Mechell Chetty, Human Resource vice president, Unilever Central Africa said the company was committed to ensuring it remained attractive as an employer in the eyes of up-and-coming talent. “To be ranked among the best employers in Africa is more than just an accolade for us – it creates a sense of achievement that we have been successful in creating an environment where people want to work and have long-lasting careers.”

“Human capital is an important factor for the success of an organisation and we believe our investment in the right people who possess the skills and expertise required to realise our business goals has paid dividends in more ways than one. The win is testimony to the importance we place on continuously improving our employee value proposition,” adds Chetty.

A survey conducted between October and November 2013 by Universum sought to establish the strength of a company’s reputation among students at select top universities in African markets.

The survey assesses the attractiveness of an employer based on key drivers which include reputation and image, people and culture, job characteristics, remuneration and advancement opportunities.

In 2012, Unilever was ranked as the number two FMCG employer in Kenya and number four overall with Safaricom, East Africa Breweries taking the lead. Ghana was ranked as the number two FMCG and number two overall with Nestle taking the lead, while Nigeria was ranked the number three FMCG and number four overall with Guinness, MTN and Nestle taking the lead.

Unilever believes the win to be a giant leap forward for all these markets in building a strong employer brand with international support.

“The win also validates the direction Unilever has taken for the business in building a culture of excellence and positions the company to further attract the top talent required to drive our lift Africa strategy. African talent is growing in the country and South Africa is being seen as a business hub for many multinationals going into Africa,” added Chetty.

Unilever attributes their success to the following interventions including:

- Creating optimal employee conditions to ensure that employees develop themselves personally and professionally;
- Ensuring that employees achieve successful work-life balance due to a flexible working environment;
- Employees enjoy international careers;
- Mentorship programmes;
- A highly regarded graduate recruitment programme;
- Driving the gender and racial balance agenda across the business; and
- Offering a world class leadership development curriculum.

Unilever South Africa was recently certified as the number one company to work for by the Best Employer Institute.

For the first time in the history of the Top Employers SA Certification Programme, Unilever obtained the highest score securing exclusive certification as:

- Top Employer South Africa;
- Number one employer in the FMCG sector; and
- Number one employer in the manufacturing sector.

The Top Employers Institute certifies excellence in the conditions that employers create for their people. Only companies that meet the stringent research criteria receive the Top Employers South Africa recognition.

As the blueprint for growing the business sustainably, Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) represents the company’s business strategy to double the size of the business while reducing the environmental impact.