Great companies make for good corporate citizens, positively impacting on their stakeholders and the lives of communities in which they operate.
To celebrate corporate social responsibility by a company in the metals and engineering sector, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa today announced its search for an exemplary business with a corporate social investment project that makes the biggest impact on people.
The company will be celebrated in Sandton, Johannesburg during a gala dinner at the 2017 SEIFSA Awards for Excellence with the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of the Year Award for activities during the 2016 year. The prestigious award will be among other awards to be bestowed on metals and engineering sector companies at the IDC Conference Centre on 25 May. Entries for the awards close on 13 April 2017 for all categories.
Criteria for the award include:
- Highlighting the role of the private sector in addressing social challenges and improving the communities in which they operate;
- Recognise those achieving social impact through partnership, investment, pro-bono work or employee-led initiatives;
- Judges will look for evidence of where these organisations have embedded their principles, aligned them with commercial objectives and achieved a positive and lasting impact on the community;
- Staff Engagement and Development;
- The Community or a Social Cause;
- Effective Leadership and management involvement.
The Federation, which launched the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence in 2015, has invited manufacturers operating in the metals and engineering sector within the Southern African region to submit their entries for the 2017 Awards. Entrants will be assessed on their performance in the period 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016.
SEIFSA Chief Executive Officer Kaizer Nyatsumba said although the metals and engineering sector was faced with many challenges and uncertainty in 2016, nevertheless there were companies that still managed to excel under these difficult circumstances.
“It is during crisis times that innovation and sustainability become paramount. We have seen companies that have managed to excel and retain operations in the sector, in the process not only saving jobs, but also ensuring that the industry still provides its valuable goods and services,” Mr Nyatsumba said.
The SEIFSA Awards for Excellence have seven different categories, with the Best Social Responsibility of the Year Award being one of them.
The other categories are:
- The Most Innovative Company of the Year Award is awarded to a company that has shown the best level of innovation in Research and Development or Production in 2016, in the process of either gaining market advantage or reducing production costs;
- The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be offered to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency Rate in 2016;
- Companies rated the highest in customer service performance in 2016 will receive the Customer Service Award of the Year;
- The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award will go to a company that showed the highest transformation level in the composition of its Board of Directors, Executive Management and Managerial Team in 2016 (this award category pits companies employing fewer than 100 people against those of similar size, and companies employing more than 100 companies against others of similar size);
- This is the Decade of the Artisan, and an award will be made to the company that trained the highest number of artisans in 2016; and
- The Environment Stewardship Award will go to a company that has made the biggest or best strides towards conserving the environment or mitigating the impact of its operations on the environment in 2016.
Mr Nyatsumba has encouraged manufacturers operating in the metals and engineering sector to submit their entries for the seven categories as soon as possible. The Awards are open to all companies in the sector, both SEIFSA members and non-members.