Absa Group

Absa believes that the key to success lies in highly capable, empowered and motivated employees who, as stakeholders, help shape our group’s sustainable future. As we strive towards a high-performance culture, our key objectives are to value and build diversity (both internally through employment equity and externally through leadership programmes), and to empower all employees to reach their full potential through skills development initiatives.

Due to historical factors, there are demographic categories that still experience vestiges of inequality and disadvantage due to gender, disability and other forms of being different. The previous economically-misaligned education system has contributed to the labour market still lacking the adequate supply of appropriately qualified and skilled people, particularly among the disadvantaged groups.

Absa has therefore committed itself to contribute towards redressing these anomalies. In doing so, the Absa Transformation and Employment Equity strategy is designed to correct the limitations faced by designated groups at the workplace through a comprehensive and robust employment equity and diversity management programme. In embarking on this process, Absa is fully aware of the challenges of the urgent needs to meet the reasonable expectations of those who were prejudiced by the past and those who are apprehensive about the future. In the spirit of pursuing a common and imperative destiny, leadership will demonstrate character and integrity and employees will reciprocate commitment and passion in pursuit of a transformed Absa.

To ensure that every employee of Absa is fully developed and given recognition for their contribution, a number of transformation programmes are in place. For example, the Group has set statutory targets for itself that are more challenging and stretch over a period of 5 years, ranging from Top Management to Junior Management. Talent pipelines are to be aligned with the employment equity and transformation strategy, and there is a 10 point Executive Committee plan that seeks to change and make the culture and environment inclusive of all employees. There is also active support to ensure there is accommodation for employees with disabilities, to name but a few.

There is no doubt that transformation and employment equity has taken the centre stage within Absa. The Group is currently enjoying the success of not only embracing diversity, but leading it. Continuous engagement in performance management and fostering a culture of creating winning teams is yielding good fruit.