Stakeholder relations
Building and maintaining strong and trusted relationships with all our stakeholders are essential to our aim of sustainable value creation over the short,
medium and long term. This is mainly due to the fact that the impact of our operations extends beyond our commercial partners and customers.
Our approach to stakeholder relations is based on regular, proactive and meaningful engagement to identify key concerns, interest and expectations and
to ensure that these are addressed in a collaborative manner.
We depend on strong relationships with all our stakeholders to grow our business and provide value to individuals, families, businesses, and society.
Principles that underpin our stakeholder relations:
- Collaboration and regular interaction with all key stakeholder groups are essential to Blue Label’s long-term resilience;
- Successful stakeholder engagement requires far more than merely communicating “to” various stakeholder groups. Two-way dialogue is imperative, especially since
Blue Label considers its various stakeholders as key partners in its endeavours;
- Our processes are designed to be both proactive in terms of engagement and responsive to any attempt by stakeholders to engage with us; and
- As Blue Label expands, stakeholder identification and prioritisation are an ongoing process.
OUR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS
Blue Label’s Stakeholder Engagement Policy, a requirement of King IV, outlines our approach to communicating and engaging with our stakeholders.
While the Blue Label Board is ultimately responsible for stakeholder engagement, the process of engaging with stakeholders is decentralised.
Every Blue Label company and business area engage directly with their different stakeholders and they report regularly to the executive management and the Board
on these engagements. This ensures that Blue Label’s various business units take responsibility for maintaining impactful relationships that deliver mutual benefits.
In identifying and prioritising stakeholders, the Board considers the following criteria:
- Groups, communities, organisations or sectors that interact with Blue Label or are directly or indirectly affected by Blue Label’s activities; and
- Groups, organisations or sectors whose attitudes, decisions, policy positions or responses have a positive or negative impact on our ability to operate.
Managing stakeholder risks and opportunities is performed by completion of a risk assessment as part of the overall Enterprise-Wide Risk Management (ERM)
process. This enables management to deal effectively with issues and opportunities that arise while strengthening our stakeholder engagement.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT MATRIX
Employees
Our greatest competitive advantage and key drivers of our strategy through their collective skills, experiences and ideas, ensuring that our objectives are
reached
- Providing strategic direction
- Updates on Blue Label’s activities
- Remaining an employer of choice that provides a safe, positive and inspiring working environment
- Understanding and responding to the needs and concerns of our employees
- A pleasant, safe and productive working environment supported by flexible work practices
- Regular updates on the performance of the business
- Career development and advancement opportunities
- Effective performance management and recognition
- Mental health and well-being
- A combination of face-to face, written, digital and broadcast communications
- Regular, direct communication between managers, teams and individuals
- E-mails and intranet communications
- Employee functions
- Leadership engagement sessions
- Targeted training workshops to address and improve particular skills
Strategic outcomes and responses
More focused, energised and dedicated teams and workstreams
The office as the preferred place to be productive, reactive, innovative and to encourage team spirit and collaboration
Increased investment in staff development and training with more and more staff taking up these opportunities
Workforce that understands the challenges we operate in, the opportunities it offers and how they can contribute to ensuring a growing and resilient business
For more information visit our human capital.
Customers and consumers
They buy our products, procure our services and in doing so, provide the primary source of our revenue, give us a reason to exist
- Improved understanding of them, their aspirations, businesses and communication needs
- Providing appropriate products and value-adding services
- Ensuring that we maintain the high service levels they expect and deserve
- Informing them of product development and prioritisation
- Developing products that service our customers’ evolving technology needs
- Access to world-class innovative and flexible solutions and services
- Access to mobile transactional services that are secure, simple, convenient and efficient
- A fully functioning remote Customer Interaction Centre to deal with any and all problems faced by customers
- Face-to-face formal and online meetings
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Social media interaction
- Blue Label has a customer relationship management system, self-help facilities, and dedicated sales and technical consultants to enhance its customer engagement
service
Strategic outcomes and responses
Blue Label has managed to increase gross revenue and gross profit
We maintained open lines of communication to address any concerns
Strong growth in products launched
Investors
Providers of capital needed for long-term growth, expecting returns based on sustainable and sound business practices while allowing us to contribute positively
to our customers and the communities in which we operate
- Providing current and future shareholders with relevant and timeous information, ensuring Blue Label shares are appropriately valued
- Managing shareholder expectations and reputational risk
- Maintaining strong relationships and keeping abreast of market developments
- Ensuring good governance
- Obtaining feedback that informs our strategy, business operations and how we govern our business
- Regular feedback and timeous information on our prospects and financial and non-financial performance
- Sustainable growth through consistency in execution of strategy
- Improved understanding of our financial performance
- Insight into our strategy, operations and management
- Transparent reporting and disclosures
- Sound ESG practices
- Various broker-hosted investor events
- Conference calls
- Annual and interim results announcements and roadshows
- Annual General Meeting
- Integrated annual report
- Meetings with executive and senior management
- SENS announcements
- Website
- E-mail queries
Strategic outcomes and responses
Improved understanding of our decision-making processes and appreciation for the decisions and explanations about it
Strong capital and liquidity levels to support a solid balance sheet
Consistent and constant two-way communication between Blue Label and investors, analysts and portfolio managers
Increased direct access to executive management to explain decisions, approaches and business strategy
Regulators
Meeting all statutory, legal and regulatory obligations to ensure continued operations and improve social acceptance of our products and services in a way that builds
trust with our customers and suppliers
- Maintaining open, honest and transparent relationships and ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements
- Retaining our various operating licences and minimising operational risk
- An organisation that is compliant with all applicable laws and regulations as well as societal expectations
- Maintaining a transparent and constructive relationship with regulators and policymakers
- Regular information about the soundness and stability of Blue Label
- Participation in various industry and regulatory forums
- Meetings between regulators and management
- One-on-one discussions with various executive officials
Strategic outcomes and responses
Compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements
Good relationships with all relevant regulators and cooperation on matters of mutual concern
Direct access to most senior executives to ensure speedy resolution of potential problems
An ethical work environment and corporate culture
Government
Policy, regulation, decisions and expectations that impact directly on our business activities, products and strategy and we constantly explore opportunities
to partner in order to influence and make a positive contribution in line with government’s goals
- Cementing our social licence to operate
- Building and strengthening relationships with government, both as a partner in the development of the country and as a customer
- Providing input into legislative development processes that will affect the economy, our activities and operations
- Participating visibly in, and being a partner to, the transformation of South Africa and the telecommunications sector
- Partnering in increasing economic growth and the reduction of inequality and unemployment
- Information about Blue Label as a business and ways in which we can be of assistance to individuals and the economy of South Africa
- The tracing and recovery of lost or stolen electricity revenue
- Contribution to governmental development plans and national priorities
- Job creation
- Participation on various platforms with government
- Ad hoc engagements with national and provincial departments
- Partnering with different levels of government and government agencies in achieving common objectives
- Implementation of a learnership programme
Strategic outcomes and responses
Working with authorities to explore ways to trace and recover lost or stolen electricity revenue
Partnering with government on projects to alleviate youth unemployment and increase skills development and training
Alignment between organisational and national plans for projects and initiatives that serve both interests
Media
Managing our brand and reputation through regular engagement and increasing awareness around our products and services
- Leveraging the reach and influence of media channels
- Sharing our business and investment story with stakeholders through the media
- Communicating with relevant stakeholders and the broader public to ensure positive influence on behaviour that will lead to desired business results
- Protecting and managing our reputation
- Information about key developments in the telecommunications sector, and Blue Label specifically
- Information about Blue Label’s contribution to the South African economy and our products and services
- Information that empowers their audiences to make informed financial decisions
- Proactive, scheduled engagements
- Ad hoc meetings with executive and senior management
- Launches of Blue Label products and services
- Interviews with key business media on relevant financial reporting dates
- Daily telephone and e-mail responses to media enquiries
Strategic outcomes and responses
Proactive engagement on developments within the organisation and factors that impact on our operations
Regular engagement with editors of agencies that cover our operations and activities
Increased understanding among journalists and editors about what we do and who we are
Improved use of social media to communicate various decisions, products and services
Business partners, merchants and suppliers
Custodians of our reputation and a critical link between our customers and us, playing a vital role in attracting new business and in retaining existing customers
- Obtaining products or services required for conducting our business
- Maintaining an ideal and timeous supply of goods and services for our operations
- Encouraging responsible practices across our supply chain, including BBBEE, local procurement, supplier conduct, and environmental considerations
- Including critical suppliers in cross-functional teams to contribute expertise and advice before specifications are developed for products or services
- Guidance and methodology for continuing business during any disruption
- Information about changes to the BBBEE Codes of Good Practice, and to trading arrangements in terms of our procurement systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP)
- To be associated with brands that deliver on their promise
- Supplier education workshops, indabas, and trade fairs
- One-on-one negotiations and meetings
Strategic outcomes and responses
The uninterrupted provision of our core products of airtime, data, electricity, and financial services during any disruption, disaster, social unrest or pandemic
Win-win strategic partnerships with those who enable us to deliver our products and broaden our reach
Successful execution of service level agreements
Simplified tools and processes to address any problems that they might encounter in delivering on our purpose
Society
Going beyond our operations, we focus on contributing to socio‑economic development that is impactful and sustainable to uplift communities
- Ensure that we meet and exceed the expectations society have of us as a responsible corporate citizen
- As part of our value proposition, we align ourselves with projects and causes that are close to the hearts and minds of our investors and employees
- Participate and play an active role in contributing to economically active and engaged communities
- Providing products, services and solutions with positive social impact
- Support and assistance to affected communities during crises
- Skills development and employment opportunities
- Responsible and ethical business practices
- Sustainable community development and local economic development
- Leadership in entrepreneurship through digital innovation to ensure financial inclusion
- Climate change and transparency in environmental disclosures
- Partnering with NGOs and community organisations to address areas of common concern
- Direct engagements with community builders on most appropriate interventions
- Community projects and campaigns
- Thought leadership
- Annual reports
- Trust BluFoundation
- Employee volunteerism and donation drives
Strategic outcomes and responses
Opportunity to actively work with communities during natural disasters, pandemics and other crises
Providing an opportunity to employees to be part of the solution through active participation and providing an opportunity for activism and volunteerism
Greater support and involvement in ensuring government policies to stimulate inclusive growth are achieved
Clear and strategic implementation of local economic development, community development and SED programmes