Employee engagement
Engagement with our employees
Meaningful employee engagement is the foundation of a motivated and high-performing workforce. We continue to celebrate our people, connecting with them through open communication, recognising achievements, and providing platforms for collaboration and feedback. During this year, we undertook several initiatives to enhance employee engagement across our operations.
Key employee engagement initiatives:
- Leadership visits to OpCos incorporate one-on-one sessions and townhalls to address concerns and drive business alignment.
- Leadership participation in employee-led initiatives, which may be corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities or informal gatherings, help to build rapport and encourage knowledge-sharing in all OpCos.
Employee engagement survey
Understanding our employees’ experiences and expectations is critical to shaping a positive workplace culture. In 2024/25, 93% of our people participated in our employee engagement survey, up from 91% in 2022/23, reflecting growing enthusiasm to shape Airtel Africa’s future. The engagement score of 78%, which is 3% lower than previous survey carried out in 2022/23, provided valuable insights into workplace morale and areas for improvement. We’re encouraged by the results in key culture metrics such as collaboration, customer focus and diversity. We've identified areas for enhancement, such as talent management, automation and empowerment, and have developed action plans to address these.
Launch of ‘Employee connect’, a direct engagement with our people
In September 2024, we introduced our new ‘Employee connect’ initiative which provides an opportunity for our independent non-executive directors to meet regularly with our people via virtual channels. This initiative fosters transparency, strengthens leadership-employee relationships and ensures that employee voices are heard at the highest levels within the organisation. Through structured sessions and informal interactions, employees have an opportunity to share ideas, discuss challenges and gain insights into strategic priorities.
‘Leadership connect’
Our executive leadership regularly engages with employees across all areas of the business: ExCo members and HQ-based senior executives regularly visit OpCos to support business objectives and strengthen workplace culture.
Employee recognition and appreciation programme
Recognising and celebrating employee contributions is central to our engagement strategy. In 2024/25, we continued to implement structured recognition programmes, including:
- Quarterly townhall awards and the annual leadership conclave awards, acknowledging outstanding performance at both corporate and OpCo levels
- Function-specific recognition programmes, such as the IT OpCo ‘Star club’ contest awards, celebrating excellence within specialised teams
- OpCo-led recognition initiatives, promoting a culture of excellence and friendly competition. For example, Uganda MD's platinum club recognises high-performing individuals and teams in commercial and support functions on a quarterly basis.
Employee feedback and idea-sharing platforms
Creating opportunities for employees to voice ideas and concerns remains a priority. Our key initiatives include:
- ‘My ideas’ platform encourages employees to submit innovative solutions to business challenges, fostering cross-functional collaboration
- Townhalls with executive leadership and the Board are an open forum where employees can ask direct questions to ExCo and Board members
- Regular business reviews, HR roadshows and employee union meetings ensure that employees have multiple avenues for engagement and representation.