Mozal Aluminium is the largest industrial employer in Mozambique, making a significant contribution to the local economy. Integral to its purpose is a commitment to improve people’s lives, a commitment Mozal takes seriously.
The challenge
In line with their value of CARE, the company did not turn a blind eye when the impact of Covid-19 became increasingly visible early in 2021. Team cohesion, employee engagement and employee wellbeing were starting to suffer. Management was concerned that this could, if not addressed, negatively impact the culture that they have been working hard to create for several years.
The Objective
Free To Grow, a specialist in employee wellbeing, growth and engagement, was selected to partner with Mozal in their journey to support their people through this challenging time. With employee wellbeing and employee engagement closely intertwined, the focus would be on retaining and strengthening both.
Feeling the pulse
The journey commenced with a series of focus groups with representatives from all job levels in Mozal to ensure that the voices of all its people would be heard. The information gathered in these sessions enabled Free To Grow to provide the management team of Mozal with a clear picture of the employees’ perceptions of organisational wellbeing, leadership support and the state of the key drivers of engagement. This was used to scope applicable and supporting interventions going forward, to ensure an engaged and committed workforce at Mozal.
Rollout of Staying Strong
All employees were invited to attend phase two, which involbed the rollout of Staying Strong, Free To Grow’s resilience and wellbeing program. The programme ran from September 2021 to June 2022 with 968 employees attending.
The impact
Mozal’s management team is thrilled with the impact, as attested to by HRD Specialist, Milda Mussa:
“Staying Strong has positively influenced employee morale and the feedback has been exceptional. Employees have commented on the meaningfulness and practicality of the content and will definitely be able to use the tools in their personal and professional lives.”
The participants also expressed a sincere appreciation for the opportunity to connect on a deep level with colleagues after being isolated for so long.
This is the evaluation of the programme by participants on a 10 point scale, with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent:
Implemented at a time when strict Covid protocols were in place such as limited participants per session, venues that made provision for social distancing and daily Covid testing, the project posed several logistical challenges.
“The fact that Mozal were prepared to give all their people the opportunity to attend Staying Strong in spite of these challenges demonstrates their commitment to their people’s wellbeing,” says Alinda Nortje, Free To Grow’s CEO.
Competitive advantage for Mozal
Samual Gudo, Vice President Operations, attended the first programme. He believes that this programme came at exactly the right time for Mozal and that both employees and the organisation will be reaping the benefits.
After having completed the programme, Sam commented:
“We are inclined to address people problems with engineering solutions. Staying Strong is a people solution that I believe can create a competitive advantage for Mozal.”