How We Train and Help Talent Grow at Africa HR Solutions
- Last updated: February 23, 2024
Africa HR Solutions has won the Employer of Choice Award at the People’s Choice Awards Mauritius 2023!
This win comes as a confirmation and celebration of what we stand for at Africa HR Solutions. It shows that our commitment to helping African talent grow does not just extend to our clients – but that it very much starts with our own teams. We are not content with simply contributing to Africa’s growth and empowerment through our clients: we want to be at the heart of these efforts – which is why we don’t just hire experts. We train them, too. We help young talent emerge within the industry and give them the tools and opportunity to make a positive impact and to do work they are proud of.
Here is how, over the past few years, we have helped trainees grow into experts:
From Trainees to Payroll Professionals
Our trainees started out as motivated individuals with diverse backgrounds – but what united them was this desire to build something meaningful, and the payroll team at Africa HR Solutions embodied this opportunity for them.
Payroll is, by no means, an easy process. It requires great skill, attention to detail and reactiveness to become a payroll professional. Add to that the endless legal complexities that differ from country to country, the many variable aspects of payroll, seasonal peaks, industry-specific and even client-specific requirements… and the position of payroll specialist becomes even more complex, requiring great mental agility to succeed.
So how can a relative newcomer reach these peaks of mental agility?
How can they become payroll professionals, equipped with their good will and desire to grow?
Our trainees’ experiences
“It’s complicated, learning, being attentive […] but it becomes really fun, especially with such a friendly and supportive team. You have to have a good head on your shoulders, good planning, and a strong spirit.” Explains Sindhyah, one of our payroll trainees-turned-professional.
For close to 2 years, Sindhyah learned the ropes of the profession at Africa HR Solutions.
Starting as a Junior Payroll Associate, she was guided by a Team Leader, and worked hands-on with the whole payroll team, learning from what they were doing.
Sindhyah, as well as our other trainees, periodically received formal training on specific subjects: from the use of digital platforms (such as our Employee Self-Service system), to calculating actual payroll, learning how to create payroll reports, and handling client communications and relations – the Africa HR Solutions team and training structure were there as constant guides. For every formal training received, the team consolidated the trainees’ knowledge with hands-on exercises.
“I also learned how to work with popular software and followed payroll training,” says Ruhi, another Africa HR Solutions payroll trainee. “The easiest part was all the people […] Everyone puts you at ease, they’re very welcoming… I didn’t feel like I was new here. They went step-by-step, I could ask the same questions, even two, three times […] I had amazing trainers.”
With time, our trainees were assigned small tasks, and were entrusted with some degree of responsibility, all under the supervision of their respective team leaders.
“I started with entering newcomer [employees’] information. Then, with time I was assigned a country, and was being supervised… I learned how to lead calls with clients, and how to feel more comfortable with them.” Ruhi says.
Little by little, as all this knowledge accrued, and our trainees could see themselves becoming the professionals they had encountered on their first day at Africa HR Solutions, they were given a more extensive workload and required much less supervision to get their tasks done up to standard.
Our trainees, who were competent payroll workers by that point, started taking on responsibility for specific clients and countries, managing the different demands of the job admirably well.
Promotion to Payroll Consultant
Because good work never goes by unrewarded at Africa HR Solutions, our trainees savoured the fruits of their hard work with well-earned promotions to Payroll Consultant positions. This same role that seemed intimidating at first, has now become theirs thanks to their dedication, skills, and positive attitudes.
What have our trainees learned from the experience?
“I doubted at first if it was the right decision… but it’s very fun and challenging. I keep learning new things: new words, new templates […] I’ve had the experience of everything.” Says Sindhyah.
Ruhi, for her part says that she would advise others in her position to “Ask all questions, everything counts. I’ve never felt discouraged, I was eager to learn how it’s done […] to reach that next level. When my reports got approved, it was the satisfaction of a job well done.”
Our newer trainees also echo similar sentiments, with one of them, Geshika, sharing that she is “Very grateful for the team that’s always here for you […] and to give you the push you need to get exposed to every solution to a problem.”
Thank you to our trainees!
As thankful as our trainees are, we are just as appreciative of all their hard work and perseverance, their willingness to learn, their ability to adapt, and their fierce determination to see things through and never give up.
Your Organisation’s HR requirements will change as it expands. Selecting a PEO with a capacity for growth guarantees that the collabouration can adjust to your evolving needs. Selecting a PEO only on the basis of price may prevent you from scaling your business effectively, which will result in higher expenses down the road.
