Company’s operations in Cote d’Ívoire, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and the Netherlands also separately recognised

Olam International (Olam), the global food and agri-business, has been recognised by the Top Employers Institute for the first time in 2021 for its excellence in HR practices for the Africa region. The Company’s operations in Cote d’Ívoire, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, as well as the Netherlands, have also separately been awarded for their HR best practices.

The auditing survey from the Top Employers Institute highlighted Olam as excelling in each of the assessment categories, which included people strategy, organisation and change, career, digital HR, work environment, employer branding, talent acquisition and onboarding, performance management, learning, wellbeing, rewards and recognition, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.

Jaideep Biswas, Regional Head of Human Resources, Africa, Olam International Limited, said, “People are critical to our business growth and success, and we are delighted to be recognised for our focus on attracting and developing talent across our operations in Africa. A key priority has been ensuring that we keep our people engaged by ensuring the work they do is enriching and inspiring. The recognition by the Top Employers Institute demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to caring for our employees’ wellbeing and overall career aspirations.”

Over the past three decades, Olam has grown to become one of the largest employers in Africa with a strong emphasis on best-in-class talent practices to engage a strong and diverse talent pool to support its business operations. These certifications demonstrate Olam’s ongoing commitment to identify, attract, develop and retain skilled talent at scale using innovative approaches tailored to each country’s specific needs.

This year, the awards were presented at a virtual ceremony and brought together HR leaders and their peers to connect, inspire, and celebrate a better world of work. 221 organisations spanning 32 African countries have been named Top Employers 2021 in Africa for their outstanding HR strategies and people practices.

Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices. To be eligible, the company must have at least 250 local or 2,500 employees globally as well as advanced HR practices. A certification programme that enables organisations to assess and improve the workplace environment.

David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute, remarked, "In addition to the adverse impacts on global health systems and economies, businesses faced the significant hurdle of supporting their people in adapting to new ways of work. In our research, we were glad to see that Africa’s Top Employers put their employees first from the outset of the global health crisis. They responded and adapted quickly to the ever-changing situation.”

He added that despite the challenges, it was business as usual and Top Employers were held to the same high standards as with every previous year. "We also saw great opportunities and positive changes, including an increased focus on well-being, a greater need for work-life balance, and a reduction in time spent commuting,” said Plink.

Olam has operations in 21 countries across Africa with over 19,000 full-time employees working across its food and agri-business operations.