Recently the LR Group received the overall award for Best Employer in South Africa – see http://www.bestcompany.co.za/default.asp?pageID=509&menuID=09
In an interview with the Rapport newspaper, the CEO Ricky Robinson singled out the importance of making employees part of the strategy and values of an organization. He also emphasized the importance of buy-in and strategic alignment.
Upon reading the article I took a look at the website http://www.bestcompany.co.za/ which explained very clearly the methodologies that are used in the annual Deloitte’s survey – Best Company to work for in South Africa. The survey allows for benchmarking across the following work-related dimensions:
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Job satisfaction
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Leadership
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Management style
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Communication
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Relationships & trust
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Training and development
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Policies & Procedures
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Rewards, Recognition & Performance Management
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Diversity
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Change & Transformation
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Values & Culture
See how synonymous some of these aspects are with the drivers of corporate reputation? The emphasis in the survey is on the PERCEPTIONS of the EMPLOYEE STAKEHOLDER – some would say the ultimate stakeholder in deciding whether a company is really a preferred employer.
One of the key drivers in building a robust and respected reputation is the ability to attract and retain human capital. There are many things that a company has to pay attention to in order to be recognized as an employer of choice. Seeking for best practice impact in each of these areas listed above will influence the other drivers of the business’ reputation and ultimately impact on the overall reputation of the organization.
In particular I would single out the area of Relationships and trust. What is your organization doing to foster relationships and trust AMONGST ALL Stakeholders? For instance, do your payment systems take into account the cash flow cycle of small entrepreneurs who render services for your organization?
Have your organization benchmarked its relationships with other stakeholders? What are you doing to foster better relationships with your suppliers, the Media, Government, Thought Leaders and the like? (If you would like to learn more about how to do that, consider attending our next Stakeholder Reputation programme.)
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