ALL PRAISE TO UNITED HOLDINGS

Sir,

Please allow me to recommend a statement I read in your esteemed publication last week, regarding the responsible and humane initiative taken by United Holdings Limited in the fight against COVID-19.

I was thrilled to read about this company which is wholly owned by our son of the soil, Philip de Sousa, turning up with such a caring and benevolent gesture. It has invested huge resources to a COVID-19 testing exercise involving all its employees. I wonder how much money has the company spent in the testing exercise for its over 200 employees using a private laboratory. I can imagine that this did not come cheap.

Safety

However, my point here is not about the amount of money perse but the thought by United Holdings’ management to put first the safety of its employees and by extension that of its customers. Admittedly, both the employees and customers have families that have also indirectly benefitted from such a kind gesture. My second observation about this gesture is that United Holdings is the first business to have come up with such ingenuity. Surely its leadership deserves to be praised and encouraged to continue with such a caring attitude. This must serve as a lesson to other corporates to behave responsibly when it comes to the treatment they offer their employees.

Treatment

United Holdings’ treatment of their employees has surpassed even that of much bigger companies in the country. Employers must accord first class treatment to their workers, who are the backbone of their businesses. Other employers do not seem to care whether or not their employees are infected or affected. It gets worse when it comes to customers from whom the business owners expect to make huge profits.

I also like the fact that United Holdings went out of its way to proactively alert its customers not to be alarmed by the slower than usual service, which was a consequence of the fact that some of the employees were in isolation while waiting for their test results. Here is an employer who is spending money testing all his employees and losing money while they are in isolation waiting for the results. United Holdings lost money through the slow business, paying the employees for the hours they spent at home and also taking care of the three who tested positive.

Let us wish United Holdings well in its business endeavours and I am certain that a number of emaSwati will continue supporting them in every way possible. There is nothing that I find more appealing to a customer than a company that takes good care of its employees. A happy employee often provides good customer service.

Sifiso Dhlamini

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