A firm decision to invest in its staff during times of economic hardship had paid off for Virgin Active, which is again among the leading performers in this year’s Deloitte Best Company to Work For survey. This year the health club was voted second in the Large Company category at the awards ceremony in Johannesburg earlier this month. This is the second year that Virgin Active has participated in the survey and the second year that it has received a position on the podium. The company was voted third in the Large Company category in 2010.
Says newly appointed director at Virgin Active South Africa, Richard Lyon: “We embarked on a plan to take the company from good to great last year, and it all started with its staff. With the economic downturn in the past year, where many companies chose to discount their services to their customers in order to retain them, Virgin Active made a decision to invest in their staff. We have career development plans in place to assist our staff in up-skilling in order to move through the ranks. Once they reach the position they aspire to hold, we continue to train them to ensure our staff do not stagnate in their positions. Our industry evolves regularly and we are always innovating, keeping one step ahead of the changes taking place”.
He says Virgin Active is committed to training and developing its staff at all levels of the organisation and working “in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where everyone has easy access to the highest levels of the management team”. Lyon adds: “We continue to research benefits, often through our existing partners, and incentive programmes to keep our staff motivated and stimulated at work. Virgin Active SA is committed to being the leader employer in South Africa. The feedback received through the survey will help us reach this goal which we believe will be an ongoing process as our business and staff needs change”.
Extract from the Business Times (Sunday Times) – 16 October 2011