In this competitive market it is not enough simply to offer employment.
Employers, especially in areas where skills are scarce, are finding that the need to retain skills through positive human resources strategies is a key business priority.
These strategies have driven some companies to the top in the annual CRF Best Employer survey.
Based on their talent-management tradition and best practice, Accenture scooped the overall best employer in South Africa title for 2009-10.
Accenture, after a rigorous research process, was ranked as the top employer of professional talent in the country by research and media group, CRF South Africa.
Second to Accenture was law firm of the year, Edward Nathan Sonnebergs (ENS).
After ENS came consistent top 10 performer Ernst & Young (3), BHP Billiton (4), Coca-Cola (5), Microsoft (6), Shell South Africa (7), British American Tobacco (BAT) (8), Absa (9) and South African Breweries (SAB), which took 10th place.
This year, for the first time, CRF categorised best-performing companies according to size, based on the number of full-time employees a company has. These categories are classed: small (one to 600), medium (601 to 4 000) and large (more than 4 000).
CRF also ranked Best Employers according to industries, naming the overall winner of applicable industries (where there were three or more participating companies in a particular industry).
‘CRF’s rankings of the various top 10 companies (overall, according to size and then industry) draw out the best of the very best companies to work for in South Africa.
We choose not to rank the remaining employers because of the high level of performance demonstrated by our Best Employers,” said CRF International chief executive Steven Veenendaal.
The top 10 companies within the small-sized category, ranked from one to 10, are: Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Beyond Outsourcing Global Holdings, Safripol, East London Industrial Development Zone, Sechaba Medical Solutions, the South African National Roads Agency Limited, SAS Institute, the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market and the National Roads Agency.
The top 10 companies within the medium-sized category, ranked from one to 10, are: Accenture, ENS, Ernst & Young, Shell South Africa, BAT, Siemens, Werksmans Attorneys, IBM SA, SAP South Africa and Total SA.
In the large-sized category the companies are ranked: BHP Billiton, Absa, SAB, Edcon, Unilever South Africa, Exxaro Resources, MTN, Gold Fields, Dimension Data and the Tsogo Sun Group.
‘During an economic downturn, many companies may communicate less, or less effectively, to their employees and the market. It’s never fun to convey bad news and painful decisions. But keeping a low profile and avoiding dialogue can lead to more criticism.
Good leadership is characterised by explaining decisions and sharing insight into the future. By doing so, criticism can be translated into understanding and even support. It’s important that employees who are not made redundant remain connected and engaged.
Communicating proactively and clearly, among other areas of performance, is what sets the Best Employers apart from others.
By giving employees a clear picture of what they can expect, employers can gain support and dedication in return. An engaged workforce is critical to weathering this storm,” said Veenendaal.
The Institute of People Management, the SA Institute of Management, the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa, the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut, the UCT Graduate School of Business, HR Future and DMSA all partnered with CRF on this endeavour.
The overarching aim of Best Employers is to identify, accredit and laud South African companies with a demonstrable commitment to and track record in talent-management best practice on an annual basis.
According to Samantha Crous, general manager at CRF South Africa, companies that participate in the annual accreditation project are what can be termed ‘intelligent employers”.
Their active and passionate development of their brand is based on the scientific, comparative HR best-practice data the project provides them with — data that is also responsible for further enhancing the employment experience of staff within accredited companies.
CRF then interprets the data each year to recognise South Africa’s Best Employers.
The research process is segmented according to the following HR-related aspects: organisational strategy, the HR function, the leadership of the company, communication, diversity management, corporate social responsibility, knowledge management, talent management and employee engagement, employee training and development, performance management and rewards and recognition.
Using this research CRF accredits organisations with the internationally recognised third-party endorsement of its employer value proposition.
Only companies who achieve the required percentage of the maximum achievable score in the HR benchmark can be accredited and ultimately published by CRF.
Sector winners
Finding the best employers Advertising and public relations: Young & Rubicam
Finance or banks: Absa
Chemicals and petrochemicals: Shell South Africa
Engineering and manufacturing: Siemens
Finance, investment and insurance: Liberty Life
Fast-moving consumer goods: Coca-Cola
Information and communication technologies: Accenture
Legal services: Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs
Mining: BHP Billiton
Retail: Edcon
Telecommunications: MTN
Business support services: Beyond Outsourcing
The top 57
Absa
Accenture
Beyond Outsourcing
BHP Billiton
BAT
Cashbuild
Cell C (Pty) Ltd
Coca-Cola
Denel Aviation
Dimension Data
Draft FCB
Edcon
Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs
East London IDZ
Ernst & Young
Exxaro
FNB
Gold Fields
Hetzner
IBM
Industrial Development
Corporation (IDC)
Innovative Mining Products
Irvin & Johnson (I&J)
Itron
Johannesburg Fresh Produce
Market
Legal Aid Board
Liberty Life
Levi Strauss South Africa
Louis Group
Matrix Vehicle Tracking
Merseta
Microsoft
Missing Link
MTN
National Development Agency
Nestle
Netcare
Mr Price Group
Pick n Pay
Rectron
Regent Insurance Company
Eversheds
The South African Breweries (SAB)
SAS Institute
South African National Roads
Agency (Sanral)
SA Tourism
Safripol (Pty) Ltd
Sanofi-Aventis South Africa (Pty) Ltd
SAP Africa (Pty) Ltd
Sechaba Medical Solutions
Shell South Africa
Siemens
Telkom SA Ltd
Total SA (Pty) Ltd
Tsogo Sun Group
Unilever
Werksmans Attorneys
Y&R SA (Young & Rubicam)