Microsoft named South Africa's top employer

18 Oct 2016

The Top Employers Institute has recognised Microsoft SA as the country's number one employer, regardless of sector or organisational size. The company was awarded Top Employers South Africa 2017 certification in recognition of the company's excellent employee conditions, development and nurturing of talent throughout all levels of the organisation, as well as its forward-thinking employment practices, at an exclusive ceremony held in Johannesburg last week.

Our amazing leadership team with the award for the Top Employer in S.A. #TECD2017 #MicrosoftSA #ILoveMyJob pic.twitter.com/fJ8oy7MSUs
— Microsoft SA (@MicrosoftSA) October 13, 2016

“This year, we awarded Top Employers certification to a record number of companies. This achievement necessitates that an organisation’s working environment continuously seeks to optimise employee conditions and that the business is always aiming to develop its people in terms of training as well as opportunities to grow and become leaders,” says Billy Elliott, country manager for Top Employers Institute South Africa.

“As the number one employer in South Africa, Microsoft provides an outstanding employment environment and offers a wide range of creative initiatives, from secondary benefits and working conditions, to performance-management programmes that are well thought out and truly aligned with the culture of their company,” Elliott added.

Empowering culture

Zoaib Hoosen, MD of Microsoft SA.

Key to Microsoft’s recognition as the best employer in South Africa is their commitment to making a difference, and empowering not only their customers but their staff to achieve more through technology and innovation, says Zoaib Hoosen, managing director of Microsoft SA.

“Microsoft’s new mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more also extends to our own employees. We believe in bringing out the best in our people through the use of technology and skills development. Doing so, not only enables companies to remain highly competitive in tough times, but also allows the organisation to constantly innovate and address the changing needs of our customers during times of technological or business disruption, as well as digital change,” Hoosen says.

Microsoft has undergone major strategic and cultural shifts in recent years culminating in the alignment of the company’s structure and culture to its new mission.

Success drivers

“Today Microsoft’s most important driver of success is its new culture, which values a growth mindset as the most important driver of success. This new culture has three key features. The first is a new approach to customer service. Microsoft employees are customer obsessed, learning about their customers and their businesses in a way that allows them to develop solutions which meet their needs,” says Enid Lizamore, ‎head of HR at Microsoft South Africa.

Lizamore added that Microsoft also values diversity in the workplace; embracing it as a strength and constantly seeking it out in order to develop better ideas and products which serve their customers better.

Finally, Microsoft employees are united behind their shared mission. “These three things coupled with our commitment to making a difference in the world makes working at Microsoft a special experience,” says Hoosen. “We have an exceptional team of talented individuals who all possess the mindset of a learner and constantly seek to improve the lives of our customers, and ultimately, positively impact the world.”