Global benchmark recognition as SA insurer earns 4^th consecutive certification from international Top Employer Institute

Integrated financial services company Momentum Metropolitan has again secured Top Employer certification from the internationally recognised Top Employer Institute. The certification is only awarded to companies whose HR and human management practices reach a comparable level of excellence set against accepted global best-practice standards.

One of the primary points of the certification is for companies to continually assess and improve their workplace environment and the positive impact that their human management policies have on the welfare and morale of employees. Companies compete against their previous results as well as being benchmarked and assessed against companies around the world. This year for Momentum Metropolitan, 65% of topics scored above the SA benchmark, against all the other South African companies assessed and certified.

In 2024 the Institute certified 2 303 organisations in 121 countries on five continents. 138 South African companies have been certified.

Every year since 2021 Momentum Metropolitan has improved its overall average rating, meaning that employees reap the benefits of the company evolving and improving human capital practices. The company is keeping pace with international best-practice standards and continually innovating as part of the global Top Employer community.

Lettie-Basani Phume, Momentum Metropolitan Group Human Capital Executive said, “We are again incredibly proud to have secured our Top Employer Certification for 2024. Our people management practices and the way we look after all of our 16 442 employees have again been checked and benchmarked against some of South Africa’s and the world’s most respected and successful companies”.

“We have been successfully certified for a fourth consecutive year, showing consistency of excellence. More importantly each year we have improved our score and ranking. We have taken note of where we can improve and have worked hard to up our game for the wellbeing and support of our employees. We want a workforce that is engaged and empowered to bring their best selves to work. We want our people to feel respected and protected in a work environment that is not only conducive to productivity but also provides a pleasant and inspiring space”.

This year marks Momentum Metropolitan’s fourth consecutive certification with improvements achieved in the majority of areas of measurement* and excelling in the ‘Shape’ category which evaluates the work environment, digitisation of HR processes and the management of change.

Shape

The Group’s focus on enabling integrated digital solutions in the HR space resulting in easy-to-use, self-service functionality coupled with clear, concise and regular communication of these digital capabilities contributed to the above (global) average high scores in this area of analysis.

Employees who felt empowered within a positive work environment was another driver of success in the ‘Shape’ category. Interestingly the hybrid model giving employees the choice of working remotely and back in the office is considered a good practice globally and is rated strongly and appreciated by employees. Momentum Metropolitan is welcoming more and more employees back into the office, but still enables some working from home flexibility.

Post Covid, the company adapted to changes through the #ThinkHumanFirst mantra and provided resources to our Human Capital business partners, line managers, and employees to effectively navigate the changed landscape. The well-being of employees is valued, and this philosophy is embedded into the work design.

Steer

Significantly Leadership was an area of analysis in the ‘Steer’ category that scored particularly well. Relentless attention to change management and regular, transparent two-way communication with leadership contributed to these positive results. A clearly articulated business strategy from leadership was communicated regularly.

Develop

Areas of greatest improvement were in the ‘Develop’ category with learning and personal career development shining here. The company has proudly embarked on a series of ambitions, specialised education programmes for employees. Modules include Junior, Middle and Senior Leadership Programmes, up to a very sophisticated, tailor-made Executive Leadership Programme and at senior management levels, there is the prospect of courses at the International Business Schools. In addition to that, the company has also introduced a programme for Women in Leadership, and a programme for Specialists in Leadership.

These programmes were intentionally designed in alignment with Momentum Metropolitan’s Reinvent and Grow Strategy, People Strategy and our Leadership and Culture DNA. It has resulted in empowered, motivated and confident leaders. Employees are encouraged to advance their personal career development and opportunities to upskill abound. Jeanette Marais, the Group CEO places an exceptionally high value on leadership development and has been committed and supportive in introducing the various programmes across all layers of leadership.

Along with the Top Employer certification Momentum Metropolitan has participated in the Global Leadership Forecast series run by consulting firm DDI (Development Dimensions International). This survey is the longest-running global study of leadership aimed at understanding current and future leadership best practices. This year it examined 13 695 leaders from 1 556 organisations around the world. It spanned more than 50 countries and 24 major industry sectors and is the largest leadership study of its kind.

Their findings are in sync with the finding of Top Employer, showing that companies that do the best in “High Quality Leadership Culture” ratings, follow these world-class, people practices:

• Their leadership development focus on critical leadership skills
• They follow “people-first” talent practices, i.e. the focus is on development and career growth of employees
• They offer high-quality development across their entire pipeline of leaders
• They focus on promoting leaders internally  

These insights indicate that the company is on the right track by investing in leadership and skills development to enable a high-performance culture with off-shoots of better decisions, improved communication, better execution, highly motivated employees, greater retention and opportunity for advancement with more promotions from within. The company compares extremely favourably with the best global standards.

In conclusion Phume says, “Our commitment to excellent people management practices is stronger than ever before. It is not just about our scores; it is about thoughtfully crafting a recipe for impactful success, that we refine on a continual basis”.