Support through menopause and family leave wins Vodacom top employer

Vodacom’s expanded family responsibility leave policies and support for various life stages won the employer the accolade for a second year.

Vodacom won the award for the second year running. Image credit: Canva.

Vodacom Group has been recognised as Africa’s top employer for the second year in a row by the Top Employers Institute. This recognition also extends to Vodacom Group’s operations in South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania, as well as to Safaricom in Kenya.

The award is based on companies’ performances in areas of human resources, including talent acquisition, work environment, people strategy, learning, and employee well-being.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said: “We are incredibly proud to be certified as the Top Employer in Africa for the second year in a row. We believe that the well-being of our employees contributes directly to our ability to fulfil our purpose of connecting for a better future. By continually enhancing our Employee Value Proposition through empathetic and inclusive policies and practices, we are cultivating a workplace culture where people feel valued, empowered, and inspired to reach their full potential.”

VODACOM’S WORKPLACE WELL-BEING INITIATIVES

According to Joosub, in 2024, despite announcing early last year that it was planning on cutting around 80 jobs in South Africa during that year, the company also introduced initiatives to improve workplace well-being.

These include expanded family responsibility leave policies and support for various life stages, such as menopause, under a framework called Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy (C.A.R.E.).

Chief Human Resources Officer Matimba Mbungela at Vodacom noted that maintaining this recognition reflects the company’s commitment to both its employees and broader talent development across Africa. “Our focus on nurturing talent and career development in the tech industry extends to the millions of young people across the continent who are the future of work. There is an urgent need to prepare the next generation for the rapidly evolving digital economy,” he said.

DIGITAL SKILLS HUB

To address this, Vodacom has launched a Digital Skills Hub aimed at equipping one million young people across Africa with digital skills by 2027. The programme is targeted at individuals aged 18 to 35 and offers self-paced digital skills training. The initiative is supported by partnerships with organisations such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft.

The Digital Skills Hub focuses on digital literacy and encourages careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). One of the first programmes offered through the hub is AWS Educate, which provides beginner-friendly training in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Joosub encouraged young people to take advantage of the opportunity, saying, “As we embark on a new year, we want to encourage young people, whether they’re students, job seekers or aspiring entrepreneurs, to benefit from the Digital Skills Hub. By supporting digital skills training as a Top Employer, we are empowering the next workforce and ensuring that everyone can connect to a better future.”

The hub’s initiatives will operate in eight African countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Kenya.

DO YOU THINK THESE AWARDS ARE A TRUE REFLECTION OF THESE WORKPLACES?

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