Monday, September 20, 2004
Companies that value their employees
I am currently busy with a new website for www.glug.org.za simply because I needed a project that would keep me busy (learning PHP). Update !!! the latest proposal is hosted on www.geekworx.co.za/glug2. Then suddenly I got a number of interviews and also people offering me other projects. Long story short, don't you just hate Murphy!!! Nothing for a while and then in the space of 5 days... Well I am sure I made the right choice!
I am now doing contracting work for devstream from Rand Mechant Bank in Sandton Johannesburg, java development consultant. Here are my first impressions on the company, they seem to value their employees, they have a nice cafeteria and a coffee bar, there is always nice food and at an affordable price. They have a car park and I got a parking spot the first day! They seem to go to great trouble finding the best people in the industry. They pay a good competitive rate and the people in return work very hard. I gained a lot of respect for the people working there in a short time, they know their stuff very well. The company is not shy to reward, they pay for every working hour, even over time!!! This is something completely foreign to me! I am used to the manager saying "You are not that important to us and can be replaced!" they tried to cut every corner and pay their people as little as possible (personal opinion), so that they can make the maximum profits. Now here is a fresh concept, RMB values their employees and pay them well, the people in turn work very hard, and so the throughput per person is that much higher, in effect the company draws the best people and they are a cut above the competition. By investing in their people they make more money in the end and thus the positive cycle continues! Wow this is indeed a valuable lesson to be learnt from them! Something else to note, they make a lot of money every year, it makes the previous company's earning seem like pocket change (even with them not giving out bonuses)!
Live and learn is all I say, someone is bound to be more clever than what you are.
Well it is back to getting up early and facing the traffic, though they are very flexible on their working hours and the traffic is mostly bearable. Though the end of the month will be d-day, I think I will be moving to Johannesburg. The commute just kills all my spare energy.
I am now doing contracting work for devstream from Rand Mechant Bank in Sandton Johannesburg, java development consultant. Here are my first impressions on the company, they seem to value their employees, they have a nice cafeteria and a coffee bar, there is always nice food and at an affordable price. They have a car park and I got a parking spot the first day! They seem to go to great trouble finding the best people in the industry. They pay a good competitive rate and the people in return work very hard. I gained a lot of respect for the people working there in a short time, they know their stuff very well. The company is not shy to reward, they pay for every working hour, even over time!!! This is something completely foreign to me! I am used to the manager saying "You are not that important to us and can be replaced!" they tried to cut every corner and pay their people as little as possible (personal opinion), so that they can make the maximum profits. Now here is a fresh concept, RMB values their employees and pay them well, the people in turn work very hard, and so the throughput per person is that much higher, in effect the company draws the best people and they are a cut above the competition. By investing in their people they make more money in the end and thus the positive cycle continues! Wow this is indeed a valuable lesson to be learnt from them! Something else to note, they make a lot of money every year, it makes the previous company's earning seem like pocket change (even with them not giving out bonuses)!
Live and learn is all I say, someone is bound to be more clever than what you are.
Well it is back to getting up early and facing the traffic, though they are very flexible on their working hours and the traffic is mostly bearable. Though the end of the month will be d-day, I think I will be moving to Johannesburg. The commute just kills all my spare energy.
# posted @ Monday, September 20, 2004 10:56 AM 
