SINGAPORE, June 17, 2013 - Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), announced the list of Best Employers Singapore 2013 in an Awards Ceremony on April 19, 2013. The Ritz-Carlton, Millennia Singapore emerged as the “Best of the Best” in this year’s list. (See full list of awards below).

First conducted in Asia in 2001, the purpose of Aon Hewitt’s 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.

On June 13, 2013, Aon Hewitt hosted a learning conference at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel for over a hundred Human Resource professionals and the 2013 Singapore Best Employers. The most striking trends that emerged from the Aon Hewitt Best Employers 2013 Study were discussed:

• Best Employers enjoy better business results and lower attrition rates. “Does being a Best Employer really matter?”  Kulshaan Singh, Managing Director of Aon Hewitt Southeast Asia, answered this question with a fact: “The Best Employers 2013 study shows that Best Employers achieved a 17 percent average growth in profits this past year, compared to a 1 percent decline in profits shown by the Singapore market average.” He continued, “The study shows also that the average attrition for Best Employers is 8 percent against Singapore’s average of 11.7 percent. This is clear evidence of the business relevance of being a Best Employer and underscores that strong employee engagement matters”.

“We have embarked on a journey of excellence, where we strive to be a Great Place for Working, for Healing, for Learning, and Becoming the Best -- all in the name of delivering the best value to our staff, our patients and our community. Since we have started on this journey, we have seen lower attrition and increased employee engagement”, said the Chief Executive Officer of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

• The Top engagement drivers for 2013 are Career Opportunities, Managing Performance and Organization Reputation. Career opportunities constitute the most significant driver to improve employee engagement in Singapore for the last several years. The Best Employers in Singapore have consistently outperformed other study participants in building positive perceptions of their career opportunities. This year, for the first time, Managing Performance ranked second as the driver that matters most to the Singapore workforce. This is a dramatic jump in its driver ranking, compared to the employee perspectives expressed in the study’s last cycle. Best Employers perform better on this driver via many avenues. In particular, all Best Employers (100 percent) have career development goals integrated into performance management.

“Our leadership development roadmap was created to equip officers with different competencies as they progress in their career. The program ensures that leaders are not only trained and equipped with the necessary skills as they progress up the ranks, but also ensures effective succession planning for leadership within the Singapore Prison Service”, said a Senior Leader of the Singapore Prison Service, one of the Best Employers 2013.

• The engagement scores of employees at Best Employer companies is 85 percent in 2013 compared with 62 percent for the Singapore market average, a considerable 13 percent difference between Best Employers and  others. Yet, the Singapore market average engagement score has improved by 3 percent since 2011, when the market engagement score average was 59 percent. Organizations that have placed emphasis on developing practices to better engage their employees are indeed seeing results.

Said the General Manager, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, Best Employers (Hotels) 2013, “We have a high performance and collaborative culture with highly engaged employees, where every employee is motivated to give their best to the organization. Our people lie at the heart of our business and bring the guest experience and our brands to life. The Hotel continues to offer ‘Room to Grow’ for all our employees.”

• The engagement gap between the generations is widening. Of all generations of employees, Generation Y (born between 1979 and 1990) exhibited the lowest engagement scores. For Best Employers, the gap between Generation Y and X is 6 percent, compared to the 3 percent gap between Generation X and Baby Boomers. For the overall Singapore market, the gap between Generation Y and X is 8 percent, as compared to 6 percent between Generation X and Baby Boomers. Working in a diverse work population, it is important to understand these gaps and to create an environment which will cater to the various generations.

• Best Employers have a strong Employer Brand, where employees are proud to be part of their organization and recognize it has a good reputation. 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; only 65 percent claim complete alignment between the CEO and HR’s branding perspectives.

“We are a people company, and we believe that the key to business sustainability is in focusing our efforts and energy on making sure that we have the best people, develop them in the right way, engage with them and bring out the best in them”, said the General Manager at Hilti Far East, one of the companies adjudged a Best Employer 2013.

• Top Leaders rank people as their biggest challenge. Chief Executive Officers see people issues (65 percent) as their top business challenge, followed closely by market factors (58 percent), and innovation (32 percent).

This year, nine organizations received eleven Best Employer awards in Singapore:

Two special recognition awards were introduced this year: the Best Employer for Generation Y was awarded to Bain & Company SE Asia Inc. and Royal Plaza on Scotts was singled out for Best Employer Commitment to Engagement.

After more than a decade of experience conducting Best Employers research, Aon Hewitt has fine-tuned its approach and methodology based on the 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, 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 that every organization 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 Aon Hewitt’s 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 Singapore 2013 Awards or to inquire about the next edition of the Best Employers Study starting in January 2014, please contact Callista Ng at callista.ng@aonhewitt.com.

# # #

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. 

Media Alert:

Angelyn Varkey
+65.9835.8470
angelyn.varkey@aonhewitt.com