HONG KONG, May 9, 2013 — Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON) today announced their list of the 2013 Best Employers in Hong Kong. JW Marriott Hotel capped this year’s list as the “Best of the Best.”

Aon Hewitt’s Best Employers study was first conducted in Asia in 2001. The purpose of the study is to gain 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.

Today the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Study has become the most comprehensive study of its kind in Asia Pacific. It is run in 10 markets: Australia/New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The study’s research methodology involves a rigorous process, conducted over a nine-month period, which culminates in a solid, credible list of Best Employers. 

Eight organizations were named to the 2013 List of Best Employers in Hong Kong:

Three special recognition awards were also introduced: The Best Employer for Generation Y went to The Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong, while McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd. received the double accolade of Commitment to Engagement and Best Employer for Women. 

Overall, the top business challenge identified by the majority of CEOs (58%) relates to people and organization issues and over 4 percent of the CEOs identified ability to retain talent, people management capability, and leadership availability and pipeline as their top people concerns”, says Andy Leung, Best Employers Hong Kong project manager.

The most noticeable trends that emerged in this year’s Best Employers Study were:

• Best Employers enjoy better business results: Best Employers achieved 50% higher average revenue growth rates an average of 12% positive profit growth vs.1% negative profit growth, and 40% lower employee attrition vs. study participants.
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• Best Employers have significantly higher engagement scores than the Hong Kong market average (85% vs. 54%).  Best Employers also continued to distance themselves by improving their engagement results more than the market average.
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• Best Employers organizations that have formal Hi-Potential and Succession Planning programs are able to fill seven to eight times more positions from internal candidates than study participants.
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• People Managers at Best Employers are the key to success in driving a High Performance Culture. “By and large, managers at the Best Employers inspire higher performance, are better skilled at managing performance, and give their employees a sense of accomplishment from their work”, says Jeremy Andrulis, managing director for Aon Hewitt in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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• The most prevalent themes Hong Kong employers are emphasizing in their employer brands are career, pride, teamwork and learning. However, among all study participants, some misalignment exists between the CEO and HR as to the key messages to be emphasized in their employer brand. Even among the Best Employers, only 60% claimed complete alignment between the CEO and HR’s branding perspectives.
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• Of all generations of employees, Generation Y exhibited the lowest engagement scores across all study participants.

After more than a decade of experience conducting Best Employers research, Aon Hewitt has fine-tuned its approach and methodology based on changing HR trends in Asia. The 2013 study differentiates itself from previous runs and other offerings in the market by means of its professional, data-driven approach that collects data from three distinct sources: employees, HR, and the CEO. In addition, an external, independent judging panel composed of reputable business, academic and media leaders is appointed to blindly deliberate and decide on each year’s list of Best Employers. The study is built on a clearly articulated framework of four key themes, which have been identified as critical for today’s HR agenda:

While the Best Employers study recognizes organizations that display standards of excellence, the journey to get there is one that Aon Hewitt recommends for every organization to embark upon. “For organizations that don’t make it to the Best Employers list, but are aspiring to become Best Employers, we want to reinforce that becoming a Best Employer doesn’t happen overnight,” says Gabriela Domicelj, Asia Pacific engagement practice leader and Best Employers Study lead at Aon Hewitt. “It is possible for everyone to become a Best Employer if you’ve articulated the destination you want to head to and have planned your journey wisely.”

Participation in this survey brings a wide range of benefits for organizations, such as finding out how employees perceive and rate their employer, the reasons why they are attracted to certain employer brands, and the type of organizational culture they value sufficiently to “stay and strive.”  The study also provides a benchmark against company competitors in the market. Participating organizations gain access to Aon Hewitt’s latest market research insights, along with the best and most innovative people practices of Best Employers.

To find out more about the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Asia 2013 Study, please visit http://www.bestemployersasia.com 

To find out more about the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Hong Kong 2013 Awards or to inquire about the next edition of the Best Employers Study starting in July 2013, please contact Andy Leung at andy.leung@aonhewitt.com.

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About Aon Hewitt

Aon Hewitt empowers organizations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative talent, retirement and health solutions. We advise, design and execute a wide range of solutions that enable clients to cultivate talent to drive organizational and personal performance and growth, navigate retirement risk while providing new levels of financial security, and redefine health solutions for greater choice, affordability and wellness.  Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resource solutions, with over 30,000 professionals in 90 countries serving more than 20,000 clients worldwide.  For more information on Aon Hewitt, please visit www.aonhewitt.com.

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 65,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world’s best broker, best insurance intermediary, reinsurance intermediary, captives manager and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources. Visit www.aon.com for more information on Aon and www.aon.com/manchesterunited to learn about Aon’s global partnership and shirt sponsorship with Manchester United.