Source: Best Employers website.
Aon Hewitt, a global human resources solutions firm, unveiled its list of top employers in Singapore for 2015 on February 27th.
Launched in Asia in 2001, Aon Hewitt’s Best Employers study is currently the most thorough of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. Recognition as an Aon Hewitt Best Employer signifies that a company:
1. Cultivates strong employee commitment and top-tier performance;
2. Achieves strong business results through effective human resources strategies; and,
3. Employs practices that promote long-term sustainability and success.
“Best Employers consistently outperform the market. We observed that Best Employers in Singapore achieve significantly higher profit growth compared to the market average," stated Jeremy Andrulis, Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Asia, for Aon Hewitt Consulting and Managing Director of its Singapore operations. “This demonstrates that becoming a Best Employer is a crucial business objective, not just an HR initiative.”
The following companies earned recognition as Best Employers in Singapore:
Aon Hewitt Best Employer – Singapore 2015 Awards
Company Name
Best of the Best
McDonald’s Restaurants
Best Employer Singapore 2015
American Express International
Best Employer Singapore 2015
Bain & Company SE Asia
Best Employer Singapore 2015
Hongkong Land
Best Employer Singapore 2015
Hilti Far East
Best Employer Singapore 2015
Microsoft Singapore
Best Employer Singapore 2015
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Best Employer – Commitment to Engagement Singapore 2015
Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific
Best Employer – Generation Y Singapore 2015
Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium
Best Employer – Hotels Singapore 2015
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
Best Employer - Small and Medium Enterprise Singapore 2015
Goodrich Global
Alexis Saussinan, Head of Performance &Talent Management with Aon Hewitt in Singapore, emphasized the inclusion of a new category for Small and Medium Enterprises this year.
“A primary goal of the Best Employers 2015 program is to adapt to and examine new workforce dynamics. Selected SMEs in Singapore effectively utilize their talent to achieve superior business outcomes. Furthermore, SMEs have sought ways to benchmark themselves against top performers in their respective industries. In light of this, Aon Hewitt decided to incorporate a dedicated category recognizing Best Employers among SMEs,” he elaborated.
The companies listed below received three or more Best Employer awards within the region this year and earned recognition as Regional Best Employers in Asia Pacific 2015:
Aon Hewitt Regional Best Employer – Asia Pacific 2015 Awards
Company Name
Regional Best Employer Asia Pacific 2015
McDonald’s Asia Pacific
Regional Best Employer Asia Pacific 2015
Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific
The prominent trends identified this year include:
Business and People Challenges
§ CEOs rank People Issues (58%) as their primary business challenge, closely followed by Organizational Efficiency (52%).
§ Best Employers realize 29% higher profits compared to the market average.
§ Best Employers experience a 25% lower employee turnover rate.
§ Best Employers filled 42% more job openings internally compared to the market average.
Employee Engagement
§ Best Employers’ engagement scores (80%) are notably higher than the market average (59%).
§ The Gen Y** engagement score is the lowest among all age groups at 57% (although Best Employers stand out with significantly higher scores of 76%).
Compelling Employer Brand
§ While 58% of companies have a well-defined employer brand, only 15% demonstrate alignment between CEOs and HR regarding its nature.
§ Learning and Careers emerge as the most common employee value proposition theme for organizations in Singapore, with 48% listing it as a top-three driver.
§ 78% of employees at Best Employers believe their organization delivers on its promises, a stark contrast to only 56% at participating organizations.
Saussinan stressed: “There is a considerable discrepancy between the 78% of employees at Best Employers who trust their organization to fulfill its promises versus only 56% of employees at participating companies. Best Employers demonstrably practice what they preach and honor their commitments. This underscores the strength of their employer brand in attracting and retaining high-performing talent.”
Effective Leadership
§ 67% of Best Employers provide training to their managers on career conversations, compared to a mere 29% of all participating companies.
§ 79% of employees at Best Employers believe senior leadership values them as the company’s greatest asset, a sentiment shared by only 58% of employees at participating companies.
§ 100% of Best Employers incorporate their high-potential programs into talent management processes, compared to 60% of participant companies.
High Performance Culture
§ 78% of Best Employers factor in the engagement scores of teams when evaluating their people managers’ performance, compared to 52% of participants.
§ Only 53% of employees report feeling adequately recognized (beyond pay and benefits) for their contributions, a stark contrast to 72% at Best Employers.
§ Only 29% of organizations offer their managers coaching on providing career advice to their teams, compared to 67% of Best Employers.
While the Best Employers study acknowledges organizations demonstrating exceptional standards, Aon Hewitt encourages participation from all.
“For those who haven’t made it to the Best Employers list yet but aspire to, we emphasize that this is an ongoing process. Becoming a Best Employer isn’t an overnight transformation,” stated Gitansh Malik, Aon Hewitt Best Employers Singapore Project Manager. “Achieving Best Employer status is attainable for everyone, as long as you clearly define your desired destination and strategically plan your journey.”
Participating in the program offers a wide array of advantages for companies, including gaining insights into employee perceptions and ratings of their employer, understanding the factors that attract talent to certain employer brands, and identifying the type of organizational culture valued enough for employees to “stay and strive.” The study also provides a benchmark against industry competitors. By participating, organizations gain access to Aon Hewitt’s latest market research findings, as well as exposure to the best and most innovative people practices employed by Best Employers.
For a deeper understanding of the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Asia 2015 Study, click here.
*The program provides insights into companies that are creating real competitive advantage through their people, to explore what makes a workplace of choice and to identify the Best Employers in the region, covering 12 markets: mainland China, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. The study’s research methodology involves a rigorous process, conducted over a nine-month period that culminates in a solid, credible list of Best Employers.
**Gen Y employees are defined as those born between 1979-1990.