Unitrans harnesses inclusivity to unlock the power of the individual
Unitrans harnesses inclusivity to unlock the power of the individual
Unitrans is proud to have been certified as a Top Employer in South Africa by the Top Employers Institute (TEI), the global authority on recognising excellence in human resources (HR) strategy and people practices. The prestigious certification reaffirms Unitrans’ dedication to creating a working environment oriented to the needs and well-being of its employees.
“Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations,” says TEI CEO David Plink. “Top Employers… have always shown that they care for the development and well-being of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work.”
Unitrans CEO Terry Bantock wholeheartedly agrees: “People determine a company’s success. This certification reinforces our commitment to provide a safe work environment that offers our people ongoing opportunities to grow and be the change.”
Unitrans is strongly invested in driving a positive workplace culture. The leading supplier of integrated operational services and solutions recognises that with its vast footprint, empowering its employees is key to success. This is integral to Top Employer certification, and Bantock highlights Unitrans’ drive towards an inclusive culture as a critical element.
A commitment to inclusivity, learning, and well-being
“At Unitrans, we believe in the power of doing and we strive to ensure that each of our employees is seen, heard, appreciated, and understood,” Bantock says. “It is very much a part of our company ethos and culture. This is the golden thread running through our employee lifecycle, starting with an innovative on-boarding employee experience tool that connects with new-joiners before Day One.”
This golden thread is continued, amongst other initiatives, by an annual culture survey, allowing employees to share their workplace experiences. “The core objective is to help leadership understand business areas that need attention to improve workplace culture, so we can put measures in place to create positive change,” Bantock says.
The company’s commitment to employee development is apparent in its multiple award-winning development programmes for enhancing skill sets and ensuring staff are future fit. This helped maintain employee commitment and morale during the pandemic and strengthen the team.
“Post-Covid, we have empowered our leaders to select the best working arrangement in terms of remote, hybrid, or on-site to sustain our high-performing culture. Providing these options to our employees has increased productivity across divisions. We have also launched breathwork and chair yoga pilot classes to encourage holistic employee wellness,” Bantock reveals.
“Personalisation is also vital, down to the finest detail; every employee’s name is significant and we honour that, for example, through personalised communication,” he adds. “On our journey to become a strength-based organisation, we help each employee to understand which activities energise them and make the best use of their talents. Teams can also better understand each individual’s characteristics and how these influence team performance. We cannot wait to fully unlock the potential of this approach for our people!”
The EVP: A core strategic focal point
The company’s employee value proposition (EVP) is central to creating a space that encourages well-being and inspires a high-performance culture, establishing a sense of belonging that enables professional and personal growth.
“We work hard to provide opportunities for our employees and to recognise and reward outstanding performance and stewardship. The EVP is a core strategic focal point,” says Bantock. “We are proud to have a formally defined EVP clearly linked to our corporate brand, vision, values, and culture, and look forward to further progressing employee involvement and instilling a people-valued culture.”
Innovative HR and sustainable business practices
Unitrans has implemented a number of focused HR best practice approaches. For example, the company uses a powerful culture benchmarking tool with strong metrics, which helps with business priorities in relation to a positive workplace culture.
In these uncertain times, Bantock believes it is crucial to understand that change is a constant. “For this reason, we have a team focused on helping our leaders and business to deal with and manage change, as well as increase adoption rates of new processes and systems,” he reveals.
Employee empowerment is nurtured by equipping staff members with self-service portals to manage their own data and employee activities, while continual training and development opportunities for employees are important HR best practices. “Effective training enhances our staff’s understanding and increases job proficiency, improving results. Ongoing learning and development programmes like the award-winning UniDrive training programme foster engagement, help people to feel valued and committed, and maintain employee motivation,” he elaborates.
“Our approach to people development aims to unlock their full potential and invest in creating future talent pools,” notes Bantock. “This is achieved through employee bursaries and learnerships, apprenticeships, and internships for unemployed youths, and prioritising scarce and critical skills.”
The company is also focused on ethics and integrity, as well as investing in sustainable business practices. “This is imperative; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is a strategic priority and we are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” emphasises Bantock. “Effective supply chain management leads to optimisation and improved business efficiency and resource utilisation. In turn this reduces emissions – internally and for our clients – offering real business opportunities and competitive advantage,” he says. He goes on to highlight accelerated organisational sustainability (AOS) as a core pillar of Unitrans’ innovative operational excellence division, which ensures that all projects deliver on environmental and social commitments and obligations.
“AOS provides visibility on key sustainability data points to drive strategy and policy positions. It involves and encourages interaction and proactive engagement with all types of stakeholders, including local communities, authorities, internal business unit teams, and business partners.”
Other sustainability focal points are carbon emissions dashboards with data from in-vehicle MiX telematics; fleet optimisation including Road Transport Management System (RTMS) accreditation, route optimisation, and driver monitoring and training; facility optimisation through energy, water, and waste reduction; the Green Torque sustainability awareness and training programme; and systematic sustainability performance tracking.“We are responsible for adding value to the organisations we serve and contributing to their ethical success. We act as advocates for the profession by engaging in activities that enhance its credibility and value, boosting the respect, credibility, and strategic importance of our employees,” adds Bantock.
Rigorous assessment process validates efforts and sets the benchmark
“The rigorous Top Employer assessment process shows our ongoing commitment to putting our people first, and the feedback provided by the institute’s HR auditors allows us to further improve our policies and practices.
“Being a ‘Top Employer’ gives current and potential employees confidence that Unitrans can support their career goals and journey. Certification validates our solid people practices and provides a benchmark against other leading employers, ensuring we attract the best people and retain valued talent,” Bantock asserts.
“We have the people, processes, and systems to compete with the best in the world, and our unique understanding of operating across Africa gives us an exciting platform for growth.”
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