International SOS, the world’s leading medical and security risk services company, received the ‘Top Employer’ award at a glittering ceremony and gala dinner held at the Sandton International Convention Centre, Johannesburg, on the 4th of October 2018.
The award reflects the companys’ commitment to Duty of Care, its responsibility towards being a sustainable employer and recognises its accomplishments in providing the highest standards in employee conditions in South Africa.
The Top Employer Institute recognises organisations whose innovative values create a productive work place environment, that maximises the full potential of their workforce through practices that demonstrate effective employee recruitment, engagement, retention and invest in training and reward performance.
Chris Wiese, Regional Human Resources Director: Africa at International SOS said: “We are very pleased with being awarded such an honour by the Top Employers Institute. This certification is testament to our continuous commitment to fostering an environment that enables employees to learn, grow and thrive. We believe that employees are a critical asset to our business, as such, part of our talent management strategy is to ensure that they are highly motivated, engaged and passionate about what we do.”
Crucial to the ‘Top Employers’ process is that participating companies must meet the required high standard. As such the endorsement is attained through a stringent certification process evaluating internal HR policies and procedures. It is awarded to companies that achieve the highest standards of excellence in employee conditions.
The process includes participation in the HR Best Practices Survey: a comprehensive analysis of the organisation’s Human Resources environment and strategy and covers 600 HR practices across Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning, Talent Acquisition, On-boarding, Learning and Development, Performance Management, Leadership Development, Career and Succession Management, Compensation and Benefits, and Culture.
Philippe Couturier, Regional General Manager: Africa commented, “Our values “passion, expertise, care and respect” inform every aspect of our company including our employer value proposition and strategic business objectives. Our vision is to become a leading employer of choice in South Africa and the region, and this certification is definitely a big step towards achieving this, providing us with the opportunity to benchmark our HR policies and practices externally.”
International SOS strongly believes that HR fulfils a strategic role within an organisation and it is on this basis that the organisation entered the awards. Each year the awards set new benchmarks for visionary companies to pursue.