Unilever has been certified as the number one ‘Top Employer in Africa’ for the fourth time. This was announced at the Top Employer Institute award ceremony in South Africa, recently.
It has also been certified the number one ‘Top Employer in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe’.
Unilever’s Vice-President, Human Resources in Africa, Mechell Chetty, said the Top Employer Africa certification for Unilever affirmed the company’s ability to deliver an excellent employment experience consistently across the continent.
The company said in a statement, “The Top Employer brand signals to talent that we are committed to staff development and helping our employees reach their personal ambitions. The certification also provides us with important feedback about how we can improve our human resources practices.
“The countries were ranked in an extremely competitive HR best practices survey conducted by the Top Employers Institute. Criteria examined included talent strategy, on-boarding, learning and development, performance management, career and succession management, and leadership development, compensation, benefits and culture.
“One of these initiatives is the Unilever Future Leaders’ Programme, which each year receives thousands of applications from graduates. The programme is designed to develop business leaders of tomorrow and provide on-the-job training, exposure to best in-class thought leaders, international experiences, collaborative projects and practical experience in bringing Unilever’s sustainability agenda to life.”
The Human Resources Director, Unilever Ghana & Nigeria, Eniola Onimole, said the firm invested in employees through initiatives that contributed to their success.
“These initiatives include international career exposure, mentorship programmes, flexible working patterns, graduate recruitment programme and a world class leadership development curriculum,” Onimole stated.
According to the HR director, given the high unemployment rate in Africa, Unilever Africa’s HR purpose is to address youth unemployment through the Level-up Programme. The programme is designed to prepare youths for the world of work.
Chetty added, “To date, Unilever Africa has reached over 80,000 youths across the continent through face-to-face connects and digital platforms delivering nine relevant impactful modules. We will not stop there; our ambition is to reach one million youths across the continent.
“Technology-enabled learning has allowed Unilever to enhance flexible learning to suit different learning styles, learning on the go, anywhere and anytime.
“We have an online platform, which provides learning courses, podcasts, videos and articles tailored to the employees’ individual needs.”
