Kenyan employees rate employers on job satisfaction

BrighterMonday has reviewed the best employers in Kenya to provide a comprehensive rating of employee satisfaction.

The first-ever “Best 100 Companies To Work for in Kenya” focuses on identifying, recognising and celebrating the top employers in Kenya as rated by employees and other professionals.

The report also provides insights that job seeking professionals should take into consideration when choosing their next company. A total of 2,067 valid responses were considered in the final analysis.

Safaricom, United Nations, Ken-Gen, Google, Kenya Revenue Authority, Centum, Kenya Power, PWC, Unilever, Cocacola, Delloite, KCB, Equity, Britam, Brookside, Cooperative Bank, Bidco, Airtel, KMPG, Kenya Red Cross, Microsoft, Cytonn, UNICEF, UNEP were among the 2018 best 100 companies to work for in Kenya.

Survey Methodology

BrighterMonday Kenya sent online surveys to their database of over 800,000 job seekers whose experience levels range from entry level to seasoned professionals.

Questions in the survey sought to get information on defining attributes of the respondents like their age, gender and level of experience. Such information was then used to divide the population sample into segments.

Employer information gathered was used to rank companies in employee satisfaction and happiness scores. Data on staff welfare, salaries and benefits, company management among other parameters was analysed.

Respondent Mapping

It is prudent to note that only responses from employed respondents were considered in the final analysis. This is because the survey seeks to identify best companies based on authentic information given by their employees, both current and former.

Sample segments were made based on gender, age bracket, monthly salary, seniority level and tenure at the company. Entrepreneurs, though highlighted in the survey, carried no weightage in order to avoid making the analysis biased as any business owner is likely to check all the right boxes for their company.

Respondents were asked to rate their current employer using a 5-point satisfaction rating system ranging from ‘Not Satisfied to Very Satisfied’.

Survey Parametres and Insights

60% of the respondents were between 25-34 years old. This also happens to be the highest demographic of qualified job seekers in Kenya. 57% of the respondents were male while 43% were female.

Experience level

Men take up more senior level jobs while women take up more entry-level and mid-level jobs. This is due to the fact that despite the fact that men and women might join a company on the same level, men have it easier moving ahead and women perceive a steeper trek to the top. Another study conducted by Lean in collaborates this finding by showing that women in the workplace fall behind early in their careers and continue to lose ground on the way to the top.

Monthly salary

Men dominate in the higher salary bracket. The gender gap in pay can be attributed to the fact that women have to take time away from work to have and take care of children. By the time they are back, their male counterparts are ahead both on the corporate ladder and in the payscale.

Current employment tenure

Most respondents have been with their current employers for less than 2 years. This shows the low levels of employee engagement and the high flight risks among employees. A previous survey by BrighterMonday placed the general engagement level at 27%.

Employer recommendation by employees

More employees are not willing to recommend their employer. With such low levels of employee satisfaction and most employees actively searching for greener pastures, it is no surprise that they are not willing to recommend their employers. Recommendation comes with endorsement, and most people wouldn’t want to be the cause of their friends’ disappointment.

The level of job satisfaction in both men and women is low

The level of job satisfaction was low in both male and female respondents, but lower in the female respondents. This can be attributed to the fact that there were more women in entry-level positions than senior positions known to have better pay, benefits and perks.

Female respondents posed a greater flight risk when compared to their male counterparts

The fact that female respondents were not as willing to continue working for their current employer is no surprise. Their engagement and satisfaction levels are lower than those of their male counterparts.

Younger employees have a positive perception of their companies but they are still willing to leave when better opportunities come knocking.

Younger employees in their first or second job consider themselves lucky to get a job, given the stiff competition for job opportunities and the oversupply of qualified job seekers in Kenya. However, they know what they want in an employer and will always be on a lookout for more ideal opportunities and grab them when they come.

How to Make your Company More Attractive to Employees

Do you want your employees to rank your company as a desirable place to work? Better still, do you want your employees staying longer with you because they choose to and love working with you? You might want to consider these attributes that employees value:

Pride: Employees need a company whose vision, mission and values make them proud. They want to be supported by giving them tools / bandwidth to be successful. This is what gives them pride. And most times leads to increased productivity and loyalty.
Culture: Culture is made up of employee engagement with the company’s vision and mission. How well do your employees embody your company's vision?
Provide career growth opportunities: Nobody wants to be stuck in the same position with no upward movement in sight. If employees sense a ceiling above their current rung in the corporate ladder, they become restless and begin looking around.
Encourage and implement diversity and inclusion: Diversity and inclusion is not just about gender. It encompasses all spheres that make people unique and special. Make your workplace an environment where anyone of any age, race, tribe, gender, can thrive without discrimination.
Endeavour to provide a competitive pay package: Ensure that your remuneration packages are competitive. Very few employees will remain loyal to an employer whose pay packages are below their market value. If you do not have the kind of budget required to match your established competitors, consider attractive benefits.

Download the full report for comprehensive analysis of the best 100 companies to work for survey.