Company Announcement - Women’s Day means different things to different people, and for many hardworking South African career women, the 9th of August – and for that matter the entire ‘womens’ month’ - is just ‘business as usual’.  Instead of focusing on a women’s month per se, there should be a reassessment of the overall change in the position of women within the South African workplace since 1956. During the intervening six and a half decades, women have taken on careers and juggled their corporate and family responsibilities, often facing inequality and discrimination in the workplace at the same time. This is not unique to South Africa, and is under scrutiny across the globe in the public and private sectors. While many organisations have a long way to go in recognising and rewarding women fairly in the workplace, Air Products South Africa is at the forefront of the industrial gas sector in this regard.  This is the view of Nalanie Naidu, Human Resources General Manager at Air Products South Africa.

Naidu, who joined the Executive team of Air Products SA towards the end of 2013, does not regard the industrial gas sector as a ‘man’s world’; but rather as a dynamic environment where there is scope for growth and development for any individual with the will to succeed. “At Air Products South Africa, this recognition is achieved through various techniques, but first and foremost amongst these is an equal rate of pay for the job, and the fair and equal positioning of women within the organisation,” Naidu comments. 

The will to succeed
“My experience of the gas industry is that we have a large group of highly intelligent and loyal people, who are secure in who they are and their capabilities. We see each other as colleagues who work in partnership. While I believe that women do bring certain qualities into the work environment, it really is about the knowledge you bring to your job and how professional you are in performing your role,” she says. Naidu, who has a legal background and extensive experience in all aspects of HR developed through a career spent in a cross-section of industries, believes that - in many cases - women place limitations on themselves.  Although the industrial and engineering sector is dominated by men, she does not consider it a ‘man’s world. On the contrary, she feels strongly that women in the industrial sector – and the business environment in general - often unwittingly hold themselves back.

Counteracting self-imposed limitations
“Women need to recognise these self-imposed limitations, because stereotyping can derail   their careers.  With current legislation and changes in organisational mind sets, gender diversity has been embraced in the industrial gas sector, amongst many others. It is your own conviction, and the decisions you make about where you are headed in life,” she asserts. Naidu is excited about the challenges ahead in her role as HR General Manager at Air Products South Africa, and feels empowered to make positive changes. It is all about adopting a management and leadership style which is inspiring and enabling, she says. She feels fortunate to be partnering with Air Products’ executive management team, which she calls ‘visionary’.

Empowered to grow
“In my career, I have experienced both ends of the spectrum: where I have been actively held back; and where I have been empowered and encouraged to grow. As a manager I feel strongly about coaching people in the right direction, and giving leaders the right tools to become more effective in their jobs. “However, not everyone is suited for a managerial or leadership role. It is important to assess people’s characters combined with their natural behavioural profiles and encourage them to move into areas of the business according to their strengths and personal capabilities,” she says.

Nurturing young talent
Creating competency and continuity in the workplace means sourcing young talent, she says, and – in line with their stated intention of developing the country’s youth - Air Products South Africa invests in promising graduates whom they identify and nurture.  For people already within the company, she believes in creating further opportunities for effective skills transfer and personal development. “For me, HR is about developing people, productively managing change and building relationships,” she says.  Therefore, Naidu is actively focusing on a more people-centric approach, with leadership development, training, coaching, retention techniques and empowerment as the main aim. “Good leaders have to be identified through the accurate assessment of their behavioural competencies. I believe that one’s character plays a pivotal role in this process. Emotional intelligence (EQ), results orientation, communication skills and empathy are also important aspects thereof.  Not everyone has the propensity for people management.”

Organisational success equals strong partnerships
Success in an organisation hinges on strong partnerships, Naidu asserts. “I do not believe we should work in silos, nor allow artificial divisions such as gender to become obstacles to positive organisational growth and development. We need each other’s skills in order to meet organisational goals. Synergies and linkages create strength and a healthy inter-dependency which is a way to create a winning environment. Regardless of one’s level in the company, or one’s gender or any other characteristic, by building relationships and partnering with each other, we are creating a better platform for every individual to help achieve the company’s goals.  This is based on the simple tenet of respect.” Being innovative is crucial to HR, she adds, which means implementing changes to existing practices which may not have  taken into account the diversity of an organisation, and managing that change appropriately.  Air Products, for Naidu, embraces an innovative mind set, and she feels empowered to create positive changes in range of activities to harness the ‘best place to work for the best people”.

Employer of choice
“Air Products is fast becoming an employer of choice, because we really do and strike hard to look after our people. With a more formalised methodology of retention, my aim is to strengthen that approach, but also to create more merit-based differentiation, recognising and rewarding the high performers. Bear in mind that performance is not the ultimate measure, and that the end does not in fact justify the means.  Values-driven performance is our differentiator.” Implementing change is not always an easy process, she notes.  Driving objective measures to identify potential, creating more exciting ways of learning and introducing tools which simplify day to day activities are all quick wins for the company.  Naidu knows that one has to be ‘made of metal’ in order to manage these changes. However, keeping a focus on revenue growth and sustainability of the company takes precedence in the planning of HR investments. 

Benefitting the broader community
“Training and development should not be confined to an organisation, but should extend to the broader community, which is why we focus our CSI on education and the needs of children who reside in close proximity to where we operate.  Again, it is about partnerships.  We also believe it is important to partner with the public sector and other key stakeholders, to ensure that we are joint custodians of our children’s futures and that of South Africa as a whole.” We aim to ensure that our investments are sustainable in that they live beyond the financial contribution we make.  We take this quite seriously as our children are under threat in more ways than their physical safety.  Our children are the future of this country, so ensuring that they are educated, nourished and safe forms a part of our CSI agenda. In the meantime, Naidu is enjoying the opportunity of learning more about the industrial gas sector, and her role in it. “This is a learning environment which has helped me grow more confident in the industry giving me a sense of comfort to be seen as a valuable contributor to the company. Arming yourself with industry knowledge is an important strategy not only to be current, but to thrive in this environment. “It is not difficult to be a woman in the industrial gas industry, as long as you are prepared to partner with your colleagues, know where you are going and remain determined and focused about getting there,” she concludes.