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Taking cognisant of the fact that employees are the key factor to service delivery in the security business, SECURICO has in place as number of initiatives and schemes that look after the welfare and well being of their employees. Among others, the following are in place;
- Group Medical Aid Scheme
- Group Funeral Scheme
- Bursay Fund
- Educational Loans
- Housing Cooperative Scheme
- Savings Scheme
- Bicycle Loan Scheme
- HIV & AIDS Awareness Programme
- Gender Desk specifically for related matters
- Group procurement schemes for vital inputs like fertiliser and seeds.
Due to the robust welfare programmes and high level of employee engagement SECURICO was adjudged Zimbabwe’s 7th Best Employer for 2010 in a survey conducted by Industrial Psychology Consultants (IPC).
From its founding, SECURCO has always played a part in society with a specific focus on the education of disadvantaged children. The company has therefore a continuing commitment in the following:
World Vision
The company has been sponsoring children’s education through World Vision since 2000 when it took over the sponsorship from its Managing Director, Ms Ndhlukula who had been sponsoring the children in her individual capacity. SECURICO, in partnership with World Vision, educates several children through a scholarship fund.
Sabion Ndou Trust
The company takes care of all the educational needs of the children of the late Sabion Ndou who was the first Operations Controller of the company. The sponsorship has now been running for nine years.
The company operates a bursary scheme for the children of its employees. Eligible children have all their school fees paid for them from form 1 up to upper 6.
Mwana Anokosha (A child is precious) Home
The company donates to this trust, which provides shelter, counselling and skills training to abandoned pregnant women.
Other initiatives are assisting pregnant abandoned girls in partnership with Shelter Trust where she is a member of their skills advisory committee
SECURICO’S Managing Director also gives inspirational speeches to the inmates of the shelter and is on their skills advisory committee.
Sports Sponsorship
The company established STINT (SECURICO Tertiary Institutions Netball Tournament) and seeks to empower university female students through sport. SECURICO partners with Women’s Trust in this initiative.
Women Empowerment
Besides the internal women empowerment, the founding Managing Director also a resource person for a number of women organizations where she works with them as a role model for their various women empowerment programmes. She has made many presentations locally and regionally to women on the subject of entrepreneurship.
Fellowship Case Study
The company has become a case study and it has now attracted fellows from different local and international Universities who are carrying out researches on women in business. These researchers are being assisted with information on women’s role, opportunities and challenges facing women in the business environment in Zimbabwe.
The company’s experiences,especially that of the Managing Director will be invaluable to other women wishing to start business or those facing difficulties.
Student Attachments
The company has offered attachments to university students since 2004 and have had three students on attachment every year in the areas of ICT and Human Resources.
Besides affording a learning platform, students have also carried out researches in the company focusing on issues like employee discipline, leadership/management styles, company culture and welfare.
The company will continue to offer such learning platforms for the furtherance of good business practice and management in Zimbabwe especially in the private security sector.
HIV and Aids
SECURICO is an active participant in workplace and national HIV & AIDS education and has established networks with other organisations campaigning for the eradication of the disease.
The company also a monthly charity day where employees dress in casual cloths and they donate money to charity with the company paying an equal amount
Women played a very minimal role in the security industry as less than 1% was employed and most of these women were either clerical employees working as typists and secretaries and a few security guards for searching up until SECURICO came on the scene and changed the face of the industry by accepting women. The company employs over 800 women who now constitute 25% of the workforce which was achieved after deliberate and conscious efforts were made for their acceptance, With more than 800 women employees, they are arguably the largest employer of women outside Government.
In line with the International Women’s day of 8th March, the company also holds its own Women Empowerment Day annually in the month of March to celebrate this achievement
The empowerment of women also became a strategic edge over other security organizations and assisted in creating SECURICO’s brand as a top class security services provider. The empowerment of women also extended to all other facets of the business as the board, executive management and line management and supervision constitutes about 50%.
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