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Blue Chip Journal - January 2020 edition

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INTERVIEW both the

INTERVIEW both the organisation and the individual – the result is a magnetising EX that attracts, grows and retains high-performing employees. It’s a positive feedback loop of productivity – the ultimate win-win. Muzondo sums up: “In addition to our brand slogan of ‘Together we can’, we share a message – in all our interactions with clients – that ‘what matters to you, matters to us!’ To confidently keep on sharing this message with clients, it’s imperative that our employees know that they matter to us.” Reaching clients through employees By empowering employees to achieve their own goals at work, Metropolitan furthers its vision of enabling the people in the communities it serves to achieve their financial life goals. “We serve the emerging market, and for this reason, our branches and advisors are rooted in the many communities across South Africa, rural and urban, that we serve. Our advisors are usually members of the communities in which they operate, so they know their clients on a more personal level. Our vision is to help people reach their financial life goals and through our advisor force we get closer to our goal one client at a time,” says Muzondo. Help me find balance Smart exit me 7 Recognise and appreciate me Eight key steps in the employee life cycle 8 “Our service awards are testimony to the fact that our employees are engaged and are performing to meet our vision. Our excellent service track record remains an important indicator of how our clients and our employees feel about our brand – and it points to the fact that Metropolitan employees are truly living our values of integrity, diversity, innovation, teamwork, accountability and excellence.” An ongoing journey “Metropolitan’s EX remains a journey in the fast-paced financial services environment, and not a destination,” Muzondo explains. “It’s not a once-off – it’s ongoing and Attract me 1 6 4 5 Engage me “Metropolitan has amazing people who connect in meaningful ways to enable the business to succeed while building profound relationships” 2 Set me up for success 3 Grow my skills Manage my performance demands continuous improvement. The employee workforce isn’t stagnant – our offering must be reviewed and evolved to remain relevant and ensure that we are constantly catering to the needs of our employees as their careers progress. Everyone has different needs and goals in terms of growth, career, and work/life balance – so we focus on the individual and their needs at the different levels of their career path, and we partner with them to attain their goals and aspirations.” The partnering process is a matter of continuous engagements with employees. Some engagements are embedded in the Performance Excellence process, others arise during personal development plan discussions, while others take place more informally in the course of one-on-one conversations between employees and their manager. “It’s all about remaining close to employees and their aspirations,” says Muzondo. “Some of the initiatives we have implemented to help realise employees’ needs are moving away from the 8-5 workday in favour of more flexible work arrangements. By working from home, parents can meet their professional goals without sacrificing the joy of watching their children play sport. Employees can bring their children to work in difficult times. We allow employees to take sabbaticals to take care of family. People can take time off for their studies. We offer bursaries, internships and learnerships so that we can empower our employees and inspire them to give back. “Ultimately, we realise that our staff are multi-dimensional people with whole lives beyond work, and we allow them the opportunity to make both worlds work harmoniously.” The proof is in the pudding. Despite the fierce competition for skills and talent in the broader market, more and more advisors are choosing to partner with Metropolitan. “Our talent chooses us because we value them,” concludes Muzondo. “We nurture and grow our talent and allow them to spread their wings. Sometimes they leave, but many return to Metropolitan because there’s no place like home.” 16 www.bluechipjournal.co.za

INTERVIEW Together we can Employer Marketing – bringing to life an Employee Experience In the words of Sir Richard Branson, “Clients do not come first, employees come first. If you take care of the employee, they will take care of your clients.” At Metropolitan, employees are the life force of business. When your company’s biggest asset is your staff, attracting and retaining the right staff and supporting their engagement becomes a business imperative. Siphokazi Madlingozi, Marketing Manager: Employer at Metropolitan, tells us more about how Employer Brand Marketing is helping Metropolitan achieve these goals. What is Employer Marketing? “Employer Brand Marketing is the process of promoting an organisation to existing and potential employees to position the company as the employer of choice. “It communicates with the purpose of solving employee engagement, employee retention and other staff challenges that the Human Capital/Human Resources function identifies. It further provides strategies to solve,” says Madlingozi. The pay-off: a strong employer brand enables an organisation to increase the number of quality applicants, to reduce recruitment costs and to stand out from competitors. Employer Marketing therefore directly affects the bottom line, making it vital to the business. The purpose of employee engagement As today’s workforce becomes ever more complex, finding the right fit is critical in curbing churn and improving productivity. According to the Harvard Business Review, engaged employees are more motivated and productive than their counterparts – but what is engagement and what does it really mean? “Employee engagement is an approach that seeks to motivate employees to stay committed to their goals and to do their best at work. It is the extent to which people want to come to work, understand their jobs, and know how their work contributes to the success of the company,” says Madlingozi. Engagement factors include mobility, flexibility, work-life balance, growth, meaningful work and feeling valued, among others. Employees must be clear on the company vision but equally important is for the business to understand the employee growth plans and develop strategies that align in order to deliver on the business objective. The style in which the organisation communicates and interacts with employees is also key to engagement. The importance of collaboration In many companies, it’s debatable whether Employer Marketing is owned by HR, Marketing or the CEO’s office. For Madlingozi, however, there is no one-sizefits-all solution. “Employee engagement is an intricate dance which in my view cannot be done well without all functions playing their part harmoniously,” she says. Collaboration is critical. “HR or Human Capital owns the people agenda, creating an attractive Employee Experience – salary, benefits, growth, etc – for potential and current employees. “The CEO has to champion the Employee Experience through culture. Culture is leader led, so the CEO must ensure employees are aligned to his strategic vision and set the tone for the culture of high-performance delivery he would like to create. Marketing’s responsibility is to consolidate the business and Human Capital objectives to create clear messaging in a simple, meaningful and innovative way that resonates with employees,” Madlingozi clarifies. Building the Metropolitan Employer Brand The Metropolitan employer brand marketing team has the advantage of enjoying a clearly defined Employee Value Proposition and a well-thought-out strategy for the employee experience. “Our Employee Experience is routed in our brand proposition of ‘What Matters to You, Matters to Us’. We are there to support them to succeed because their success is our success. The challenge however is creating EVP comms that speak to a diverse range of staff. The advisors who operate in the field and the indoor staff, who are primarily office based. The solution: building an employer brand through promoting the idea of reciprocity. By reinforcing a clear, consistent message of togetherness (Together We Can) we begin to ease the complexity created by the duality. “This idea of Together We Can is also aligned to the consumer proposition – ensuring uniformity across the brand. “Building a world-class employer brand is no easy feat, nor can it be done overnight. But with a solid EVP offering and a unique brand proposition, it’s only a matter of time,” Madlingozi concludes. Siphokazi Madlingozi – Marketing Manager: Employer, Metropolitan www.bluechipjournal.co.za 17

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