How Human Resources Drives Business Success

Is there a correlation between the HR function in a company, and that company being ranked in the Top 25 companies to work for in South Africa?

Singer and composer Bob Dylan once posed the question, "What’s money? A man is successful if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between he does what he wants to do."

It’s a sentiment many organisations have pondered for some time. Indeed cash is no longer king when it comes to creating a pleasant and harmonious working environment – many companies have come to the realisation that it takes a lot more to fashion a culture where an employee can be happy doing what he or she wants to do between waking up in the morning and going to bed at night.

I learned this very early in my career. My ‘official’ designation at the time was GM: HR, however, and perhaps more significantly, my ‘unofficial’ designation was that of ‘Change Agent’. Faced with the merger of two totally different and diverse companies, together with the blending into one of five totally autonomous business units in Southern Africa, each with its own unique subcultures and ethea, was always going to be a challenge.

We started the change management process by incorporating our people into our Mission Statement – ‘To find ways of exceeding the expectations of our customers as if this company were mine’. We inculcated this employee ownership philosophy into the organisation and this led to the creation of a highly participatory and inclusive employee culture.

Although HR was ultimately responsible for driving the participatory and inclusive culture which we did by creating an environment where employees were valued and seen as core to the business, HR by no means operated in a silo.

Indeed, had it not been for the support of the MD at the time, together with the buy-in of the entire executive management team, we would never have achieved our overarching company culture of goal-oriented, customer-focused, inclusive, and participatory.

Our corporate culture, juxtaposed with other HR-driven initiatives such as remuneration and benefits; internal promotional mobility; education, training and development; working atmosphere and environs; health & safety; B-BBEE; and social responsibility, resulted in the company I was employed by being selected as one of the Best Companies to Work for in South Africa.

Our people were excited and energised by this achievement, and extremely proud of being associated with a Best-in-Class employer. Our employees most certainly walked the walk, and talked the talk when it came to living the adages of a ‘company being as good as its people’ and ‘people are a company’s greatest asset’. To this day, the company still has ‘People you can depend on’ as its tagline.

Over and above the foregoing, I was privileged to have been afforded the opportunity of representing HR at the highest level within my company. HR shared the Boardroom table alongside the other ‘larger job functions’ within the company, namely, Finance, IT, Operations, Customer Relations, and Sales & Marketing.

Fast forward nearly 20 years

I read with considerable interest that LinkedIn had recently (9 July) published the top 25 companies in South Africa where employees ‘can grow their careers’.

The rankings are apparently based on LinkedIn’s ‘unique data’ measuring different elements of career progression.

The study’s methodology looked at how employees ‘advance within a company and when they leave, their upskilling while working there, and companies that help set people up to get ahead in their careers’.

Companies that had laid off more than 10% of their staff complement between January 2022 and when the list was published were not eligible to participate in the ranking process. Despite several companies on the list having had layoffs, many remained under the 10% threshold.

Incredulously, only two of the top twenty-five companies to work for in South Africa at the current time cited Human Resources as one of their ‘largest job functions’ within their organisations. The two exceptions are Sibanye-Stillwater ranked #18, and Unilever ranked #22.

Whilst I would imagine that most if not all the Top 25 companies have well-established HR departments within their organisations, it would appear that HR does not play a strategic role in these companies.

Seemingly, HR simply provides operational and administrative support to line management in twenty-three of the twenty-five top companies to work for in South Africa.

Hence the question: is there a correlation between the strategic role of HR in a company, with that of the same company being deemed to be one of the top companies to work for in SA? The LinkedIn report would suggest not.

According to the findings, ABSA is the best company in South Africa for South Africans to grow their career.

ABSA is followed by auditing firms EY, and fellow bank FNB.

Auditing firm KPMG and South African chemical manufacturers Sasol complete the top five.

Top 25 companies to grow a career in South Africa (according to LinkedIn):

1 – ABSA

• Top locations: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Germiston

• Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Management Consulting

• Most common job titles: Sales Consultant, Banker, Customer Service Representative

• Largest job functions: Finance, Information Technology, Sales

2 – EY

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Tax Accounting, Auditing, Investor Relations

• Most common job titles: Audit Supervisor, Tax Accountant, Actuary

• Largest job functions: Accounting, Business Development, Finance

3 – FNB

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Germiston

• Most notable skills: Software Testing, Commercial Banking, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Most common job titles: Banker, Software Engineer, Banking Advisor

• Largest job functions: Finance, Information Technology, Sales

4 – KPMG

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria

• Most common job titles: Accountant, Audit Supervisor, Tax Consultant

• Largest job functions: Accounting, Business Development, Information Technology

5 – Sasol

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Germiston

• Most notable skills: Oil & Gas, Chemical Processing, Fluid Mechanics

• Most common job titles: Foreperson, Process Engineer, Mechanical Technician

• Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Information Technology

6 – Mukuru

• Top Locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Software Testing, Development Tools, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Most common job title: Sales Consultant

• Largest job functions: Customer Success and Support, Sales, Information Technology

7 – Deloitte

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Tax Law, Tax Accounting, Auditing

• Most common job titles: Actuary, Audit Assistant, Business Consultant

• Largest job functions: Accounting, Consulting, Finance

8 – Capitec

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Most common job titles: Banker, Sales Consultant, Customer Service Representative

• Largest job functions: Consulting, Finance, Sales

9 – Vodacom

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Telecommunications, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Software Testing

• Most common job titles: Sales Consultant, Account Manager, Customer Service Representative

• Largest job functions: Information Technology, Sales, Engineering

10 – MTN

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most common job titles: Customer Service Representative, Account Manager, Sales Consultant

• Largest job functions: Sales, Customer Success and Support, Information Technology

11 – Deutsche Post DHL Group

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Germiston, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Delivery Operations, Maritime Operations, Inventory Management,

• Most common job titles: Sales Executive, Driver, Administrative Assistant

• Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Customer Success and Support

12 – Mazars

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Tax Accounting, Auditing, Social Perceptiveness

• Most common job titles: Audit Supervisor, Accountant

• Largest job functions: Accounting, Finance, Information Technology

13 – PepsiCo

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Germiston, Durban

• Most notable skills: Food Manufacturing, Evolutionary Biology, Chemical Processing

• Most common job titles: Salesperson, Merchandiser, Sales Manager

• Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Marketing

14 – Bayer

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Germiston, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Agronomy, Genetic Engineering, Evolutionary Biology

• Most common job titles: Sales Manager

• Largest job functions: Sales, Operations, Research

15 – Tata Consulting Services

• Top location in South Africa: Johannesburg

• Most notable skills: Software Testing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Most common job titles: Information Technology Analyst, System Engineer

• Largest job functions: Information Technology, Engineering, Consulting

16 – Discovery Limited

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Insurance, Software Testing, Mobile Application Development

• Most common job titles: Financial Advisor, Business Development Officer, Business Analyst

• Largest job functions: Finance, Information Technology, Sales

17 – Nampak

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Germiston, Durban

• Most notable skills: Plastics, Food Manufacturing, Chemical Processing

• Most common job titles: Electrician, Mechanical Technician, Computer Numerical Control Machinist

• Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Information Technology

18 – Sibanye-Stillwater

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Germiston

• Most notable skills: Mining, Geotechnical Engineering, Materials Science

• Most common job titles: Electrician, Engineering Manager, Metal Worker

• Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Human Resources

19 – Toyota Motor Corporation

• Top locations in South Africa: Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Automotive, Operational Efficiency, Product Testing

• Most common job titles: Sales Executive, Mechanical Technician

• Largest job functions: Sales, Operations, Research

20 – Standard Bank South Africa

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban

• Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Persuasion, Management Consulting

• Most common job titles: Banker, Account Executive, Finance Officer

• Largest job functions: Finance, Information Technology, Sales, Consulting |

21 – Woolworths

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Apparel, Retail, Operational Efficiency

• Most common job titles: Cashier, Shop Manager, Salesperson

• Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Customer Success and Support

22 – Unilever

• Top locations in South Africa: Durban, Johannesburg, Germiston

• Most notable skills: Food Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Competitive Strategies

• Most common job titles: Merchandiser, Account Manager, Brand Manager

• Largest job functions: Operations Marketing, Sales, Human Resources

23 – SGS

• Top locations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria

• Most notable skills: Materials Science, Organic Chemistry, Product Testing

• Most common job titles: Laboratory Assistant

• Largest job functions: Research, Operations, Engineering

24 – Maersk

• Top locations in South Africa: Durban, Johannesburg

• Most notable skills: Naval Architecture, Maritime Operations, Navy, Delivery Operations, International Law

• Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Customer Success and Support

25 – Roche

• Top location in South Africa: Johannesburg

• Most notable skills: Physiology, Genetic Engineering, Evolutionary Biology

• Most common job title: Biochemist

• Largest job functions: Research, Information Technology, Operations

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