Driving a Culture of Safety - Meet Rorisang Bakwena!

Meet Rorisang Bakwena, the driving force behind our commitment to safety, health, and well-being at Retail Group. We caught up with Rorisang to find out what drives her passion and motivation for championing health.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to join Retail Group?

My name is Rorisang Bakwena, I’m a mother to a gorgeous girl named Chedu Irish Bakwena. I hold two bachelor’s degree, one in Design and Technology and the other in Public Health and currently pursuing a Master’s degree in HSE Management. I was motivated by my passion for safety to join RG.I love to promote safety and ensuring that employees and customers are protected from harm. I was interested in being engaged with a large number of employees. I was also motivated by two of Retail Groups values; growth and care which are aligned with my own personal values. I love growth, I love to see myself moving higher in my career and other areas of my life. I also care about the other person. I love being around a bunch of happy and safe people.

2. Can you share some of your favourite responsibilities as a Health, Safety, and Environmental Officer?

Risk Assessment: I enjoy identifying potential hazards and risks in the workplace and putting controls in place in order to make our stores and operations safer.

Compliance: I am also a big fan of following workplace rules, I enjoy ensuring that the organization complies with its own policies and procedures as well as governments’ HSE rules and regulations.

Training: one of my biggest powers and fun is in imparting knowledge so I enjoy providing guidance and sharing information with employees on HSE to promote safety health and environmental awareness.

3. What do you find most rewarding about ensuring a safe and sustainable workplace?

Goals are met when safety is ensured, employees become happier & healthier and targets are met, it’s just a good environment to be in when safety is ensured, everyone loves to be safe and cared for.

4. Could you tell us about a particularly challenging situation you've faced in your role and how you overcame it?

Addressing a large number of employees can be challenging, sometimes I want the same message or information to be heard and received by all at the same time depending on its importance and urgency as far as safety of members is concerned, it can be challenging especially if you want to deliver it in person but thanks to Retail Group for providing quite a number of platforms of communication, almost everyone is either a WhatsApp, a google meet, a telephone call or an email away from me.

5. Can you highlight a project or initiative you’re particularly proud of in your career so far?

Having trained a number of companies around the country on health and safety has been my highlight, its nice to impact people’s lives positively. Its nice to bump onto someone in a mall cleaning and following safety rules and you notice oooh she was in one of my classes some day hahaha.

6. How do you collaborate with other departments to implement effective safety, health and environmental practices?

Through holding meetings and sharing information.Store visits are a major way of interacting with almost everyone and sharing important knowledge and practices on HSE.

7. If you had to describe life at Retail Group in 3 words what would they be and why?

Supportive, Inclusive and Growth because I am enjoying the support I get from individual employees as well as from different departments, I am also part of projects that are carried out in the company and that makes me feel like a part of the whole team. In terms of growth I’ve heard testimonies of members who have grown in the company in terms of their career which shows that the company cares about peoples growth. I love growth.

8. What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of work that you're passionate about?

I like reading and travelling, I enjoy reading books on transformation and empowerment as well as watching such videos on Youtube.

9. Are there any role models or mentors who have influenced your approach to your career? 

I believe there’s always a thing or two to learn from different people from the different spheres of life so I listen when people talk but in terms of my career if theres anybody I would say is my role model is my mom (MHSRIP) she so much believed in what I do and made me believe that I can actually do anything that I put my mind to it. When I started a career in HSE 10years ago she encouraged me to go for it with all that I had and I did and still am.

10. Is there a personal mantra or philosophy that guides you in both your professional and personal life?

Yes Yes, failing to plan is planning to fail by Allen, I love to tick boxes at the end of the day, I enjoy seeing my progress, big or small

11. What do you look forward to in your future (professionally and personally?)

I have a plan to travel more with my family, I also want to impart my knowledge on HSE to other people and basically make a difference in workplaces.

12. What advice can you give to people who would like to follow in your footsteps?

It’s doable, as long as you put your mind to it. Like I’ve already said my door is open for guidance and sharing more on HSE for those who want to know more and make it a career. It’s a lovely profession.

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