More Than Drinks and Spirits at Diageo – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – At Diageo’s offices in Central America, management works hard at making the marketing of its spirits brands a high-spirited endeavor.

Marketing representative Raul Espada is departing for a new job in Spain. But Espada, a 28-year-old from the Canary Islands who started at the company in 2006 in the Puerto Rico office, has mixed feelings about leaving the world’s leading premium drinks company, starting with the gin and tonics – make that Tanqueray and tonics – with colleagues after work.

“My almost three years here are the best working experience of my life,” Espada wrote in a farewell email to co-workers, whom he described as “friendly, enterprising and well-travelled.”

But most of all, Espada wrote he would miss a workplace that gave him freedom to innovate. “I was lucky my boss, who also recruited me, bet and risked 100 percent with me in all the actions I proposed to him to market Johnnie Walker,” he said in an email response to questions.

Espada’s experience underscores why Diageo, whose operations span 180 countries and territories and has a broad scope of spirits, wine and beer brands, wins frequent accolades for its positive work environment.

Diageo’s regional operations for Central America and Caribbean (an area that also includes Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Puerto Rico and Miami) ranked ninth in all of Latin America and No. 5 in Central America and the Caribbean in the annual surveys conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute.

In a number of other independent “best company” surveys, Diageo ranks among the top 10 in a series of different markets.

Although the company is headquartered in London, Diageo is definitely a global operation, with a culturally diverse staff attuned to local markets.

But equally important is the corporate emphasis on building a dynamic workforce, a practice reinforced by the products it sells. Diageo tries “to attract the best young and talented professionals with a great sense of buzz,” said Anthony Bucalo, an analyst at Credit Suisse who follows the beverage industry.

Bucalo said that the high level of socializing also attracts Diageo employees. Working with “renowned brands” also gives the Diageo staff “instant status,” he said.

“Their mission is to help customers and consumers celebrate life, every day, everywhere, so they are in fact linking it all to having fun. It is part of the deal,” he said.
Diageo also believes that contented workers are loyal and more productive, Bucalo said. “They have good growth policies and very competitive benefits packages that say, ‘We care about you as an individual and we’re glad you’re part of the team,’” he added.

Diageo is also recognized for its involvement in local communities. In 2009, the company launched the Learning for Life program in Latin America in response to high levels of illiteracy and the proportion of school dropouts in the region.

Diageo also sought to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving with billboards featuring fluffy, billowing clouds and a beautiful woman clad as a guardian angel. In the past year, the billboards popped up along the routes to beaches from Guatemala to Venezuela. This “guardian angels” campaign, encouraging revelers to choose a designated driver to return home safely after a night out, was originally conceived in Venezuela. But Diageo has transported the same campaign to markets as far away as Singapore and Mumbai, underscoring its non-confrontational approach to a serious issue.

In Colombia, the employees brought the theme down to earth for a hands-on promotion. Local television personalities, musicians and artists– all dressed as angels – traveled in a bus around the country’s most popular beach-vacation spots. The familiar faces handed out branded merchandise that included bottled water, responsible drinking tips and temporary tattoos with the “If you drink, don’t drive” message.

Best Workplaces in Central America & the Caribbean

01 FedEx Express en Centroamérica
02 Kimberly Clark
03 Oracle Caribbean
04 SC Johnson de Centroamérica
05 Diageo
06 McDonald’s
07 Grupo Agrisal
08 Atento
09 Scotiabank
10 Banco Agricola
11 Telefónica Móviles Centroamérica
12 ASESUISA
13 Cervecería Hondureña
14 AFP Crecer
15 Pfizer Centroamérica y Caribe
16 Cabcorp
17 Grupo Purdy Motor
18 Elektra Noreste
19 Excel Automotriz
20 Digicel
21 Novartis
22 AES Dominicana
23 Grupo Financiero Ficohsa
24 Sisttemex de Centroamérica
25 Ingenio La Unión
26 Grupo Roble
27 Spectrum
28 DHL
29 SCA
30 Transactel