Companies that incorporated work/life balance programmes designed by staff retention specialists PLP in their HR offering have once again come out tops in the annual BEST Employers 2009/10 by CRF South Africa In the Best Employer Overall category, Accenture took top honours, while Microsoft and SAB Ltd also ranked among the Top 10. Another PLP client, Liberty Life, was rated first in the Finance: Investment and Insurance sector.

This survey is held annually to identify South African companies who demonstrate their commitment to staff management best practice.

Assessment is done through scientific research in the 11 key areas of HR best practice: Organisational Strategy; The HR Function; The Leadership of the Company; Communication; Diversity Management; Corporate Social Responsibility; Knowledge Management; Talent Management and Employee Engagement; Employee Training and Development; Performance Management; and Rewards and Recognition.

Only companies who achieve the required percentage of the maximum achievable score in the HR Benchmark can be accredited. Samantha Crous, General Manager at CRF South Africa (the company that accredits these employers of choice), refer to participating companies as 'intelligent employers' because of the way they actively develop their employer brand based on the scientific data they acquire when participating in the project.

These companies all stress the benefits of providing their staff with work/life balance solutions that help them cope with their busy lifestyles and make them feel valued. Offered as part of their remuneration package, it serves as a tool to attract and retain the best talent and ensures a high level of staff engagement.

"We are pleased that Liberty Life quoted PLP's Blue4U Concierge Service as one of the most popular offerings among their staff," says John Shaw, PLP's Group Head: Sales & Marketing. "As a leading provider of staff acquisition and retention programmes, PLP is proud to be associated with such leaders in the field of HR best practice and we want to congratulate our clients on their outstanding achievement." PLP's programme provides employees with a virtual personal assistant to help them with household emergencies, assist their children with home work, arrange their holidays, search for any type of information and save them money on purchases.

The need to spend working hours on the phone or internet or to take leave to sort personal issues is eliminated and employees can concentrate on their work, which results in increased productivity. When an employer provides support and adds value to their lifestyles beyond the office, staff feel valued and increasingly loyal to their employers, setting these companies well on their way to becoming employers of choice.