UD Trucks Southern Africa

Janet Frost

What is your current role and responsibility at UD Trucks Southern Africa?

I am in charge of all aspects of human resources in South Africa. This includes both the department that reports to me for recruitment and our payroll department. I have committed coworkers who manage the payroll and the job board. We have a specific skill set, and we seek for employment with regard to equity because it is a major pillar in South Africa. The security of our personnel as well as their health and safety also fall within my purview as HR director. So, I currently manage a sizable portfolio in South Africa.

What are some of the challenges that you encounter when attempting to implement diversity and inclusion values inside your company?

I believe that when it comes to diversity in South Africa as well, race will always be a problem. The fact that there are so many different cultures present here which includes wide variety of races, gender, religion, and all of that. People occasionally fail to recognize how important it is to emphasize diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, you learn that there isn't always help from a budgetary perspective. Particularly if some of these ideas you wish to execute have some financial implications, you need to justify spending to them and demonstrate the return on investment. At UD Trucks, we strongly support Gender equity. As we accept equity, we also embrace our diversity and inclusion which is our end goal. Thus, this is the procedure that we would like to promote among businesses in South Africa.

Are there any recent projects you've worked on, and what are some of the process components you used to ensure the project's success?

We conduct a comprehensive diversity and exclusivity week every year in the month of May because we are a part of a global UD tracks. In addition to concentrating on it throughout the year, we spent a lot of time during that week discussing issues such as gender equality, racial diversity, and language barriers. A different country will then explain what they are doing and how they are embracing diversity in all of this during that week which we will all get together and share on a certain day or every day of the week. Also, we emphasize embracing equity, and this year's subject coincides with International Women's Day by using the hashtag equity.

We involve our top management team and managers to go and speak at one of these gatherings or sessions and offer their thoughts on inclusion and diversity inside the organization.

What would be your single piece of advice to your fellow peers?

For us, the goal and the decision-making process improvement is the responsibility of HR leaders. And to address workplace bias, we need to find creative solutions. We must encourage inclusive workplaces that give every employee a chance. No matter how distinct the culture, we must foster an environment where people feel secure enough to contribute. I believe that by doing this, we will undoubtedly boost productivity, increase inclusion, and have a much more motivated team.