace productivity and performance,
enhancement, and Employee Wellness Programme(EWP) also offers multilingual advice on legal and financial management,
psychological, family and work issues, stress, trauma and substance abuse.
Employment benefits
Following the listing of Life Healthcare on the JSE, staff benefited from the growth
of the group, through the realisation of the proceeds from an employee trust. Staff
were also given the opportunity to acquire shares in the listed company through
an initial public offering (IPO).
Our infrastructure provides for competitive remuneration and compensation benefits.
Labour relations
Life Healthcare is committed to creating and maintaining sound labour relations.
Formal and informal communication channels are used to shape behaviour and share
information. Our policies and procedures are regularly evaluated to ensure fair
treatment and a safe work environment. Our consultative forums and other channels
provide open communication and constructive dialogue aimed at maintaining good relations
in the workplace.
Meeting the HIV/Aids challenge
HIV and Aids are acknowledged as critical business risks that affect our employees,
impact on our work production and increase costs. Our HIV/Aids policy is based on
a combination of sound business principles as well as the obligations associated
with our social responsibility as an employer. Employees are encouraged through
education and training to know their health status. Our HIV/Aids programme dictates
absolute confidentiality, compassion and fairness, as well as non-discrimination
on the grounds of illness. The focus is on awareness, lifestyle education and the
prevention of infection and re-infection. Voluntary counselling and testing, monitoring,
care and continuous support are offered as well as access to appropriate treatment
for those on medical aid. Every effort is made to accommodate HIV positive employees
in a risk-free work environment. Life Healthcare’s HIV/Aids policy was implemented
in 2003 and all new employees have undergone HIV/Aids awareness training as part
of their induction into the group.