Caring for the Bidvest 'family'

and driving positive change through partnerships and social dialogue

In line with SDGs aimed at good health and wellbeing and gender equality, the Group is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace with equal opportunities conducive to learning and personal development. The social element of ESG is of particular importance to Bidvest as it is one of the largest private sector employers and touches multiple sectors and communities. Furthermore, through its operations, the Group continues to promote and offer out-of-home hygiene services and integrated facilities management services in order to support safe and healthy occupational environments.

The Group is proud to be a deep-rooted corporate citizen in SA, as it is highly engaged in community development activities, with a particular focus on enhancing education, health, economic advancement and diversity. Investing in communities and human capital and supporting local suppliers, affords us the opportunity to operate, do business in and draw skills from the communities in which we operate. The Group’s operations are focused on gender diversity with considerable initiatives directed towards individual development.

		Topic	Our aim	We will	Measurement	FY2019 base	FY2025 target	FY2022 actual	%ch 19
Social	S1	Diversity	To be an inclusive employer where everyone is treated equally with females at all levels making up 45% and African people 50% in SA operations by 2025	We will actively manage appointments at top, senior and middle-management to achieve race and gender diversity	Total employees:
					Female	45%	45%	43%
					African		50%
					Gender and race split at top, senior and middle-management; % appointments:
					Female	36%	45%	37%
					Appointments – female			29%
					African	34%	50%	35%
					Appointments – African			11%
	S2	Occupational hygiene and safety	Provide safe working environment by reducing workplace injuries by 5% per annum	Reduce workplace injuries, both serious and nonserious	LTIFR (major injuries)	1.92	5% annual reduction	2.68	139%
					Fatalities	4		11
				Implement learnings from particular incidents and regular training	# of employees trained on Health and Safety			90 181
	S3	Wellbeing	Protect and enhance livelihoods and wellbeing of our employees	Support employees through enterprise wide employee wellness programme and initiatives	# employees that participated 79			79 993
				Continuously develop the skills of our employees and in industries in which we operate	# learnerships, internships and apprenticeships			5 596 participants; 406 absorbed
	S4	Labour practices and human rights in our own operations and supply chain	To protect and advance livelihoods	Protect and treat our own people fairly	# lost CCMA cases			77
				Engage with tier 1 suppliers to ensure that they have adopted the commitments described in our Code of Ethical Purchasing (industry standard or equivalent labour assessment)	% offshore suppliers being compliant as measured by self disclosure		100%	66%
	S5	Supply chain transformation	To support local businesses in their growth aspirations	Source locally from B-BBEE compliant suppliers. Goal is >90% sourcing from local suppliers with a Level 4, or better rating, by 2025	% local procurement from compliant suppliers	50%	>90%	74%	47%

Transformation, diversity and employment equity

Our people form the backbone of Bidvest. The diversity of people’s background, age, race, gender, religion, skills and experience undoubtedly contributes to a Bidvest that is relevant, innovative and future-fit. Our focus remains on advancing inclusion, diversity and equality.

Management control

Diversity of our leadership team and employee base remains key and fundamental to our long-term success and sustainability. In SA the focus is on race and gender diversity whilst in the UK and Ireland gender diversity is key to addressing the low levels of females in the workplace, especially in leadership roles.

In SA, at middle, senior and top management levels 18%, 21% and 38% are African, respectively. Women represent 29%, 36% and 38%, respectively, at the three management levels. The increase in the representation of African people and females across all three levels of management is very pleasing. The focus on increasing the number of African females followed by African males in management positions is yielding results.

SA management demographics by race and gender (top, senior and middle management)

Level	AM	AF	CM	CF	IM	IF	Total	WM	WF	Total
EAP %1	43.6%	35.8%	5.0%	4.1%	1.8%	0.9%	91.2%	4.9%	3.9%	8.8%
Top
June 22	8.4%	9.6%	2.0%	3.2%	12.0%	4.0%	39.2%	48.4%	12.4%	60.8%
June 21	5.8%	5.2%	5.9%	4.9%	10.1%	9.7%	41.6%	45.1%	13.3%	58.4%
June 20	5.1%	6.6%	3.0%	4.5%	11.1%	6.3%	36.6%	53.9%	9.6%	63.5%
Senior
June 22	10.3%	10.4%	4.4%	2.9%	14.0%	4.7%	46.9%	35.5%	17.6%	53.1%
June 21	9.3%	6.3%	8.3%	3.0%	13.4%	5.1%	45.4%	38.4%	16.2%	54.6%
June 20	9.3%	6.9%	6.8%	2.9%	11.3%	5.4%	42.6%	38.9%	18.5%	57.4%
Middle
June 22	25.6%	12.7%	6.9%	4.0%	8.0%	5.0%	62.3%	21.6%	16.1%	37.7%
June 21	24.2%	11.7%	6.6%	4.2%	8.0%	4.7%	59.4%	23.6%	17.0%	40.6%
June 20	24.6%	10.3%	6.8%	4.4%	8.3%	4.3%	58.7%	25.8%	15.4%	41.2%

1	Economically active occupation.

The overall appointment of Black people across all three levels is 82% of the total appointments made over the year. Black appointments in Financial Services, Freight, Services International and Services South Africa have all exceeded 80%.

We recognize that not only is the appointment but also the retention of black women in leadership very important. This year the Group partnered with the Black Management Forum and rolled out the Women’s Empowerment Desk. The programme focuses on the ongoing development and progression of women in leadership. It will provide opportunities, platforms, and networks for our own executives to access and participate in. Both Noonan and PHS have also established and introduced platforms and programmes that will develop and empower women in the business and ensure the retention of women across different levels of leadership.

In Noonan, 34% of the top and senior management team are female whilst in PHS 29% of the team are female. Both businesses have specific targets and initiatives to close the gender gaps and are tracking well against same.

SA management appointments (FY2022)

Level	Total Appointments	African male	African male	Coloured male	Coloured female	Indian male	Indian female	Total	White male	White female
Top	21	8	9	0	1	2	0	20	1	0
Senior	105	22	34	7	3	14	4	84	17	4
Middle	941	448	157	51	24	60	32	772	121	48
Total	1067	478	200	58	28	76	36	876	139	52
% of total appointments		45%	19%	5%	3%	7%	3%	82%	13%	5%
EAP Target %		43.6%	35.8%	5.0%	4.1%	1.8%	0.9%	91.2%	4.9%	3.9%

Health, safety and wellness

This past year has once again highlighted the value and resilience of our people. Despite a grave start to the year with the KwaZulu-Natal riots followed by the floods, the Bidvest family continued to create value for all stakeholders.

The pandemic and resultant protocols remained part of our lives for most of the financial year. As at 30 June 2022, 83% of employees are fully vaccinated, with 82% across our SA employee base which is much higher than the 32% for the population as a whole.

The employee wellness programme that was rolled out in July 2020 has gained momentum and we are seeing an increase in utilisation. Employees and their families are using the services offered by the programme and the divisional chief executives continue to monitor reports for any prevalent issues that may need attention. The top issues dealt with via the programme are relationship issues, mental health issues and stress related cases.

The total engagement rate was up to 2 354, comprising 1 650 individual cases and 704 group intervention participants. This engagement rate is almost double the previous year.

An Executive Care Programme through ICAS also ensures and encourages executives to become more vigilant about undergoing their annual medicals and to become more conscious of the importance of health and lifestyle in general.

LTIFR and fatalities

The Group’s aim is to provide a safe and healthy workplace. At an aggregated level, the loss time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) deteriorated to 2.72. Automotive, Services International, Services South Africa and Freight divisions reported improved LTIFR. Financial Services had zero major injuries. The major injuries reported in the Branded Products and Commercial Products divisions mainly related to slip/ trip injuries, vehicle accidents and injuries sustained while operating machinery.

Group projects

Umthombo Tertiary Bursaries

The foundation supports students from rural areas who are studying toward a medical qualification specializing in, among other, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and speech therapy. Bidvest is currently funding 10 students and have committed to taking on an additional five students in the new financial year. The objective of the programme is to provide the necessary support to students during their tertiary education years with the aim to return to the communities from which they come and where there is a shortage of skills in this field. These students are predominantly from rural areas across the country.

WOZA Matrics Bursary Programme

The programme, borne out of the COVID-19 period, supports 15 students with fully paid bursaries as well as the ancillary costs associated with university education. The students are performing well and have excelled with five achieving distinctions in their first year. The students have chosen various fields of study, including among other Economics and Statistics, Engineering, Medicine, Accounting, Maths and Science, Governance and Political Transformation.

Bidvest/SAICA Internship Programme

This programme, initiated in March 2022, will be rolled out formally in the new financial year. Bidvest has partnered with the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) on this initiative and will deploy 12 interns across the Group where they will gain work and practical experience in the workplace. The programme runs over 12 months and is aligned to a structured programme jointly designed by both the business and SAICA.

Bidvest ALICE Technology Internship Programme

This programme was initially launched in partnership with Microsoft and subsequently continued with BDO. The second phase of the programme is currently underway. Permanent employment was secured by the majority of the students who were on this internship programme. The ALICE team absorbed three interns into their business, eight interns enrolled on a six-month contract with Bidvest Bank and six have been offered permanent positions at the end of the contract. Ten interns were taken on by the Microsoft App Factory program, one intern was offered a permanent position at an auditing firm and two interns took up permanent employment with other companies outside of Bidvest. This programme has benefited our businesses well especially with the shortage and loss of skills in this sector.

Bidvest and Black Management Forum (BMF)

Women’s Empowerment Desk

During the year we partnered with BMF in a sponsorship agreement for three years to support and roll-out the newly established Women’s Empowerment Desk. The objective of this programme is to provide its female members with a platform to build a community of informed and empowered leaders and to make a meaningful contribution in transforming corporate SA.

In addition, Bidvest gains access to the BMF’s database of female members from which to source and access talent.

Bidvest Education Trust

The Bidvest Education Trust (BET) was established in 2003. It is aimed at children of Bidvest employees that fall within a certain income bracket. The scope was expanded in 2019 to also include tertiary bursaries. Whilst the programme has run very successfully for many years, we have slightly adapted the rules of the Trust to be more inclusive and to serve as educational assistance for employees.

715 beneficiaries from the bursary programme across the various grades and 4 tertiary education students

In 2019 we extended the Trust to incorporate the funding of bursaries for top performing students. This year, we opened this category to all students who qualify for university or similar entrance. We currently have 41 students in matric and are hopeful that at least half of them meet university/similar entrance requirements.

The plan is to also increase and expand the support given to children on the programme in an effort to assist them in improving their academic results. The approach is holistic and covers all aspects related to and impacting the child’s academic performance. The need to work more closely and inclusively with the parents has become very evident.

Procuring local

The Group is increasing its support of local businesses in their growth aspirations. Excellent progress was made in directing spend to black-owned suppliers, across all categories.

74% of Bidvest’s local procurement spend was with suppliers holding a B-BBEE Level 4 and better rating

Focus during the year was on engaging with non-compliant suppliers to assess their plans to achieve acceptable levels of compliance. Alternative suppliers with stronger B-BBEE credential, as far as possible, are sourced if there is no commitment made by current suppliers. Most supplier onboarding processes across our businesses now require suppliers to be BEE compliant before being registered.