DHL Express (http://www.DHL.com) has been recognised as a Top Employer in Africa for the fifth consecutive year, at the prestigious Top Employer Africa 2019 certification ceremony, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday, 4 October 2018.  

Paul Clegg, VP Human Resources for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said that receiving this recognition from the Top Employers Institute is a huge honour.  “At DHL Express we truly value our employees and constantly strive to ensure they know how much their work matters. Our people are the lifeblood of our organization and we believe in fostering a continuous learning and development culture. We couldn’t be happier to have that fact affirmed by the Top Employers Institute.”

DHL received 22 certifications across 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa this year, including the coveted Intercontinental Award for having the most Top Employer certifications on the continent.

Countries for which certifications were received include Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“Having motivated people is the first pillar of our global Focus strategy, which enables us to provide great service quality and retain our loyal customers. Effective employee engagement programs, that drive motivation and employee engagement, are therefore integral to maintaining our insanely customer culture across the globe” said Clegg.

According to Clegg, DHL’s use of employee initiatives and programs, including the company’s Certified International Specialist (CIS) cultural change program, has helped to unlock the potential of the company’s employees across Sub-Saharan Africa. “We made the decision a few years ago to put strong emphasis on up-skilling and empowering our middle-managers and supervisors as this rung of leadership is crucial to supporting our growth in the coming years.”

DHL also recently completed their annual Employee Opinion Survey, which provides an anonymous platform for personnel to express their opinions about the company. “This is a valuable tool that assists us in identifying what we are doing right, as well as what we need to improve,” added Clegg.

“Another notable employee recognition program is our Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Year awards, which are presented to our star performers, nominated by fellow employees. “Our network is only as strong as it is because of our incredible people and we believe that strategic planning and program implementation is invaluable in this regard.”

To be certified as a Top Employer in Africa, a company needs to operate in four or more countries and have exceptional employee conditions. The Top Employers Institute conducts comprehensive and independent research by getting employees in the relevant companies to complete a HR best practice survey.

The Top Employers Institute survey assesses human resource strategy, policy implementation, practices and employee offerings, to reveal whether the company provides exceptional employee conditions, develops talent on all levels and demonstrates leadership through optimizing the development of its employees and employee practices.

Every completed survey is reviewed by the Top Employers Institute and then the process is audited by a third party. Only organizations that qualify from the selection process receive the Top Employers title and certification seal but all participants receive a comprehensive feedback report.

“We are beyond honored to have gained this wonderful recognition in additional countries this year and to have been recognized as a Top Employer in Africa for yet another year. We will continue to strive to add even more countries to this list and ensure we maintain our focus on attracting, retaining and developing our people across the sub-Saharan Africa region,” concluded Clegg.