COMPANY PROFILE
2013
4 G S Certified top
security solutions
CompANY PROFILE
Certified top security solutions Editorial: Tim Hands Production: Chris Bolderstone
Recently recognised as one of the top employers in South Africa for 2014, the only security company in Africa to be awarded this prestigious accolade, G4S South Africa strives endlessly to expand and develop the services it is able to offer. Its recent acquisition of Deposita, the leading provider of retail cash solutions technology in South Africa, exemplifies this desire to grow and improve, with an unerring focus on the social responsibility a company of this magnitude inevitably has.
G4S is the world’s leading international security group, and has a history dating back to 1957 in South Africa, employing over 13,000 personnel to secure its position as the largest provider of integrated security solutions in the country. The G4S brand came about as a product of a merger between Group 4 Falck and Securicor in 2004, and nowadays the company’s experts are those who drive the security industry forward, through positive and innovative practices. Central to placing the company at the forefront of the industry is its ability to provide customers with cost effective, innovative integrated security solutions, drawing on and sharing the skills and experience picked up from its work across the globe. G4S South Africa recognises the value of meeting fully the total security and cash management needs of its customers, which in turn allows these customers to focus their own energies on undertaking the core activities of their businesses, free from worrying about risks which may otherwise pose threats to their operations. In South Africa there are three main operating companies that comprise the group: G4S Care and Justice Services; G4S Cash Solutions; and G4S Secure Solutions.
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With more than 100 years of expertise to draw on, G4S fulfils its services with constant reference to a distinct culture, and an equally strong set of values. Always seeking to further hone and develop its expertise, this is demonstrated by the company’s tirelessly innovative and leading edge approach to creating and delivering the right solution. A focus is also placed on always employing the right people to deliver these services, in the process developing their competence, providing further opportunity, and in turn helping G4S South Africa achieve its goal of improving performance year-on-year and creating longterm sustainability. A clear customer focus engenders close, open relationships with all who benefit from these expertly delivered solutions, generating trust and ensuring that all parties work in partnership for the mutual benefit of the many varied organisations with whom G4S South Africa deals. Its recent recognition, through research conducted by the CRF Institute, as one of the Best Employers in Africa, as well as one of the Top Employers in South Africa for 2014, is the highest validation of G4S South Africa’s provision of an engaging, safe working environment, and one in which the contribution of each employee is valued and considered. G4S is, notably, the only security company in Africa to be awarded
G4S South Africa
this accolade, which acts as a certification of excellence in the conditions that employers create for their people, as recognised and awarded by the Top Employers Institute. A number of different criteria are considered and must be met in order for this certification to be awarded, with the employers stringently assessed on primary benefits, secondary benefits and working conditions training and development, career development and culture management. This extensive list of criteria includes most, if not all, of the ideal traits of a business for whom staff development, safety and welfare are at the forefront of its concerns, and G4S Africa were understandably delighted to be recognised with such a prestigious accolade. Elanie Kruger, Regional HR Director of G4S Africa, expressed the company’s pride at the receipt of the award: “We are thrilled to receive Top Employer accreditation in 11 countries this year. With a staff compliment of over 112,000 people in Africa, we are the largest private employer on the continent. We recognise the importance of solid people practices and make sure we create a safe environment where our employees feel valued and are given opportunities to grow.”
Samantha Crous, Regional Director Africa and Benelux for the Top Employers Institute also spoke of G4S Africa’s commitment to its staff across the entirety of its operations: “Our comprehensive research concluded that G4S provides an outstanding employment environment and nurtures and develops talent throughout all levels of the organisation. The international recognition as a Top Employer Africa sends a strong message to their staff and all other stakeholders that this company greatly values their people and that their employee conditions are at the highest standard.” As well as showing itself to be a company of exemplary employee conditions and talent development, late last year, G4S Cash Solutions (SA) (Pty) Ltd, already a leading provider of cash solutions in South Africa, acquired Deposita, South Africa’s leading provider of retail cash solutions technology. Deposita has long been South Africa’s market leader in cash devices and related cash-in-transit, cash processing and insurance services for the retail sector, and its acquisition by G4S will look to significantly strengthen its position in the South African retail cash technology marketplace. This is a sector which is forecast to grow rapidly over the next three years, and the acquisition brings with it numerous
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CompANY PROFILE
additional benefits to the services G4S is able to offer, such as opportunities to export this technology solution into other G4S African countries, including Botswana, Malawi, Kenya and Namibia. Deposita itself was founded in 2004 and rapidly expanded its operations throughout the whole of South Africa. With its headquarters in Midrand, it employs 165 staff across the country, and offers customers a complete cash solution in the retail cash market. The process is one of devastating simplicity and efficacy, beginning with the process of securing and counting cash notes on premises, safely storing it on customer premises, transporting the cash to cash centres, and providing same-day settlement of funds into bank accounts. Andy Baker, Regional President of G4S Africa described how Deposita’s, “market leadership in cash device technology, extensive client base and unmatched track record of delivery in this highly specialist area will underpin G4S’s service offering in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa,” and will assist the development of the cash business via the provision of more complete end-to-end solutions for its customers. Ever aware of the important role of Social responsibility to its operations, G4S South Africa realises that working with people and communities, and striving to improve the places and conditions in which the whole populace works and lives, is a key part of its business across the Africa region. It is in a very fortunate position, given the extent of its footprint, and is thus able to use this important role in society to make a difference, helping people to operate in a safe and secure environment in which they can thrive and prosper.
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Even in its everyday dealings, the company aims to address societal challenges such as poverty, education and access to proper healthcare. The efforts it makes merely in its normal course of business are also significantly supplemented by extensive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, with efforts largely concentrated on the youth of the African continent, who G4S South Africa truly believes to hold the key, given the right enablers and support, to secure its future. This is a company which is unashamedly ‘Afro-optimists’ and one that genuinely believes in the opportunities afforded by the continent. Its commitment to making a sustainable, measurable difference to the lives of employees is all too apparent, not least to the Top Employers Institute, and G4S is determined to continue to apply this dedication to the clients and communities it serves, to further the progress it has already so successfully achieved.
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“Our comprehensive research concluded that G4S provides an outstanding employment environment and nurtures and develops talent throughout all levels of the organisation”
G4S South Africa
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www.g4s.co.za
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