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Employee Motivators

Great benefits and great people yield results

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:02

While corporates need great leaders, they need even greater people to execute their vision – and a key element of keeping those people is focusing on the ‘soft’ benefits.

That was one of the key messages to emerge from a recent executive breakfast hosted by Network Recruitment in Sandton. Presenting key findings from the group’s financial sector salary survey, Network Recruitment MD Niteske Marshall revealed that a large percentage of employees value job benefits such as flexi-time and working from home.

This message was underlined by Mteto Nyati, the MD of Microsoft SA, who attributed the software company’s impressive growth achievements – from a negative base in 2009 to a 15.4 percent growth in 2010 and more than 22 percent this financial year – to the company’s renewed focus on its people.

“Employee satisfaction is key to the successful running of any organisation. Our success comes down to employee engagement and open communication,” said Nyati.

“This underscores our ability to listen and act on employee feedback, creates the space for our employees to contribute to our growth, and allows a culture of providing a challenging workplace in which our people feel they are making a real difference to the lives of others.”

Back in 2009, Microsoft faced several challenges, two of which were a lack of focus in the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) arena and low employee morale.

The solution included the creation of Microsoft internal processes such as regular roundtable discussions and monthly company meetings, which were underpinned by an increase in consistency and purpose on the part of the leadership team, as well as staff inclusivity and fun activities.

Nyati, who is highly regarded for his entrepreneurial BEE achievements, said the leadership team focused strongly on building trust and promoting group collaboration with a shared vision.

This led to Microsoft winning two employee focussed awards in Deloitte’s Best Company to Work for Survey in 2010. The company’s adherence to the spirit, rather than just the letter, of the BEE codes has also seen Microsoft earn a Level 2 BBBEE status, up from Level 6 in 2009.

“We have an extremely passionate and dynamic team at Microsoft, and we believe that we remain a progressive employer that people want to work for,” he said. “Microsoft has always been something of an anomaly in the IT industry with its low staff turnover rates, and we’re more committed than ever to continue our efforts in providing the stimulating, innovative and rewarding work environment that is so highly prized by our employees.”