Investing in our employees and enhancing the succession process is imperative to our ability to attract and retain talent.
Human capital achievements for 2024
- The net promoter score increased to 22.3 (2023: 21.4), which brings us closer to the target of 24.7.
- Secured SETA funding of R3.5 million.
- Finalised the two-year wage agreement.
- Continued the rollout of the SAGE 300 People system.
- Introduced paperless payslips.
- Enhanced employee value proposition.
- Began implementing a business unit communication platform.
Human capital objectives for 2025
- Achieve a Net Promoter Score of above 23.
- Improve the ready now succession score to 32.50%.
- Secure SETA funding.
- Leverage new HR technology and systems.
- Evolve and entrench the employee value proposition.
- Enhance employee communication and support.
- Bolster succession planning through talent and development programmes.
Employee value proposition
Our employee value proposition is directly linked to our ability to attract and retain employees. We are committed to creating an environment where employees have the right tools and support, and receive rewards and recognition for their performance. The key elements of our employee value proposition are as follows:
Famous Brands’ employee value proposition is geared towards addressing the Group’s main human capital challenges, which include:
- Attracting and retaining talent.
- Upskilling employees.
- Efficient succession planning.
Read more about our transformation initiatives in our transformation report.
Communicating our core beliefs
We aim to become the leading, innovative, branded franchise and food services business in South Africa and selected markets. This vision is anchored by our core beliefs, which shape our organisational culture and values‑driven leadership.
We are intentional about communicating our vision and beliefs across our business units. Our core beliefs are ingrained in every aspect of people management. This includes using our core beliefs to drive reward and recognition across the organisation.
Our annual employee survey, Voice your View, also allows our employees to give feedback on how we uphold these beliefs.
Nurturing talent through mentorship
Upskilling and supporting our employees is key to our succession planning. We are invested in helping employees to identify personal development opportunities. All employees have a Personal Development Plan, which the employee and manager review annually.
The plan allows employees to assess their short, medium- and long-term career goals. The personalised development plan also allows employees to assess how they can upskill and improve their performance in their current roles.
In 2024, we launched the second iteration of the Growth Network Mentorship Programme to support our succession process. The nine-month programme allows us to leverage the organisation’s pool of skills and knowledge.
We select employees who will participate in the programme each year and assign them to relevant mentors. Through mentorship, the participants can receive guidance and support from experienced employees in the organisation and build a professional network. The mentors also undergo training to equip them to support their mentees. This year, fifteen employees were selected as mentees and assigned to mentors for the programme duration.
Key talent and succession indicators
101 |
internal promotions (2023: 98) |
536 |
external appointments (2023: 421) |
90.7% |
retention rate (2023: 97.59%) |
30.3% |
ready now succession score (2023: 29%) |
92% |
of internal promotions were Black (2023: 83%) |
96.6% |
of external appointments were Black (2023: 96%) |
8.3 |
years average tenure (2023: 8.47 years) |
Grow and Lead Awards
The Grow and Lead Awards is a Group-wide annual recognition platform that recognises administration employees’ outstanding achievements. Employees with excellent performance and behaviours that are aligned with the Group’s values are nominated from each business unit or department.
Voice Your View Employee Survey
In 2015, we launched The Voice your View Employee Survey. The electronic survey provides our South African administration employees with a platform to give personal feedback on the organisation’s culture, leadership and communication.
In the annual survey, employees must respond to 67 statements and rank each statement on a five-point scale. The statements relate to the culture, leadership, happiness and communication at Famous Brands.
When calculating the report, the scale is converted to a percentage, and each statement’s scores are averaged to give an overall score. Famous Brands’s overall score is 78% (2023:77%), which places the organisation in the top company category.
The net promoter score is based on the question: How likely are you to recommend Famous Brands to your friends and family as a place to work? It is calculated by taking the percentage of employees who are promoters and subtracting the percentage who are detractors. The trajectory of the net promoter score remains positive.
The high-level results are as follows:
- The overall response rate was 84% (2023: 92%).
- The overall score improved slightly to 78% (2023: 77%).
- The net promoter score improved to 22.3 (2023: 21.4).
Focusing on the world of work
Our world of work cascades the Group’s business strategy into divisional and business unit strategies down to personal scorecards, aiming to optimise business outputs and results. It also includes comprehensive onboarding and induction programmes, flexible working hours, and the option for some employees to apply for four days per month of working from home.
Digitising HR
In 2024, we continued with the rollout of the SAGE 300 People, an HR, payroll and self-service solution designed to increase an organisation’s productivity by eliminating repetitive, manual HR tasks and providing HR analytics capabilities. Employees can use the platform to apply for leave and complete other HR tasks through a web-based service channel or mobile application. We also introduced digital payslips which helps to reduce printing costs and create easy access for employees.
Career development
Our career development opportunities include:
- Leadership development and sponsored courses.
- Technical and job-specific training and a comprehensive eLearning offering.
- Financial assistance for approved studies.
- The opportunity to work on innovative projects.
We have established a strong relationship with FOODBEV SETA and have rolled out SETA-funded learning and development offerings. These offerings cover technical skills for our Supply Chain, including the supervisory level.
Key career development indicators
906 |
total employees trained in South Africa (2023: 856) |
R7.5 |
million total training spend in South Africa (2023: R9.1 million) |
41 |
internships completed (2023: 31) |
88 |
Ethics Programme delegates (2023: 43) |
341 |
total employees trained outside South Africa (2023: 570) |
793 |
African, Coloured and Indian (ACI) employees trained (2023: 633) |
15 |
employees assigned mentors (2023: 36) |
66 |
People with Disabilities Learnerships (2023: 61) |
Leadership development
Famous Brands has several programmes to develop leaders at all levels of the Group.
Our eLearning offering – iPerform
The iPerform online training and performance management system was launched in 2021. In its third year, we have partnered with different business units to consolidate the content on the platform. In 2024, 2 633 courses were completed, with women completing 1 440 courses and ACI employees completing 2 286 courses. We have now included SMS functionality for the platform.
Employees can download podcasts from the platform, and managers can easily share learning content with their teams. We are currently piloting cyber centres so that our Bargaining Unit employees can access online training easily. Through the centres, employers can complete and submit their assignments.
How do you compete for talent in a competitive market?
Employee benefits and well‑being
We enable employees to prosper by offering the following:
- Medical aid, medical insurance and provident fund.
- On-site clinic at Head Office.
- Access to an employee wellness provider offering counselling.
- Death benefit and education death benefit to pay school fees and tertiary education.
- Group risk cover including disability benefit and death benefit (three times annual salary tax-free).
- Funeral cover.
- Dread disease benefit.
- Special rates across FNB and Nedbank’s banking products.
Key employee well-being indicators
71 |
lost time injuries (2023: 76) |
0 |
fatalities (2023: 0) |
1 264 |
employees visits to the on-site clinic (2023: 1 465) |
0.75% |
lost time injury rate (2023: 1.17%) |
7.95% |
percentage of employees who used the employee wellness provider (2023: 7.3%) |
1.19% |
absenteeism rate (2023: 1.65%) |
Employee wellness at the forefront
In September 2024, Famous Brands hosted its first employee wellness day, allowing employees to access on-site healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the need for a wellness day as mental health has become critical. Following the first event’s success, we intend to host an annual wellness day.
We also engage with Lyra, formally known as the Independent Counselling and Advisory Services (ICAS), to provide employee health and wellness services. The Lyra-facilitated Employee Wellness Programme gives employees access to mental health services and counselling.
The programme’s overall engagement rate, including uptake of all services provided, was 5.1% (2023: 4.4%). The individual usage of the core counselling and advisory services was 7.95%.
Occupational health and safety
Famous Brands complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), which is legally enforceable and managed by the Department of Employment and Labour. The act, which was first enacted in 1993, intends to provide for the health and safety of people at work, including those who work with machinery and equipment.
The OHSA Amendment Bill, gazetted by the Department of Employment and Labour in January 2023, will enforce stricter health and safety requirements for businesses.
Famous Brands appoints health and safety representatives at every facility in terms of section 16(2) of the OHSA. The representatives take on statutory health and safety responsibilities, which they accept in writing.
We appoint an independent third-party to verify that the work environments across our operations are safe, suitable and sanitary. The third-party ensures employees have the correct protective clothing and receive safety training. Management reviews feedback on suggested improvement areas based on the audits.
We provide induction programmes for new employees and contractors, including health and safety education. The training we provide for employees includes firefighting and first aid. Should an incident occur, it is recorded and then reviewed by the OHS Risk Specialist. The OHSA Committees across all business units meet regularly.
Trade union engagement
Famous Brands maintains a positive relationship with trade unions. Employees have the right to associate with relevant trade unions. The unions mainly represent members who are employed in our Logistics and Manufacturing divisions.
We signed a two-year wage agreement with the following unions which expire at the end of February 2025:
- Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) – July 2023.
- Security, Cleaning, Manufacturing and Allied Workers Union(SCMWU) – May 2023.
- National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) – July 2023