he achievement by MTN SA of being recognised as a Top Employer for 2014 is acknowledged with pride. This has particular relevance to the company’s strategy of harnesing employee talent to offer innovative products and a quality customer experience.
MTN SA is part of the MTN Group, a leading emerging markets mobile operator that has in excess of 200-million subscribers in 22 countries across Africa and the Middle East.
An important factor differentiating MTN SA from its peers is the company’s ethos of an open and informal culture that encourages the free flow of employee ideas.
This creates a “sky is the limit” environment for high achievers because the company can offer unrivalled local and international career growth opportunities.
Unleashing innovative spirit
Not surprisingly, MTN has long embraced the ideal of encouraging and cherishing original concepts and ideas from its employees.
This has contributed to strengthening MTN SA’s position as a Top Employer and is in line with its strategic objective of facilitating corporate best practice and staff creativity.
MTN encourages a competitive spirit between its employees to encourage the generation of inventive ideas.
The provision of in-house space and facilities for employees to create new products and services is a much-appreciated benefit of working at MTN. “The MTN employer brand represents both the potential and capabilities of Africa, particularly enhanced through the company being predominantly run by South Africans.
“MTN’s brand is the most valuable in Africa and is ranked in the top 100 globally,” said Themba Nyathi, MTN SA’s human resources executive.
“What I love about MTN is that most of our new products and services are developed in-house. We deliberately create an environment in which employees compete with each other to develop new products and services. The best ideas are rewarded handsomely at MTN,” said Nyathi.
This environment also promotes the freedom for employees to be continuously innovative and challenge the status quo. Also key to the company’s success is management’s face-to-face engagement with employees to discuss quarterly status updates.
Nyathi likens working at MTN to being an explorer: someone who is bold and is prepared to venture into areas where no one else wants to venture.
“When you join MTN, you have every opportunity to travel the world and experience different cultures.
“The company generates a sense of exploration and affords employees opportunities to work in countries such as Yemen, Iran and South Sudan, among others. This is all about expanding personal boundaries and this develops the human spirit,” said Nyathi.
The value of different experiences is emphasised at MTN as it enhances the ability to move between functions and departments throughout an individual’s career.
It also broadens an employee’s appreciation of the different opportunities and challenges facing the business.
Leadership
Since the company’s inception, MTN’s employees have characterised the company’s tenacity, expertise, enthusiasm and commitment, providing the impetus for MTN SA to continue meeting its operational and strategic objectives.
In return, MTN has placed great store on intangibles, such as learning opportunities and advancement, and this contributes significantly to the experience of working at MTN SA.
A visible company commitment to the identification and development of employees with potential, leadership programmes and the filling of vacancies from within the organisation, have all strengthened a belief in long-term career opportunities and old-fashioned company loyalty.
“We have succession plans for all categories of employees: specialised, mission critical and general staff. “Every position at MTN SA, from supervisory level, has a protégé, providing an ongoing development process of learning, dialogue and imparting skills. That is why, from supervisory level to chief executive, we can fill a vacancy from within the organisation in a relatively short space of time,” explained Nyathi.
MTN’s greatest assets
An identified differentiator that sets MTN apart from its competitors is the degree of commitment demonstrated by its employees.
This has been a major contributing factor to the company’s success in building a world-class network infrastructure and the development of imaginative products and services that deliver beyond customer expectations.
MTN SA provides a flexible and performance-driven work environment, which is clearly and visibly demonstrated through everyday leadership decisions, face-to-face interactions with employees and generous packages.
Employees are not restricted to rigid payment grades and are compensated handsomely on the basis of individual performance. The company also provides training and development for staff through the MTN Academy.
Giving back
As a telecommunications company with extensive experience in Africa, MTN is well aware of how its products and services can transform lives, especially for those in rural areas.
Most of the countries in which MTN operates lack basic infrastructure and MTN takes its role as a responsible corporate citizen seriously.
The company is using its knowledge in the telecommunications industry to help underprivileged people make a better life for themselves.
The main thing MTN does is help communities connect.
This is achieved through a number of initiatives such as education, health, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, employee volunteerism and special projects. Over 4 000 MTN employees have registered their special projects with the MTN SA Foundation.
Nyathi said: “At MTN, we are fully aware that the more a company grows, the more it has to sharpen its competitive edge to stay ahead of the game.
“However, the profit incentive must always be balanced by a strong sense of responsibility towards those less fortunate. We have a festival, the 21 Days of Y’ello Care, where all MTN staff can volunteer to take part and make a difference.
“What’s great about MTN is that the company has grown dramatically and believes that nothing is impossible. When the company was started, MTN set a vision and followed it relentlessly.
“The successes of the company thereafter represent the capability of human beings to achieve almost any goals that have been set.”