For the last three years, employment specialist website Jobberman has provided a comprehensive list of companies that excel in employee satisfaction across Nigeria. This year, GE Nigeria won the coveted top position when it was voted number one in the 2017 Annual Jobberman Best 100 Companies To Work For survey.
GE has been operating in Nigeria for four decades across a number of key sectors including aviation, power generation, oil and gas, healthcare and transportation. It has proven itself as an employer of choice for more than 600 employees in the country, 90% of whom are from Nigeria.
The high level of satisfaction among GE employees can be attributed, in part, to the fact that GE encourages innovation in the management and development of its employees across the world. For example, GE recently overhauled the way it conducts performance management for its employees by introducing an innovative new app known as PD@GE. Now, management and employees at every level of the company can quickly and effectively provide feedback on performance by phone, tablet or laptop.
Jobberman’s ranking is a prestigious feather in GE Nigeria’s cap. A total of 2,013 responses from employees of the top companies in the country were recorded for the survey. About 56% of respondents have been working for their current organisations for up to two years, 28% of them have been with their current employer for between two and five years, and 9% had been with their current employer for more than seven years.
According to Jobberman, “the major work parameters responsible for the Jobberman satisfaction ratings indicated above were centred primarily on salary, work/life balance, career growth and advancement, welfare benefits and job security, in order of importance”.
In assessing the results, Jobberman only considered responses from employed respondents qualified to provide accurate and unbiased views on their current or past organisations. The responses were classified according to age, seniority, salary and duration of employment. Senior staff carried the most weight in the survey, but the business owner had no impact on results in an attempt to achieve unbiased outcomes.
However, not all employees surveyed in other companies were as happy as the GE workforce. The survey revealed that 13.8% of respondents were highly satisfied with their jobs, 10.6% enjoyed a very satisfactory work-life balance and only 5.4% of respondents were satisfied with their monthly income.
Jobberman says: “These figures clearly reveal a need for companies to improve on job satisfaction for their employees with a focus on better salaries, improved staff welfare packages, a more robust work-life balance, a stronger organisational culture and enhanced career growth prospects.”
The ranking also provides insight to job seekers about companies they should keep their eyes on for employment and career growth as well as which companies provide opportunities for overall professional development.