As a leader in South Africa's food and farming sector, the VKB Group has always understood that its greatest strength lies in its people. With a vision for cultivating not just the land, but also a culture rooted in purpose, connection and growth, the VKB Group partnered with Free To Grow (FTG) in 2022.
In these three years, FTG's WorkQ® and LeadQ® programmes have reached more than 4,500 employees – from the shopfloor to first-line leaders – to embrace a mindset of hope, accountability, and personal growth, helping to drive the VKB Group's vision forward.
While external factors and market dynamics influence the Group’s financial performance, the interventions have delivered measurable results. Employee satisfaction and retention have increased, operational efficiencies and organisational resilience have strengthened and a culture of engagement and ownership has contributed to a notable improvement in the bottom line.
The Intention: Cultivating a “Home Away from Home”
VKB Group’s vision extends beyond agriculture to nurturing their people. They intentionally strive to create a workplace where employees feel valued, connected and inspired. Recognising culture as fertile soil for growth, VKB Group prioritised emotional intelligence, resilience and inclusion to build belonging and a shared purpose in every division.
Free To Grow’s Founder and CEO, Alinda Nortje, reflects on the three-year journey with VKB Group:
“I am deeply impressed with VKB Group’s commitment to creating a culture that feels like a home away from home. Their efforts and initiative in this area are truly exceptional. It is an honour to partner with them on this journey becoming a channel for them to live their purpose.”
The Challenge: Scaling engagement
Implementing a large-scale culture journey across VKB Group’s remote operational areas posed significant logistical challenges. Successfully delivering programmes across 27 geographically dispersed locations required meticulous planning, coordination and commitment. VKB Group tackled these hurdles head-on, organising centralised training hubs, arranging transportation and accommodation and creatively adapting non-traditional spaces into engaging learning environments.
These hubs stretched across some of South Africa’s most remote and widely spread regions, including towns like Upington and Kimberley in the Northern Cape; Bethlehem and Frankfort in the Free State; and Tzaneen, Polokwane and Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. The rollout also spanned multiple business units – including Grain Field Chickens (GFC), Free State Oil (FSO), Milling and QPro – each with its own operational context.
Execution: Walking the journey together
VKB Group’s culture journey was built around two of FTG’s flagship programmes:
1. WorkQ® for Shopfloor Employees:
A two-day learning experience is designed to inspire employees to connect deeply with the organisation and find more meaning in their work so that they come on board and contribute more fully.
2. LeadQ® for Leaders:
A Leadership Development Programme that equips leaders with the mindset, knowledge and tools to keep their people on board through making engagement a daily practice in their teams. The last day of LeadQ® was dedicated to teaching these leaders how to use the WorkQ® Bytes toolkit – an easy-to-follow, visual tool that enables leaders to have regular conversations with their teams to keep the WorkQ® messages alive.
“WorkQ® is life-changing for employees and the integration of WorkQ® and LeadQ® has been a transformative catalyst for growth. By focusing on key areas such as communication, resilience, inclusion and continuous growth, it has significantly contributed to an environment where employees feel supported, engaged and empowered.”
— Francois Sieberhagen, Executive Head: Human Capital VKB Group
Since 2022, VKB Group has invested in giving more than 4,500 participants across the business the opportunity to experience WorkQ®. Sessions were successfully delivered across 27 hubs nationwide, significantly impacting a large portion of VKB Group’s total workforce. This ongoing commitment highlights VKB Group’s belief that sustainable, people-centred growth requires long-term focus.
Understanding the magnitude and complexity involved, FTG’s facilitators were fully prepared and deeply committed. The team was willing to travel to remote locations and stay for extended periods. Francois expressed appreciation for the facilitators’ contribution, noting their ability to connect with employees and inspire them to live and work at a higher level: “Sizwe Matoti, for instance, has become a legend in VKB Group. His name alone inspires and is a reminder of the programme’s key messages.”
Impact: Transformation at every level
1. Personal Transformation
Employees across VKB Group shared profound changes resulting from WorkQ®:
“You’ve unleashed the potential in me. I was not a hard nut to crack; I was a seed that needed nourishment to blossom. This programme has helped shift my focus from the negative to the positives in my life and what VKB Group is doing for us.”
VKB Group Employee
“WorkQ® made me realise that I was just going through the motions at work. It changed my mindset and inspired me to step up and be part of making VKB Group the best company to work for.”
VKB Group Employee
2. Positive impact on families
Many employees shared how the first day of the programme, which focused on their personal journeys, changed how they showed up at home:
“WorkQ® has changed the way I see myself as a father. I went home yesterday and I spoke to my children. For the first time. It felt good. And I think they liked it.”
VKB Group Employee
“I realised that I can say to my children ‘I am sorry’.”
VKB Group Employee
4. Company Climate
A marked cultural shift rippled across VKB Group’s operations:
- Enhanced collaboration: Employees demonstrated unprecedented levels of engagement during company roadshows.
- Improved trust and relationships: A notable improvement in active participation in employee forums.
- Increased belonging: Employees expressed feeling “at home”, leading to increased satisfaction, ownership and retention.
“During a recent series of meetings at the various sites, I could clearly see and feel that the ‘vibe’ among our operational employees was extremely positive. They were engaged, participated, asked excellent questions, and were very proud to be part of the VKB Group.”
— Francois Sieberhagen, Executive Head: Human Capital VKB Group
5. Business Bottom Line
While external factors such as weather, commodity prices and market dynamics naturally affect VKB Group’s financial performance, Francois highlights significant improvements following the interventions:
- Profit before tax remained steady, demonstrating strong stability despite a turbulent climate and challenging macroeconomic environment.
- Enhanced organisational resilience driven by improved operational efficiencies.
“We have observed a notable improvement in the group’s bottom line. The growth rates provide an indication of the underlying improvements and efficiencies gained through the interventions we implemented and our partnership with Free To Grow.”
—Francois Sieberhagen, Executive Head: Human Capital VKB Group
Conclusion: A partnership that seeds lasting change
VKB Group’s commitment to treating culture as fertile soil in which people grow has created hope and ownership among its people and delivered tangible business results.
Francois Sieberhagen, Executive Head: Human Capital VKB Group: “The partnership with Free To Grow has enhanced our employee experience and developed personal and professional growth. The impact of their programmes extends beyond individual and team development to reinforce a culture that truly drives organisational excellence. Ultimately, this amazing partnership has helped build an empowered workforce and set the stage for long-term success for our employees and the VKB Group.”
As VKB Group continues this journey, the seeds sown will bear lasting fruit, nurturing an enduring high-performance culture where every employee truly feels at home.
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