Safaricom retains best employer rating

Kenya’s biggest telco, Safaricom, has been named the best employer in Kenya for the second year in a row.

The telco was followed by beer manufacturer EABL, the United Nations, KCB and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) in that order in a ranking by local online job-listing firm BrighterMonday.

EABL made the biggest jump to second place from position 51 recorded in 2018 report as Google dropped from fourth in ranking to 17 this year.

BrighterMonday’s Best 100 Companies to work for 2019 features firms in various sectors that include agriculture, banking, fast moving consumer goods, healthcare, non-governmental organisation, auditing and finance and technology.

BrighterMonday’s research found that employees were happy in companies that had strong relatable values and goals, open effective management which allowed smooth running of the company, flexible hours that enabled work-life balance, transparent performance management and health programmes.

The firm carried out two surveys which targeted employees of companies and another to the general public where they interviewed 3,448 respondents.

Respondents were asked to list three companies they respect and admire, and desire to work for while picking traits that make the companies great employers.

A majority of the respondents were aged 18 to 35, live in Nairobi and hold a bachelor’s degree.

“Safaricom was not only voted the best company to work for but also the most respected and admired and desired company to work for in Kenya,” said the report.

The study revealed that most employees, 47 percent, were not happy with their current employers and would be quick to switch jobs if given a chance. Those aged 25 to 35 were the happiest group at work.

In the survey, most youth toyed with the idea of going into business to diversify income streams.

The study also revealed that women (66 percent) felt undervalued at the workplace when compared to 56 percent of the men who shared similar feelings. “… over 50 percent of women were happy to leave their current employer because they felt that the workplace is not conducive for them as they don’t feel valued or their employers do not meet their desired traits, or they simply leave for greener pastures,” said BrighterMonday CEO Emmanuel Mutuma.

“It is vital for employers to understand that employee satisfaction is a major factor that can help determine the organisation’ overall well-being; thus rigorous strategies to ensure, measure, track and improve employee satisfaction should always be held in high regard.”