Botswana Ash Company (BOTASH) last week held an Excellence Award Ceremony to recognize its hard working employees. A total number of 38 employees from different departments were given awards in the form of certificates.

The excellence awards were held in collaboration with a Christmas Party to celebrate the mine’s achievements. The main objective of these awards which were held for the first time by BOTASH is to motivate and recognize hard working employees in the mine to further improve productivity.

Welcoming the participants, the Managing Director of Botswana Ash (BOTASH) Montwedi Mphathi said that the awards are very important as they encourage improvement in the workplace. “As BOTASH we want to build a reputable business that will leave a legacy for generations to come hence this Excellency Awards. We want to see this company grow for many years to come,” he said.

Mphathi said one of their main values at BOTASH is Excellency. He however said that there is need for employees to unite and work together as a team for them to improve productivity and be able to drive the organization to greater heights. He also said that there is need for hard work to produce results every year so as to keep up with inflation. “Shareholders should also have good returns to keep up with inflation,” he said.
Giving a keynote address the Executive Director of Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) Baeti Molake who was the guest speaker said recognizing hard working employees in any organization creates a culture of excellence. He said contrary to popular belief, culture is nurtured and does not happen overnight. “What is excellence? Excellence is doing better than you did before. In order to be excellent in any endeavor, you should not leave it to chance. You need to have in place structures, systems and mechanisms. Nothing should be left to chance and you surely will achieve excellence,” he said.

Molake also emphasized that employees are an important asset in any organization which no one can replicate. He added that employees are a unique asset that can never be cloned. He said however that it is very crucial for organizations to create a conducive environment for employees to deliver results. “It is simple to do that. The asset has got emotions and feelings. The most important thing is to leave it to exercise its mind. Create an environment for the asset to excel,” he said.

Molake also said that recognizing employees in any organization is very important as it creates positive behavior. Among other important issues he said organizations should be careful not to reward dysfunctional behavior. He lauded BOTASH for recognizing employees who are performing well adding that such an initiative will motivate the rest of the workforce to follow suit.