Teamwork the cornerstone of HR strategy
R ATED the 3rd BEST Employer in South Africa in the mediumsized employer category, ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs), is the only law firm in the country to be ranked among the 10 BEST Employers overall. Africa’s largest law firm, employs close to 1 000 people across the continent and has become an employer of choice.
HR Executive Faizal Bassa, says the secret to the company’s success is that of teamwork. Moreover, despite a myriad of offices located around the continent and various practice groups within the organisation, its one-firm approach ensures that all employees feel they belong to a unified company.
“Our people are our greatest asset and it is through providing continued support to them that we are able to continue to expand our success and grow into the rest of Africa,” he says.
“A key factor in maintaining excellent relations with employees throughout the company and at all levels is our immediate and transparent approach to problem solving. Leadership is very visible and hands-on.”
ENS seeks outstanding individuals who remain committed to its core values of excellence, passion, integrity, teamwork, collegiality, transformation, diversity and social responsibility.
He adds, “We strive to appoint legal and tax professionals of the highest calibre, who are best equipped to deliver outstanding service to clients within their specialist areas. We also remunerate our staff at the very top of the spectrum.
“A key principle is to be the employer of choice for outstanding candidates in all areas of the business, who are aligned with our core values and culture.”
”We are committed to effecting world class talent management across the firm, underpinned by individual mentorship and regular performance enhancement discussions with all staff”. These discussions focus on productivity and on compliance with core values.
ENS is the largest employer of black legal professionals in the country and Bassa says, “Transformation is something we want to do rather than something we are doing simply because we have to. It is the only way we can effectively drive our business and achieve our long term goals and it is an integral part of our promotions policy for all staff and directors. The implementation process for transformation has been given top priority and the firm’s progress is presented at every board meeting.”
The CRF Institute found that ENS has outstanding employee offerings and working conditions which include intensive training and development; a value-driven culture that is embraced at all levels of the firm; and, a dynamic and exciting environment.
Well established in Africa, the firm enjoys international