Absa Celebrates Regional Top Employer in Africa Award

The certification is awarded to employers that provide excellent employee conditions, nurture and develop talent across all levels of the organization, and strive to optimize the employee experience and employment practices.

Absa retained the certification in all five markets that were recognized in 2022 – South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana and Botswana. Absa was recognized for not only matching rigorous global benchmarks, but for exceeding these in several categories including business strategy, ethics and integrity, organization and change, purpose and values, digital HR, and people strategy.

Jeanett Modise, Absa’s Group Chief People Officer, said, “Retaining our certification across disparate markets for two years speaks to the consistency of our Group strategy and vision for our people. It is testament to our focus on consistently re-invigorating our people practices across the Group, and setting new benchmarks as an employer of choice in Africa as a result.”

Absa is a pan-African organization operating in diverse, dynamic markets, and has embraced the opportunity to build enterprise talent that is reflective of that diversity, that is synergistic, and that is agile in the way it is deployed. Absa’s ability to retain this mobility and coherence relies on its people’s alignment within a shared vision, values, culture and strategy.

“We have shown that we are able to align the lived experiences of our colleagues to our intent, building a shared sense of belonging through our culture where colleagues are empowered, engaged and future fit,” Modise says. “Developing an exceptional employee experience leaves no room for complacency. We want to become nothing less than the chosen home of Africa’s leading talent.”

Absa views talent development, progression and succession as critical enablers in driving its future success. Underpinning its people practices is a committed focus on communication and understanding people’s desires, challenges, and motivations. This enables alignment across diverse operations, enabling Absa’s people at every level to understand how their efforts contribute to the group’s shared success. An environment in which people are connected, growing, and bringing their best helps Absa stand out as a class-leading organization.

“We are a people-centered organization whose success is dependent on theirs,” Modise says. “We have the potential to move from good to great, and it is our people who will get us there. Absa has responded to the new ways of work, and the evolving expectations of our people, through a flexible, digitally enabled environment, where processes and practices support the employee experience. We have invested in the holistic wellbeing of our people, and will continue to do so, with a special focus on sustaining an inclusive culture that empowers and enables our people to thrive.”

Absa is a leading pan-African financial institution that brings possibilities to life. “Achieving the Top Employer Africa certification is a great milestone on our journey to build an organization that is globally respected, and that Africa can be proud of,” Modise says. “This certification assures us that the investments we are making in our colleagues’ lived experience – through building a shared sense of belonging, and cultivating a workforce that is engaged and future fit – is paying dividends. We are pleased that the people practices we have established to empower and support our people are not just on par with global best-practice benchmarks, but often exceed them.”

“This is a prestigious award,” Modise concludes, “an award that spurs our continued focus on collective success as a diverse organization, with a shared purpose and vision. I want to thank our leaders, managers and our People and Culture community for their commitment and passion to making Absa a great place to work. Above all, this award celebrates our talented, diverse workforce, who bring possibilities to life every day, one story at a time.”