SANRAL was, once again, named Top Employer in the 2014/2015 financial year by the Top Employers Institute at a prestigious dinner on 01 October. This Netherlands-based independent organisation surveys employers and their employee conditions in South Africa and measures them against international standards.

Formed in 1998, the roads agency has a staff complement of 301 up from 94 when it was first established by the then President Nelson Mandela. Seventeen years later, 46 of original personnel are still with the agency.

Staff turnover stands at only 1.4% and a mere 2.3% of the budget goes to salaries. The retirement age at SANRAL is 65 years.

Corporate Services Executive, Heidi Harper said:

“SANRAL places its employees at the centre of its success and strives to develop their technical and specialist skills. Employees are encouraged to adopt the organisation’s core values: striving for excellence, working proactively, participating and always conducting themselves with integrity and care.”

To determine the top employers, participating companies have to complete an international HR best practices survey. All results are independently audited to verify the standard of employee conditions. SANRAL were first certified top employer by the Top Employers Institute on 2 October 2014.

SANRAL currently employs 129 engineers and is one of the top employers of the engineering trade. The agency has also created a training academy for young engineers to prepare them for registration as professionals.

 “SANRAL needs sufficient technically skilled staff to achieve its mandate to finance, improve, manage and maintain the national road network. A rigorous recruitment strategy has helped the organisation attract and retain some of the best and most talented employees in the industry.”

As a certified top employer, SANRAL proudly wears the exclusive certification seal for another year. The seal is not only a recognisable symbol of the organisation’s successful employee environment over the past 12 months but also of its commitment to develop and become an even better employer.