Netcare is one of only a few South African companies that recently received the exclusive Top Employers South Africa 2014 certification by the Top Employers Institute. The Institute globally certifies excellence in the conditions that employers create for their staff, and Netcare was certified Top Employer in the South African healthcare sector.
Commenting on the company’s certification, Top Employers Institute’s regional director for Africa and Benelux, Samantha Crous, said Netcare was recognised for its excellent employee offering. “Based on independent research by the Top Employers Institute, Netcare Limited offers its employees outstanding working conditions and looks after its staff exceptionally well. Optimal employee conditions ensure that people develop themselves personally and professionally. Our comprehensive research concluded that Netcare provides an outstanding employment environment and nurtures and develops talent throughout all levels of the organisation. They offer a wide range of creative initiatives, from secondary benefits and working conditions, to performance management programmes that are well thought out and truly aligned with the culture of their company,” stated Crous.
The first step in the certification process is participation in the Human Resources Best Practices Survey, a comprehensive analysis of the human resources environment. Participating companies have to meet the Top Employers Institute’s stringent research criteria in order to receive certification. The employers were assessed on the following criteria: primary and secondary benefits, working conditions, training and development, career development and the management of organisational culture.
“This certification is encouraging to Netcare, particularly in light of other accolades we received during the year, all of which mean a great deal to the company and its people. These included the 2012 PMR.africa Golden Arrow award for corporate social investment programmes, the Oliver Empowerment Awards’ 2013 Socially Responsible Investment Award as well as the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (Inseta) 2012 National Disability Company Award for Netcare’s contribution to the empowerment and integration of people with disabilities into the mainstream economy,” said Netcare’s group human resources director, Peter Warrener.
“We have been working particularly hard to find ways to enhance engagement with our staff. Being recognised as the top employer in the South African healthcare sector is an acknowledgement that we are on the right track,” Warrener added.
Warrener says Netcare conducted surveys among their staff a few years ago and these indicated that employees wanted a more engaged leadership. The group carefully considered how it could achieve this and developed interventions aimed at promoting the concept of ‘service leadership’ among managers, including a focus on emotional intelligence awareness and development thereof among middle and senior managers. He adds that this approach has had positive results in that a follow-up survey indicated that employees felt that their managers were more engaged and were living the group’s values of care, truth, dignity, participation and passion to a greater extent.
“Netcare focuses on continuous staff development and recognition. We do this by providing opportunities for our staff members through training, development and meaningful advancement in the workplace. As an example, there are quite a number of instances where staff members who were originally employed as care workers have progressed to qualified and successful specialist nurses. Recognition and reward programmes such our Carer of the Month Award and Night of the Stars also recognise outstanding examples of service and care provided by our staff members and serve to encourage them to continually strive towards enhancing service and care,” says Warrener.
According to Warrener the certification is a reflection of Netcare’s commitment to providing an environment that is focused on the needs of staff members. “We appreciate being acknowledged for our progress and remain committed to being an employer of choice,” he concludes.
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Issued by : Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare 911
Contact : Martina Nicholson, Sarah Beswick or Graeme Swinney
Telephone : (011) 469 3016
Email : [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]