THE RESEARCH

2012/13
Basil Read Ltd Basil Read Campus, 7 Romeo Street, Boksburg Tel: +27 (11) 418 6300 Website: www.basilread.co.za

Facts and figures:

Total staff employed (full-time): Annual turnover in Rands: Ownership: Industry sector: Geographic footprint: Core services/products offered: B-BBEE scorecard rating: 1 532 R6.2 billion for 2011 (RSA only) Public and non-public Construction South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Australia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Zambia and DRC Construction, Mining, Engineering Level 3

Outstanding for:
Significant investment in training Support for the attainment of further qualifications Competitive market-related salaries and benefits Talent audit process that identifies and grows a strong people pipeline and measures our people benchstrength

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THE INTERVIEW

BASiL ReAd

Backed by six decades of construction expertise, Basil Read has become synonymous with excellence in the spheres of construction, engineering, mining and property development. Today the company stands out as a proud symbol of quality, service excellence and professional integrity both in South Africa and beyond its borders. As an organisation that has managed to remain ahead of the curve, cementing its legacy, Basil Read is proud of what it is able to offer its stakeholders.

A force in the industry

Founded in 1952, Basil Read has grown steadily to become one of South Africas most prominent construction companies. Group CEO, Marius Heyns has seen the organisation realise a number of goals, including the rare distinction of becoming the first black-empowered construction company in South Africa as well as a R6.2 billion turnover in 2011. Basil Reads longterm partnership with global construction group, Bouygues Travaux Publics SA, gives the company a competitive edge. The organisations list of subsidiaries includes Newport Construction, SprayPave, Blasting and Excavating (B&E), BR-Tsima Construction (Pty) Ltd, Codevco, Roadcrete, TWP and TPS.P, as well as BR Matomo and the Gerolemou Construction/Mvela Phanda Construction Group. The company has various departments which have been allocated the responsi bility of providing support to its Construction, Engineering, Mining and Development divisions throughout South Africa. Basil Read is the first construction company in South Africa to achieve certification for its activities throughout all of its operating divisions. As a result all of the organisations employees set high standards for themselves within their respective areas of expertise. In fact, high-quality performance is the only standard.

Quality construction
When it comes to construction, Basil Read is a leader in

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Marius Heyns, Group CeO

erica Grace, executive director of HR

innovation. The companys ability to consistently produce quality design alternatives through new and clever construction techniques provides the organisation with its competitive edge. Basil Reads safety procedures and environmental practice are always of the highest standard. The companys innovative designs and ethical code of practice come together in its Green Project initiatives. The purpose of these projects is to develop energy-efficient methods which can be used in all Basil Read constructions. This is achieved by maximising the use of natural resources and therefore minimising pollution. Living conditions are improved with the implementation of creativity and innovative designs. The group has a three-tiered business strategy: international expansion, public-private partnerships and larger, more technically challenging projects. With such growth and diversification comes the need to develop and grow our skills base, reports Group CEO Marius Heyns. As an organisation, Basil Read focuses on client relations, which is why every project receives the utmost attention to detail. Consistent delivery is achieved through integrity, hard work and commitment. The company has a number of outstanding features which contribute towards its success: design flexibility, cost-effective and

innovative solutions, uncompromising safety standards and, most importantly, the ability to deliver on technically challenging projects within the allocated time and budget. The values of the company are evident in the way its staff conduct themselves. According to Erica Grace, Executive Director of HR, People are proud to work for Basil Read and you can see this on any of our sites which are renowned for their neatness, cleanliness and organisation. Project managers run very tight ships and they expect absolute delivery and total commitment.

Centres of excellence
The Basil Read centres of excellence (remuneration and reward, talent, development, E-serve (houses all transactional services), employee relations and operations), focus on remuneration and reward, ensuring competitive remuneration practices across the Group, consistency of agreements and employment practices, as well as talent management and development. The annual talent audit provides insight into the depth and spread of skills across the organisation and ensures a strong succession pipeline. An online Performance Recognition System was designed in 2011 and is currently being rolled out across the business, with assessments having commenced in 2012. The Performance Recognition System focuses on Group, Divisional and individual deliverables

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and is aimed at driving business success, as well as complimenting and supporting the talent audit process. Tasked with developing best-in-class processes, staying up to date with new trends, analysing data, understanding trends and developing responses to new directions that the company chooses to undertake, the centres of excellence allow the company to better understand, manage and enhance its people capability. With its significant diversity of business and technical disciplines, Basil Read is able to offer its staff a career rather than just a job, and the companys focus has therefore been on building career maps which allow employees to better manage their careers. Adjacent to the Basil Read Campus, the companys new multi-function training centre will offer real-time training on site level (both virtually and through e-learning).

Benefits and Salaries

Employees at Basil Read receive competitive remuneration packages as well as impressive performance-based bonuses. We track and benchmark our salaries with the aim of ranking in the top percentile of remunerators through both fixed and variable pay, says Grace. E-serve is an employee and manager self-service system that the company has introduced with the intention of making a whole range of functions easier and more accessible. The E-serve team manages the entire system interface which not only looks after the transactional aspects of HR but also the e-learning and in particular the safety training and company induction which is important in our business as not every person who joins comes through to HO and all employees must be inducted. Employees now have the benefit of easier access to pay slips, leave applications, and necessary updates of their personal details, as well as an online performance management system.

BASiL ReAd

Time flies when youre having fun

I joined Basil Read in August 2010, with a background in Manufacturing and Engineering. The construction world is constantly changing and this keeps you on your toes. It allows for creative thinking, and because it is not as structured as other industries, there is an increased sense of both pressure and purpose as you are able to see the immediate results of the changes you implement, more so than in a structured environment such as I have been previously exposed to. It is true what they say that time flies when youre having fun, and this has been my experience working at Basil Read. daphne Nyati is an HRBP and holds a National diploma in HR and a GiBS Md.

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