Benefits that Benefit: How to Keep Your Employees Happy and Engaged

In light of National Employee Benefits Day, which was on 6 April, we spoke to Edelman Africa’s HR Lead, Kelly Smith, who brings almost two decades of HR experience across various industries. Kelly’s role involves prioritising people and understanding the needs of the Africa offices to develop HR strategies that align with their business goals. To achieve this, she spends a lot of time speaking with employees to gain valuable insights.

“Witnessing passionate and committed employees flourish and achieve their career aspirations brings great contentment and purpose to my role,” she said.

We asked Kelly for some insights on the employee benefits available to the team at Edelman Africa.

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How does Edelman support employee development and career growth?

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At Edelman, supporting our staff’s personal and professional growth key on our agenda. We’ve got an internal learning and development platform, performance check-in’s twice a year, and a mentorship program so our junior staff members can learn from those more experienced. We encourage trying new things and stepping out of comfort zones to gain experience, learn from successes and failures, and grow. At the end of the day, our goal is to empower our employees to achieve their career goals.

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What are some of the standout employee benefits and perks that Edelman offers, and how do they support employees?

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Edelman has a wide range of employee benefits.. One of my personal favourites is our “Africa Time” policy, which allows employees across the Africa network to work uninterrupted every Wednesday from 1 pm to catch up on admin or focus on their work. We prioritise employee well-being with policies like the Employee Assistance Program and a day off on Mental Health Awareness Day. We also have a Global Dusk to Dawn policy to balance work and life, and we support flexible and hybrid working. Our culture is important to us, and we have a team of fun-loving Edelmaniacs who organise social, fun, and team-building activities.

We also have a citizenship team that promotes positive impact on our communities and environment. Popular with our staff is our global exchange program that provides our best performers with the opportunity to experience working in one of our 65 offices across the globe.

These benefits are all in addition to our generous leave policy, medical aid, a cell phone allowance, and a risk and pension fund on top of statutory requirements

How does Edelman promote diversity and inclusion, and what initiatives has the company taken in this area?

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As mentioned earlier, we have a citizenship team, and one of the pillars in our citizenship portfolio is DE&I. This includes Employment Equity legislative requirements and B-BBEE obligations, as well as Equal, which promotes our LGBTQ+ community, and GWEN, which promotes women in the workplace. We work together as a team to raise awareness around these topics by inviting external speakers, celebrating, and embracing awareness days, and more.

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What are the critical factors for creating a positive and productive company culture, and how does your organisation promote them?

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A few weeks ago, I came across a quote that I wholeheartedly agree with and try to live by: "HR teams who are in sync with employees, who understand engagement levels and company culture, and who know how to get the best out of their people will always add tremendous value to their business" (author unknown). At Edelman, we strive to create a positive and productive company culture by listening to our employees and understanding what they need to succeed. We conduct an annual engagement survey, and once we have the results, we take them seriously. We listen, respond, and implement changes where we can. This is just one of the ways we promote a positive and productive company culture.

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How do you make sure that employees at Edelman are aware of the employee benefits and resources available to them?

We have made some changes to our onboarding process to make sure all new hires are fully aware of our employee benefits. We're also always reminding our current employees about their benefits and running events to help them understand how to use them. For example, we recently had a financial advisor come and talk to our team about "managing your money" and how to have a healthy relationship with your finances. It was really helpful for everyone and reminded us of all about the great benefits we have available through our financial brokers.

Edelman Africa is an exceptional workplace that values and prioritises a healthy company culture, resulting in happy and motivated staff that consistently produce award-winning work. With employee benefits tailored to meet everyone's needs, the company is committed to continually expanding and creating the best working environment for its employees. Edelman Africa's commitment to a positive work culture sets it apart as an employer of choice, and its focus on employee satisfaction contributes to its success as an industry leader.