The social and labour plan (SLP) management solution from governance, risk and compliance (GRC) software company IsoMetrix ensures increased compliance with the Mining Charter, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the Department of Mineral Resources’ (DMR’s) SLP guidelines, while producing time and cost savings, says IsoMetrix sustainability head Hayden Green.

He explains that the SLP management system, available since 2015, forms part of the company’s social sustainability offering and provides one data repository for all the disparate data needed to comply with the DMR guidelines, the Mining Charter and the MPRDA. “Our integrated, Web-based solution allows for the collation of data from various departments and systems, and provides a centralised reporting system that is easily accessible to executive staff from anywhere in the world.”

Green says the main challenges mining companies face when generating SLP and social economic development (SED) reports result from the hassle of using multiple data systems, the cost of gathering data, changing legislative requirements, the collation of manual information, data manipulation and inadequate feedback.

He explains that, typically, various departments in an organisation – such as finance, human resources (HR) and operations – do not necessarily communicate consistently, nor do they share information that is not immediately pertinent to their functioning. For example, HR may keep track of salaries, but it is highly unlikely that it would also keep track of financial statements.

Companies have numerous data systems that contain both unique and duplicated data that is often saved in different formats and likely under restricted access. As such, producing SLP and SED reports – which requires data pertaining to finance, procurement and HR, as well as the health, safety, environment and community affairs departments – are time-consuming and costly, as senior staff need to find the relevant information and produce a report that meets DMR stipulations, drawing them away from more productive activities.

Further, some of the information required, such as company background and governance, is not readily available on any department system. Additionally, the same information has to be input manually to be included in either the SLP or SED reports.

“With our system, the user can collect, review and adjust information on stakeholder engagement and supply chain management, including all the associated data, such as community complaints, scheduled meetings, procurement strategies and a service provider database. Clients can also access soft copies of the most recent versions of the Mining Charter and the MPRDA,” Green enthuses.

Moreover, the system includes tables on targets and objectives, beneficiaries, project initiatives and financial allocations. This enables key performance indicators to be established, allowing for sufficient in-house feedback and a performance review.

Some of the fields available on the SLP management system include community human resource development (which can include information on scholarships, learnerships, internships and employee training), local economic development, and enterprise and supplier development.

Data can be fed into the IsoMetrix system through integration with existing systems, importing information from various excel sheets or through direct capture. Green adds that, once data has been saved, the system can programmatically populate a report in the applicable DMR format.

Aside from reducing audit time and costs prior to DMR submission, as well as establishing a more effective storage and reporting system, the SLP management system also enhances responsibility and accountability, as the system calls for SLP and SED commitments to be assigned to specific employees, whose actions can be tracked and monitored by a central action manager.

The SLP solution is one of the only Web-based “social-licence-to-operate solutions” available. It includes dashboards powered by QlikView that provide real-time data for informed decision-making. Further, the solution is available separately or as part of the full IsoMetrix GRC suite – which includes solutions for legal compliance quality monitoring; health, safety and environmental reporting; and enterprise risk management.

It can also be tailored to fit customer requirements if necessary. Green comments that IsoMetrix is “small enough to care, but big enough to deliver”.

He notes that the SLP management system goes a long way towards furthering community relations with mining companies.

Effective SLP management ensures a positive working relationship between a community and a mining company, which is essential for a successful mining operation, Green concludes.