Best company to work for

On 27 September 2006, hundreds of Hollardites gathered to watch a live broadcast of the
Best Company to Work For survey. As each of the top ten companies in South Africa was announced, there was a breathless silence as we waited to hear our name. When it came, we cheered, danced, hugged each other and celebrated our achievement: we moved up 3 places to scoop 5th place overall!

“Our people are definitely flying high,” says Hollard’s former CEO, Paolo Cavalieri. “To attract exceptional and talented people you’ve got to have a great internal vibe going. This achievement proves we’ve got that. It’s an energy that gets passed on to all we work with: our policy holders, brokers and partners. So we’re walking tall.

"The survey is mainly about employee perceptions which count for 85% of the overall score. That’s really significant because how Hollardites feel dictates how they act … and that is the most important part of our business because it translates into energetic service.”

The employee questionnaire focused on job satisfaction, leadership, rewards, recognition and performance management, relationships as well as training and development. The final scores are independently judged by a panel of objective academics and human resources experts who choose the winners.

Ivan Mzimela, head of Human Resources at Hollard says: “a lot of energy and attention goes into creating a culture, value system and work environment that supports and draws the best out of our 'Hollardites' and creates a workplace that is fun, satisfying and rewarding.”