- Safaricom recognized for its outstanding people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity and inclusion, and employee well-being.
- The telco first received the Top Employer certification in 2022 and has retained it for three consecutive years.
- The certification comes just a few months after the company was ranked the third-best employer in Africa by an American business magazine, Forbes.
Kenya’s leading telecommunications company, Safaricom PLC, has, for the third consecutive year, received recognition as a top employer in both the country and across Africa.
The most recent certification for the year 2024, awarded by the Top Employers Institute (TEI), underscores the Nairobi Securities Exchange listed company’s HR policies and people practices.
The TEI program certifies organizations based on their participation and results in a comprehensive HR best practices survey covering 20 topics across six HR domains. These domains include people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, diversity and inclusion, and employee well-being.
Up to this point, the program has certified and recognized over 2,300 top employers in 122 countries across five continents.
In response to the recognition, Safaricom PLC Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa expressed satisfaction in being acknowledged alongside some of Africa’s most prominent companies. He emphasized the company’s intention to leverage this opportunity to benchmark itself against the world’s leading employers.
“This award is a validation of the strong employer brand that Safaricom has cultivated over the years by providing an agile working environment and numerous opportunities for employees to grow in their chosen fields,” said Peter Ndegwa.
Read also: Safaricom introduces M-PESA services in Ethiopia
Safaricom lauded for commitment to well-being of its staff
On his part, Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink commented, noting that exceptional times bring out the best in both individuals and organizations.
“These employers have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the development and well-being of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work,” he emphasized.
Safaricom first received the Top Employer certification in 2022 and has maintained it for three consecutive years. The telecommunications company has implemented a comprehensive set of employee value propositions, encompassing talent and career development initiatives, competitive pay and benefits, employee health, safety, and well-being, as well as hybrid ways of working that provide greater flexibility.
According to CEO Peter Ndegwa, the firm also provides amenities such as mother’s rooms, creches, gyms, and prayer rooms for employees.
“We consistently aim to attract the employee of the future by redesigning and enhancing traditional work functions with general AI augmentation,” he explained. “Through this approach, we offer opportunities for our people to innovate both at speed and at scale. We actively listen to employees and take responsive actions to ensure a personalized employee value proposition.”
The certification follows closely after the company achieved the rank of the third-best employer in Africa, as recognized by the American business magazine Forbes, just a few months prior.
Safaricom trailed behind South Africa’s Absa Group and Standard Bank in Forbes’ annual list of the World’s Best Employers, securing the 164th position among 700 multinationals from 43 nations.
Greatest employer in Africa
Considerations for the ranking included its profitability, as it stands as the most profitable in the region and is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, boasting a staff volume of over 5,500.
Recognized as the most lucrative, the company reported a net profit of Sh34.2 billion ($223.97 million) for the six months ending in September 2023. In a poll of 500 publicly traded firms from 60 countries, Forbes Business magazine crowned Safaricom the greatest employer in Africa and the 67th top employer globally in 2018.
In the 2018 list, Naspers ranked 224th internationally, with First Rand (432) and Sanlam (457), both based in South Africa, following closely behind. For the year ending in March, Safaricom added 675 new employees, with the majority joining its Ethiopian affiliate, which commenced full operations during that period.
A 2022 report by LinkedIn also acknowledged Safaricom among the top 25 preferred companies to work for. According to LinkedIn, Safaricom excelled in skills such as financial statement auditing, external audit, and telecommunications.
The company’s most common job titles were customer executive, software engineer, and customer service representative, with its largest job functions centered around sales, engineering, and support.
The Top Employers Institute (TEI) is recognized as the world’s leading authority on identifying superior people practices. Organizations participating in the program can obtain validation, certification, and recognition as employers of choice through the Top Employers Institute certification program.
Telco’s key services: Data, voice, and money transfer
Safaricom offers a diverse range of services and solutions, encompassing mobile voice, messaging, data, financial and converged services, as well as digital services that facilitate both commercial and personal platforms, in addition to ecosystem partnerships.
One of its notable initiatives, DigiFarm, functions as an integrated mobile platform providing farmers with convenient, all-in-one access to a suite of information and financial services, including loans and insurance.
Moreover, the company provides M-PESA, a mobile phone-based money transfer service, payment solutions, and a micro-financing service platform. Among its offerings is Fuliza, an overdraft facility enabling customers to access an unsecured line of credit by overdrawing on M-PESA to address short-term cash flow shortages within predetermined limits.
Furthermore, the company extends Lipa Na M-PESA (LNM), allowing merchants to conduct transactions using a till number for collecting payments from customers.
Read also: Kenya’s Safaricom reports marginal profit jump to $225 million
