Last month, ICMIF member AVBOB (South Africa) announced it had received the 2023 Top Employers Institute award, as the best company to work for, for the sixth consecutive year. The mutual said this award bears testimony to the Group’s commitment to support employees at all levels of the organisation, with the specific objective of improving capabilities, service excellence and effectiveness.
Business resilience has never been more vital, says AVBOB, and equally important for the company is the need to safeguard the wellbeing and future of its employees.
From a human resource management perspective and, as the future of work changes, AVBOB says it is placing a bigger emphasis on the upskilling of staff to acquire new skills in order to enrich its service offering.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition,” says Ms Nthabiseng Nxumalo, AVBOB General Manager: Human Resources. “Maintaining our status as a Top Employer demonstrates the strides that we have made in enhancing our employee value proposition through our progressive human resource practices.”
As a household name in South Africa, AVBOB has not been immune to the challenges of conducting business in the face of chronic loadshedding, an economic slowdown, and the high cost-of-living pressures placed on consumers.
AVBOB says the growth of its business depends not only on having the right people with the right skills to provide the best quality services to its customers but also on the knowledge, skill, experience, diversity and commitment of employees for sustainable value creation.
Top Employers Institute
The Top Employers Institute studies the working conditions that companies create for their employees and the measures taken to provide an excellent working environment. This extensive research is based on a range of employment practices, including the availability of internal training opportunities and mentorship programmes. The Top Employers Institute also assesses compensation and benefit offerings in comparison to competitors within the industry. The best companies are certified based on the Top Employers Institute’s global ranking policy.
Secure and confident employees are able to execute their duties as the primary drivers of business performance while building the brand through positive customer interactions. In the past year, AVBOB has continued its emphasis on the needs of its employees, while balancing that with business objectives.
“One of our key success factors is in how AVBOB has been able to adapt to an evolving workplace, employing more flexibility and enabling our employees to do their jobs with more self-sufficiency and in new ways,” says Nxumalo.
“We believe the future workforce is attracted to people-centric companies that are purpose-led, creative and intentional about empowering employees to pursue their personal and professional aspirations. We will be using the Top Employer certification as an important metric to attract and retain top talent for years to come,” she adds.
Equally important is AVBOB’s positioning as a company that is part of the future by creating shared value to drive growth and innovation to ultimately achieve tangible economic benefit for its members and the communities in which it operates.
