Retrenchment news in the mining sector : a communicative study of selected mining corporations in South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated and explored how retrenchment is communicated in the South African mining sector through a qualitative analysis of corporate documents such as annual reports, press statements, and news releases. The mining sector in South Africa has been retrenching employees for years now, which makes it important to explore the framing of their messages and communication strategies employed during retrenchment. The study applied Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to retrenchment communication, highlighting the importance of adapting communication strategies to a crisis. The theory suggests that companies should prioritise transparency, empathy, and stakeholder engagement to minimise the negative impacts of retrenchment. The study followed the methodology of document analysis to collect data and textual analysis to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that mining corporations tailor their messages using various communication strategies when announcing retrenchment news to various stakeholders and frame their messages using transparent, empathetic, and supportive language. The findings contribute to the development of communication strategies for the mining sector in enhancing organisational reputation, employees’ well-being, and sectoral sustainability. The study recommends that companies must always prioritise transparency and empathy when communicating during retrenchment. They must also provide support for the retrenched employees. These findings highlight significant gaps in transparency, empathy, and stakeholder engagement, perpetuating the negative impacts of retrenchment on affected employees