Johannesburg, 05 October 2018 – Leading international FMCG company Unilever has been certified as the number one Top Employer in Africa for the fourth time. The prestigious accolade was announced at the Top Employer Institute award ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Centre on October 4.
Unilever has also been certified the number one Top Employer in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Mechell Chetty, Unilever Vice President of Human Resources in Africa, said the Top Employer Africa Certification for Unilever affirmed the company’s ability to deliver a world class employment experience consistently across the continent. “The Top Employer brand signals to talent that we are committed to staff development and helping our employees reach their personal ambitions. The certification also provides us with important feedback about how we can improve our HR practices.”
The countries were ranked in an extremely competitive HR best practices survey conducted by the Top Employers Institute. Criteria examined included Talent Strategy, On-boarding, Learning and Development, Performance Management, Career and Succession Management, and Leadership Development, Compensation & Benefits and Culture.
One of these initiatives is the Unilever Future Leaders Programme, which each year receives thousands of applications from graduates. The programme is designed to develop business leaders of tomorrow and provides on-the-job training, exposure to best in class thought leaders, international experiences, collaborative projects and practical experience in bringing Unilever’s sustainability agenda to life.
Chetty said Unilever invested in its people by developing interventions that contributed to the success of the organisation by creating optimal employee conditions. “These include international careers, mentorship programmes, flexible working patterns; a graduate recruitment programme and a world class leadership development curriculum,” she said.
Given the high unemployment rate in Africa, Unilever Africa’s HR purpose is to address youth unemployment through their Level up Programme. The programme is designed to prepare youth for the world of work. “To date Unilever Africa has reached over 80 000 youth across the continent through face to face connects and digital platforms delivering nine relevant impactful modules. We will not stop there, our ambition is to reach one million youth across the continent,” said Chetty.
Technology-enabled learning has allowed Unilever to enhance flexible learning to suit different learning styles, learning on the go, anywhere and anytime. “We have an online platform which provides learning courses, podcasts, videos, articles tailored to the employee’s individual’s needs,” concluded Chetty.
By being able to leverage global best practices, combined with expertise and understanding of Africa, Unilever has been able to continuously create an environment that allows people to thrive and perform with purpose.