Amid varying macroeconomic challenges affecting employees in the mining sector, greater emphasis should be placed on incentivising good safety behaviour at mining facilities in South Africa, suggests physical and digital prepaid card solution provider adumo Payouts.

The company explains that payment incentives to award good safety behaviour are a key tool in shifting cultural perceptions and attitudes around workplace safety, as opposed to the sole reliance on penalising employees for safety protocol infringements.

However, such an incentive mechanism should also not be approached or interpreted as a “tick box” exercise, notes adumo Payouts CEO Steve Mallaby.

“In some cases, we see a few companies arguing that they are already paying their employees and asking why they would need to pay them again to do their job. To me, that is a very outdated way of thinking, very transactional, as opposed to implementing an incentive and taking responsibility for ensuring that the incentive lands in the hands of their employees. By doing that, a business is actually showing that they care,” he explains.

Incentivising safety protocol adherence to meet safety milestones should help employees stay focused and motivated, thereby shifting their behaviour, leading to an improvement in workplace morale, improved job satisfaction and an overall safer working environment.

This endeavour aids mining companies, especially in their ability to reduce the number of safety incidents and fatalities, thereby also promoting efficiency in production timeframes and ensuring sustained profitability for any mining company.

An indirect consequence of implementing an incentive-based safety environment will be reflected in the positive perception of such a programme in the surrounding mining communities.

Employee Financial Security

adumo Payouts’ efforts are also directed at ensuring that any payout mechanism increases the financial wellbeing of employees, enabling them to participate more in the economy and in their communities after targets have been reached and safety protocols strictly adhered to.

However, it is important that any safety incentive payout is performed through a certified third party, such as adumo Payouts, thereby disassociating such payouts from an employee’s salary, giving them transparent visibility and access to such funds.

“We make sure that the employee incentives on this mechanism are free from debit orders, free from garnishees . . . suddenly it gives them the capability to start thinking about saving money and [the ability to] reduce their debt levels,” he says.

Meanwhile, adumo Payouts recently became part of financial technology company Lesaka Technologies, with plans to provide additional forms of employee benefits to mineworkers, as well as to make improvements to the benefits already in place.

In accounting for the greater inclusion of women employees in mining, Mallaby highlights the significance of ensuring that adumo Payouts’ payout mechanism fosters a strong sense of empowerment and independence among women mineworkers.

He adds that the payout mechanism is well placed to assist families who have been severely affected by workplace incidents and fatalities.

The company was also involved in the ‘Leading with Care’ initiative introduced by South African iron-ore miner Kumba Iron Ore, at its Kolomela mine, in the Northern Cape.

The project involved the integration of adumo Payouts’ card-based incentive solution into Kolomela’s in-house app, through which the mine uses a voucher system to recognise and reward their employees for meeting safety and production targets.