The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media industry.
Bridgestone recognised as Top Employer
Bridgestone Southern Africa (BSAF) has been certified as one of South Africa’s leading companies to work for by the Top Employers Institute, the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices. The tyre manufacturer, measured against 113 companies in South Africa, achieved an overall Top Employer score of almost 90% surpassing the benchmark of 85.49%.
“We are incredibly proud of the hard work that has gone into attaining this very important achievement,” says Bridgestone South Africa CEO, Jacques Fourie. “We have gathered the best minds in our business to develop systems and processes that not only supported our people through the pandemic but equipped them to achieve their highest potential in a truly world-class South African manufacturing operation that competes with some of the best in the world.”
Of note were 100% scores in each of the areas of business strategy, leadership, organisation and change, work environment, values, ethics and strategy, and sustainability.
Bridgestone Southern Africa has recently embarked on an extensive repositioning of its brand, a restructuring of operations and talent acquisition to drive over the past three years, redefining the business to be more than just a tyre producer, but a total mobility provider with an emphasis on safety and performance across its various segments.
Through its many efforts to become a more transformed organisation, the company achieved the industry-first of a Level 3 Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment certification, coming from Level 7 prior to 2019. In 2021, major improvements were made in ownership, management control and employment equity, with strong and stable scores in skills development, enterprise and supplier, and socio-economic development.
Santam ranked 18th in the South African Top Employer Awards
Santam, the country’s largest short-term insurer, has, for the sixth consecutive year, been certified as a Top Employer (TE) in South Africa by the Top Employers Institute, the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices.
Enid Lizamore, executive head of human resources at Santam, said, “We are honoured to be placed amongst the top 20 companies, with Santam being the only company in the insurance sector that made it into the Top 20 of the 2022 TE companies. Santam’s overall ranking improved to 18 in the South African grouping. We strive to build an empowering and inclusive culture where our people can come as they are, bring their best, leverage diverse and challenging career opportunities, and do meaningful work to help South Africans to live their best lives.
“In the current environment of uncertainty, it’s even more imperative to prioritise our people’s wellbeing as we navigate a new world of work. Being a Top Employer means constantly evolving our employee value proposition to meet shifting needs and ensure our team feels listened to and valued.”
The Top Employer programme has, to date, certified and recognised over 1 857 Top Employers in more than 123 countries across five continents. This allows certified organisations to leverage their employer branding, benchmark their practices against other top performers, and globally align their policies.
Lizamore added, “At Santam, we’re passionate about creating an outstanding experience for our people through strategic and thoughtful workplace programmes focused on development – like our in-house Academy. For the last 103 years, our people have been our focus. And they will continue to be so for the next one hundred years and more. Ultimately, we know that the best way to entrench resilience is to build a people-focused organisation with a strong employee value proposition.”
Aon South Africa recognised as a Top Employer 2022
The 2022 Top Employers have been announced by the Top Employer’s Institute, with Aon South Africa recognised as a Top Employer for an impressive fifth consecutive year.
The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. The survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, well-being and diversity & inclusion and more. Being certified as a Top Employer showcases an organisation’s dedication to a better world of work and exhibits this through excellent HR policies and people practices.
Zanele Dintwa, head of employee engagement & HRBP at Aon South Africa said: “We are exceedingly proud to be named as a Top Employer for the fifth consecutive year. Over the last decade the world of work has changed dramatically for individuals and the organisations they serve. That change was rapidly propelled in the last two pandemic years with a fundamental shift in where, how and when work gets done. It’s a change that can cause a disconnect between a company and its employees.”
Dintwa said fostering a more flexible, engaged and resilient workforce demanded in a time of such profound upheaval brought about by the pandemic was a monumental task. “Decisions had to be made and plans implemented on how to manage the evolving hybrid structures of work, achieve a healthier – both mentally and physically – and more inclusive team at a time when people were socially distanced and working from home. We had to find new reward structures to maximise engagement and profits, while at the same time provide the means for individuals to take more responsibility for their self-direction and outcomes. Beyond health, mental wellbeing was front and centre at a time when many of our people were experiencing devastating personal loss and uncertainty at home. We needed a fundamentally new approach on how to show and help our people stay ahead of the evolving world of work, able to embrace the importance of our shared personal and organisational ambitions, while at the same time supporting them through their own challenges in their personal lives. When we look back on the past two years, the pandemic has been without a doubt, the most radical social experiment in the world of work, in our lifetimes.”
Samsung announces winner of Incredible Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge
In early November the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator Challenge was launched, capturing the imagination of décor enthusiasts across the nation. With its award-winning design*, modularity and customisable panel options, the Bespoke refrigerator offers consumers the flexibility to customise their refrigerator according to their personality and lifestyle.
Well-known influencers, Naqiyah Mayat, Shelley Mokoena, Cassandra Twala and Decorex competition entrant, Mary-Anne Gwayanya, went head-to-head to explore the Samsung Bespoke Refrigerator’s endless potential for personalisation, by creating the most captivating living space at Design Quarter in Johannesburg.
Cassandra Twala has now been revealed as the winner. “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Samsung and the team on this project. A one of a kind refrigerator deserves a one of a kind launch, and this entire experience has truly been out of the ordinary. Samsung and supporting sponsors created an environment for creativity to thrive – support, resources, mentors and amazing people.
“I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish and hope that it inspires others to boldly showcase their personality in the spaces they inhabit. Winning the ‘My Bespoke Home challenge’ has given me a renewed affirmation of bespoke design – there is only one you, and that deserves to be translated into your living space.”
Celebrated interior designer, Donald Nxumalo kept a keen professional eye on the contestant’s design progress during the challenge as they sought the inspiration to create an integrated living space like no other.
The #MySamsungBespokeChallenge, included JoAnn Strauss as MC and a host of partners including Le Creuset, Consentino, TOP Carpets, SHF Decorex Africa, Versus Paints and Design Quarter, who joined forces to inspire the contestant’s creativity and spark new ideas. All the challengers received cash cards with funds to spend at sponsors stores, to enhance and complete their allocated living spaces.
INMA Global Media Awards deadline looms
With only three days remaining until the INMA Global Media Awards competition deadline (Friday, January 28), I want to encourage you to pick your categories as soon as possible.
Here are some insights that might prove helpful for your entries:
New categories: Six of our 20 categories are new this year, and centre on advertising, product, and the newsroom. I sent you an e-mail recently with the categories most relevant to you.
Segment: You may enter as a National Brand, a Regional Brand or a Group, depending on where the work came from. This is important so we can benchmark your entry against work of similarly focused companies.
What judges seek: Our judging panels seek creativity, originality, results, and enthusiasm (CORE). They also look for simplicity.
Please see our frequently asked questions, or reach out for more information.
You can drop me a line at awards@inma.org or telephone me directly at +1 214 269-7485 or +49 170 3015197.
