KUALA LUMPUR: Eco World Development Group Bhd (EcoWorld)was named the “Best of the Best Employers” by global talent consultancy Aon Hewitt at the Aon Best Employers — Malaysia 2016 awards.
Aon, in partnership with Talent Corp Malaysia Bhd, announced the 10 best employers in Malaysia yesterday, among which were EcoWorld, S P Setia Bhd and Sunway Building Materials Group.
“One of the most important pillars for us in EcoWorld is taking care of our time, talent and resources. We used to have a group human resources division, but it’s now called group talent management.
“We set out a strategic road map to make sure the team is competitive, so there were various trainings we embarked on over the past three years. We put out an amazing leadership development programme, as well as a managerial development programme,” said EcoWorld president and chief executive officer Datuk Chang Khim Wah.
Chang said the group also engages its staff informally via music and sports activities to further strengthen camaraderie among team members.
Meanwhile, S P Setia president and chief executive officer Datuk Khor Chap Jen said the group had gone through a very turbulent period over the past three years, forging strong bonds among staff in the process.
S P Setia also won a special recognition award for “Best Employer for Commitment to Engagement”.
Other companies named in the top 10 were pharmaceutical research and development company AbbVie Sdn Bhd, American Express (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, DHL Express, FedEx Express, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, Starbucks Coffee Malaysia and Marriot International Malaysia.
The companies were selected based on four criteria, namely high employee engagement, effective leadership, a compelling employer brand and high performance culture.
“Last year was a difficult one for Malaysian companies, with both financial results and engagement levels taking a hit. While market average engagement scores have decreased from 60% in 2015 to 54% in 2016, engagement scores for ‘Best Employers’ in Malaysia have risen from 83% to 87%.
“At the same time, ‘Best Employers’ also achieved 33% higher revenue and 62% higher profit than the market average,” said Aon Hewitt Malaysia managing director Prashant Chadha, citing the consultancy’s 2016 survey.
Another finding of the study was that 81% of Gen Y employees at the 10 companies feel confident of their future, with 86% of employees believing senior leadership treats them as valued assets.