Employees
In our pursuit of zero harm, we prioritise a mature safety culture, support the physical and psychological well-being of our employees, and promote equality, diversity and professional development at every level. We are committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel supported, empowered and able to thrive.
Related sustainability principles
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Optimising socio-economic benefit
Related UN SDGs
The following UN SDGs relate to our employees pillar:
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Refer to our Annual Report and Accounts 2024 for further details on employee engagement, remuneration matters and integration of UN SDGs into business operations.
Snapshot of our performance
Our context
Operating in remote locations presents unique challenges for our occupational health and safety efforts. To cultivate a zero-harm culture, we embed specialist expertise, strategic planning and strong leadership into our health and safety risk management system.
Our appraoch
Our life-saving rules form the foundation of our safety and risk management framework, with strict non-compliance measures to uphold critical safety standards. We are committed to a zero-harm culture, believing every injury is preventable. Safety is championed by every employee and reinforced by leadership. All incidents, including near misses, must be reported and are classified based on their potential impact. Each incident undergoes a thorough investigation to implement effective corrective actions and prevent recurrence.
Our management-specific leading indicator programme enhances risk identification, team engagement and vigilance against industrial blindness. By embedding strong safety leadership behaviours, we have strengthened leadership visibility and raised safety standards across operations.
Our performance
Our context
Gem Diamonds invests significantly in attracting and retaining skilled, experienced talent. The mining skills shortage, intensified by Letšeng’s remote location, strengthens our commitment to being an employer of choice.
Our approach
Our people are our greatest strength. To attract and retain skilled and experienced talent, we actively address employee needs, offer competitive remuneration, foster a supportive work environment and provide meaningful career development opportunities.
Employee value proposition
By considering employee needs beyond fair and equitable remuneration, Gem Diamonds remains an employer of choice with a consistently low staff turnover rate. The Group’s measures to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion include targeted communication and awareness campaigns, female-focused recruitment, and assessments to eliminate any barriers to promoting, retaining and advancing women in the workplace. Representation of women in senior management roles remained at 43% in 2024 (43% in 2023).
Remuneration
Competitive remuneration is key to attracting and retaining skilled talent. In the absence of a prescribed minimum wage for the mining sector in Lesotho and Botswana, we adhere to construction industry wage guidelines as a benchmark. Our labour contracts clearly define minimum remuneration requirements, ensuring fairness and transparency.
None (2023: none) of the Letšeng workforce received minimum wage remuneration in 2024. The lowest-graded permanent employees at Letšeng received 34% (2023: 60%) above the construction sector’s minimum wage. Other Group employees were also remunerated above the minimum wage and in line with market-related rates.
We provide benefits and incentives over and above basic remuneration to attract and retain top talent. Incentives include performance-based bonuses and long-term share awards.
The Board and subsidiary Committees review remuneration policies, skills and succession planning. We also include non-financial metrics in employee and leadership scorecards in line with our sustainability goals.
Refer to the Remuneration Report in our Annual Report and Accounts 2024 for more information.
In 2024, 100% (2023: 100%) of Letšeng’s permanent employees subscribed to the mandatory company retirement provision scheme. Letšeng contributes 7.5% (2023: 7.5%) of employees’ annual salaries to this scheme, and employees contribute an equivalent amount. Fixed-term contract employees, not eligible for this benefit, receive a fixed-term contract allowance of 20% (2023: 20%) of their basic salaries. Ghaghoo employees receive a statutory gratuity payment upon contract completion – equal to 15% (2023: 15%) of the basic monthly salary for each month of employment.
South Africa and London-based employees are remunerated on a cost-to-company basis, and choose their own retirement schemes and contributions. At our Belgian operations, employees contribute 13% (2023: 13%) of their salaries as a social contribution which includes a portion that is allocated to a mandatory government retirement scheme.
Our performance
| Employee demographics%1 | Gender | Localisation | Age | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Male % |
Female % |
Local employees %2 |
<30 % |
31 to 50 % |
>50 % |
| Board3 | 71 | 29 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Senior management | 57 | 43 | 71 | 0 | 29 | 71 |
| Middle management | 77 | 23 | 90 | 0 | 70 | 30 |
| Total | 79 | 21 | 99 | 6 | 74 | 20 |
| 2023 | Male % |
Female % |
Local employees % |
<30 % |
31 to 50 % |
>50 % |
| Board | 71 | 29 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Senior management | 57 | 43 | 86 | 0 | 57 | 43 |
| Middle management | 78 | 22 | 98 | 5 | 82 | 13 |
| Total | 77 | 23 | 99 | 5 | 78 | 17 |
| 1 | The employee demographics include own and contractor employees below senior management. |
| 2 | The proportion of employees hired from the local region within which the relevant subsidiary operates. |
| 3 | Board representation refers to the Gem Diamonds Limited Board in the UK. All other demographics refer to Group-wide operations. |
Our context
We empower our employees to advance their careers through continuous learning and development opportunities.
Our approach
Training and development
Our succession planning and training investments address mining industry skills shortages. Internal and external programmes, alongside a strong mentorship culture, provide clear development pathways monitored through annual performance reviews.
Succession planning remains a priority for aligning skills and resource allocation with the mine plan and is subject to Board oversight. Established in 2009, our internship programme at Letšeng offers practical field experience for graduates. To date, we have provided internships for 48 beneficiaries of our scholarship programme and offered permanent employment to 41% of these interns.
Our performance
Our context
Promoting employee health and well-being enhances morale, reduces absenteeism and improves productivity. Our on-site clinics offer emergency, occupational and primary healthcare, while tailored counselling and engagement programmes support employees in prioritising their well-being.
Our approach
We are committed to fostering a work environment that actively promotes employee well-being and healthy lifestyles. Our comprehensive safety policies and procedures not only minimise risks but also strengthen stakeholder relationships and uphold our social licence to operate. Guided by our holistic Group health and safety policy, we take a stakeholder-inclusive approach, reinforced by robust internal risk and hazard mitigation measures.
To ensure effective risk management and compliance, all employees undergo thorough medical examinations at induction and exit. In addition, our extended health and wellness programme – including physical, mental and financial well-being services – provides employees with access to trained counsellors, helping them navigate challenges within and beyond the workplace.
Our performance
Our context
We enhance employee relations by fostering open communication channels and structured engagement to effectively address employees' needs and challenges.
Our approach
Frequent engagement is key to fostering a collaborative work environment that supports employee development and retention. Our approach evolves to align with best practices while addressing the unique dynamics of our operations.
We prioritise proactive engagement to promptly address employee concerns, collaborating closely with employees and their representatives. Our management team ensures open communication through various platforms, including daily toolbox talks, weekly leadership visits, town hall meetings, and newsletters.
We fully support freedom of association and recognise our employees' right to join unions and engage in collective bargaining. Our policies, grounded in our change management system and host country legislation, ensure employees are kept informed of any significant operational or workplace changes.
Employee Engagement Committee
Employee representatives bring workplace matters to the Employee Engagement Committee, which meets regularly throughout the year under the leadership of Non-Executive Director Mazvi Maharasoa. Representatives submit mine-wide issues in advance, ensuring meaningful discussions, with key insights and outcomes reported to the Board. The Board monitors the implementation of actions to address identified concerns.
Our performance