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Ad Talent // Newsletter September/October 2009 |
| Santam Is The Best Company To Work For In 2009 |
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The annual Deloitte survey confirms Santam is #1as voted by staff Cape Town, October 2009: Santam, South Africa's leading short-term insurance company has been awarded as the Best Company to Work For in the Deloitte's annual survey in 2009. The insurance company took the honors in the large company category (>2 500 full time employees) beating the likes of WesBank, ABSA and Edcon to the number one position. Ian Kirk, Chief Executive at Santam says "It is extremely rewarding to have our staff acknowledge the continual effort we put into making their working lives richer and more rewarding. Being acknowledged by our staff show that they buy into our strategy, which means policyholders and brokers can also rest insured that they always get the best products and services from us." Santam has in recent years consciously worked on improving its EVP (Employee Value Proposition). Santam believe that its staff can only fully deliver on Santam's brand promise to its clients and business partners when: their work experience is enriching, "The Deloitte survey provides us with valuable feedback from staff and gives us clear pointers on what we need to do to make the work experience better, nicer, more rewarding. To this end, we have, over the past two years, introduced a comprehensive lifestyle management programme which we have branded in a fun and accessible way." Santam has also introduced a formal recognition programme which combines tangible rewards along with written affirmation. "We have changed our dress code policy to one which is more relaxed and allows for greater individual expression. Further to this, we pay attention to the infrastructure issues: where parking has been a problem, we make a plan; where canteen facilities are inadequate, we make changes." Santam's practical and quick responses to what staff request shows staff that management listen, care and act. "Our EVP is not just a picture, staff truly experience its benefits on a daily basis. We have packaged our EVP so that staff can see, at a glance, what it is that Santam offers them, we call it "Life Under the Yellow Umbrella" and we integrate it into everything that we do for our staff." The insurance industry is a very competitive industry where the skills and knowledge of the staff are a key differentiator. Santam endeavors to attract, engage, build and retain talent. It is thus in the organisation's best interests to do whatever it can to ensure its staff want to stay with Santam and it puts time, energy and money into managing its talent. Santam has not stopped this emphasis during the economic downturn and has in fact adopted the opposite approach. Kirk added that Santam's success is a result of the capabilities, commitment and diverse offerings of its staff. Each staff member receives individual attention along with overall organisation interventions which shape the culture over time. This accolade is in addition to Santam recently voted as the best insurance company by independent brokers when it scooped the Financial Intermediaries Association awards in all three short-term insurance categories: personal, commercial and corporate. "What we offer staff has been noticed by the marketplace. Our employer brand has gained quiet prominence and the caliber of people who want to join Santam is extremely encouraging," concludes Kirk. In addition to the Best Company to Work For and the FIA awards, Santam was acknowledged last month as the best business-to-business short-term insurer in the Sunday Times Top Brand Awards in August this year. |
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