Forty-seven Hong Kong companies have been named the Best Companies to Work for in Asia by the human-resource publication, HR Asia.
This year, 9,972 employees from a total of 212 companies across Hong Kong responded to the HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia Survey. The survey also covers nine other markets across Asia, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and UAE.
Award winners included China Mobile International, Hang Lung Properties Limited, Lee Kum Kee, Li & Fung, Melco Resorts & Entertainment and many more.
“This year, we’ve rolled out our new Total Engagement Assessment Model™ or T.E.A.M which takes our already robust Employee Input Survey (EIS) that covers emotional engagement (Heart), intention and motivation (Mind) and behaviour and advocacy and behaviour (Soul). Aside from these elements, we also measure collective consciousness (Think), workplace sentiment (Feel) and team dynamics (Do) to create a unique 360 degree employee engagement survey,” said William Ng, Group Publisher / Editor-in-Chief of Business Media International, the publishers of HR Asia.
GOOD EMPLOYERS SCORE HIGHER
Survey participants were asked affirmative statements about their employers, and either agree or disagree with each of the statements. Based on these answers across the survey, the top 3 areas that employees in Hong Kong agree about their jobs are:
- We willingly assist colleagues who require assistance (average score of 4.10/5)
- I know clearly what is expected out of me at work (average score of 4.02/5)
- Our organisation has policies to encourage employees to gain additional skills/certifications (average score of 4.01/5)
On the other hand, the 3 areas that scored the lowest in the survey (i.e. the ones which the employees feel their companies can improve on) are:
- Our organisation continues to communicate with former employees (average score of 3.07/5)
- I am usually excited to return to work after the weekend (average score of 3.33/5)
- We trust other members of the team to know and play their roles (average score of 3.76/5)
With few exceptions, all the winning companies scored significantly higher in these areas compared to other participants. This indicates that employers that are more transparent, supportive of employees’ growth and lead by example, are more likely to be rated as a good workplace by their own employees.
“HR Asia is Asia’s largest circulating publication for HR professionals. We take our role as a catalyst of the industry very seriously. To be the best in not easy, but how do we remain as the best? As we compete regionally for talents, it is crucial that we maintain industry and market leading workplace practices and employee engagement initiatives,” added Ng.
WORDS OF WISDOM
Echoing words of the triumphant winners of the HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia® Awards 2019, we cite few of the more inspiring pieces:
“It is amazing Avery Dennison is recognized with the HR Asia Best Companies to Work For Award in Asia for the 4th consecutive year! It is such a powerful and consistent recognition based on what we believe and have done to drive employee engagement. Avery Dennison as a global leader in the industry is committed to providing an engaging and fulfilling working environment to our employees. We will definitely continue our efforts,” says Vanessa Peng, Senior Director of Human Resources of Avery Dennison Hong Kong B.V.
“When it comes to being a Best Place to Work – just like in all aspects of our business – sustained commitment is key. We want to ensure a positive, productive environment for our employees year after year. That’s why it’s great to report some repeat recognition from around the world, just like today’s award ceremony: Baxter Hong Kong has just been named to HR ASIA magazine’s list of Best Employers for the second straight year. Baxter Healthcare is committed to develop a high-performing organization where employees maximize their experience and take pride in contributing to our mission: save & sustain lives,” says Gary Wong, General Manager, Baxter Healthcare Ltd.
“We are proud to be one of the awardees. It’s a remarkable recognition to the company and the team. We would like to dedicate this award to all employees. High-tech telecom is a dynamic and fast growing industry. We promote “T.R.Y.” as our core value to continuously deliver innovative plans and ideas. CMI has successfully become one of the most eye-catching players in the industry. Thankful for this award which sets one of milestones in our journey, we strive for higher goals with each milestone that we achieved,” says Jason Zhang, General Manager of Human Resources, China Mobile International.
“We are thrilled to win the “Best Company to Work For in Asia 2019 Award” by Asia HR Magazine. The award honors our HR and talent strategy and effort to support our business growth in the region. We are immensely proud of how we implement new tools and systems to empower our managers and employees, offer robust learning and development programs, and exciting opportunities for career advancement. This award will encourage us to continue nurturing a diverse and inclusive culture and environment at Tapestry – where great ideas will be valued, and employees love to work and grow,” says Janet Zhong, Vice President & Head of Human Resources of Coach Asia Pacific.
“As one of the leading Chinese financial institution, we are honored to be one of the Winners of this prestigious award. In recognition of our core values, our people strategy will continue to align with “going global” business vision and develop our esteemed talents with best practices,” says Frances Mang, Executive Director, Human Resources and Administration of Haitong International.
Hang Lung Properties Limited shares that “We are honored to receive this prestigious award for three consecutive years. At Hang Lung, we truly believe that our employees are our most valued asset. When employees are empowered and engaged, they are the driving force for success and sustainable growth of our company. We will continue our dedication and delivering only the best employee experience possible.”
“Iron Mountain prides itself as being the trusted guardian of our customers’ most important assets, and our people – Mountaineers – are core to delivering that promise to our customers. Our talent strategy focuses on engaging and empowering Mountaineers in a collaborative working environment that is diverse and with strong core values. We are delighted to be recognized with this award,” says Peter Hwang, Managing Director, Asia of Iron Mountain.
“The award is not just about employer branding, it’s a great recognition to our colleagues as their excellent effort contributed to this result. We are delighted to see our innovations, like Gamification X VR360 experience, as well as other business and HR transformation initiatives, well-received by not only our colleagues but also other IT and HR professionals in the market. Going forward, we will bring more innovation to the market and continue to build an engaging and happy work force,” says Eric Or, Managing Director of JOS Greater China.
“People at the heart. It’s a privileged for us to be recognized in the list of “2019 Best Companies to Work for”. The result truly reflected our commitment to unleash the full potentials of our people. At Kimberly-Clark, People define who we are and what we do. With the recognition, we will continue to take on the spirit of Continuous Improvement, one of the One K-C Behaviors guide every K-C employee around the world, to be the kind of workplace where all talents are inspired to apply their diverse experiences and passion to world renowned brands that make lives better for people all around the world,” says Dominic Iacono, Managing Director of Kimberly-Clark (Hong Kong) Limited.
“We are very honoured to receive this extraordinary award for the second consecutive year. Our endless mission is to be the Clear Choice for our people, our clients and the public. This award reassures us that we are doing the right things to achieve this and secures our place as a leader in this arena within the market and our industry. We will continue to strive for these accomplishments and deliver the message that we not only look after our people, but we offer them an extraordinary journey. We will also continue to enhance employee engagement and build a powerful employer brand which showcases our HR service to both new and existing talent,” says Linda Lin, Partner-in-Charge, People, Performance and Culture of KPMG China.
“Being recognized as one of the Best Companies to Work for in Asia and receiving six awards for Hong Kong and China from HR Asia since 2017 is a great honor for Lee Kum Kee. This award serves as a testament to our ongoing commitment in improving our people strategies and demonstrates how our employees live by our core values every day,” says Mr. Derek Wu, Executive Vice President – Global Human Resources of Lee Kum Kee Company Ltd.
“We are honored to be receiving this award for the third year in a row. This recognizes our commitment to putting our people first, embracing diversity and creating a work environment that is entrepreneurial, engaging and respectful. We’re excited to build on this success throughout Li & Fung’s transformation journey as we continue to grow and develop our people in an era of exponential change,” says Roger Young, Chief Human Resources Officer of Li & Fung.
“Since the start Melco has always believed in doing well by doing good. We have some big ambitions. They are not targets, they are commitments. These commitments are to our guests, as well as our people. We dedicate resources in creating programs and initiatives to ensure the growth of our colleagues, in both professional and personal aspects. We also invest in the work environment so that our colleagues feel valued and cared for. We believe that if we take care of our people, they will in turn take good care of our guests,” says Lawrence Ho, Chairman & CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment.
“We are very honored to be awarded as one of the best employers in HR Asia 2019! In past years, Nestle Hong Kong has been working in shaping a place for our teams to cultivate self-professionalism, unleash individual potential, and further to live & practice company purpose to jointly create shared value to our community. We continuously invest efforts to listen various ideas & thoughts across the organization, and appreciate the “go beyond” spirit demonstrated by everyone of our employees. With such, Nestle Hong Kong is able to provide the best quality of products & services to our employees, partners, consumers & customers. “Respect” is our core value. Rooted from it, Nestle Hong Kong will strive for building a more diverse to inclusive, inspired to innovate, and passion to excel organization,” says Ms May Chung, General Manager of Nestle Hong Kong Limited.
“We are proud to receiving this fantastic award from HR Asia for the 3rd consecutive years. This validated that we’re in the right direction with our People & Culture Strategies: to engage our employees by innovating disruptively, leaning forward with purpose, being inclusive and encouraging space to deliver, whilst always putting our consumers, both external and internal at the core of everything we do to support our exciting Business Transformation in Hong Kong. Thank you for recognizing PMI is truly one of the best companies,” says Angee Chan, Manager People & Culture – Hong Kong & Macau of Philip Morris Asia Limited.
“At Robert Walters, we focus on growing successful futures for our employees by developing their careers through strong collaboration and team work. It is the amazing people that make our workplace so special. We have a unique work culture that has been cultivated globally through international mobility, as well as, hiring staff from diverse backgrounds and providing them with an inclusive environment. This is achieved by offering greater flexibility through innovative use of technology, as well as, a commitment to ensuring our employees maintain strong work-life balance. We also sponsor various charities and actively encourage our staff to participate in volunteer work, enabling them to live their purpose, which is the main reason they enjoy and have fun coming to work every day!” says Ricky Mui, Managing Director, Hong Kong of Robert Walters Hong Kong.
“It is an honour to be recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Asia. The award is very encouraging as it reassured the impact of a number of initiatives we have put in place at work. Our employees are key to “the future” of Societe Generale. We will continue to make Societe Generale a good place to work by developing the right structure and culture for our staff to learn, perform and grow,” says Matthew Clowry, Regional Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific of Societe Generale.
“This Award reaffirms our commitment in bringing exceptional experience to our existing and potential employees. After winning this Award, we will be taking the learning in the Total Engagement Assessment Model (TEAM) Survey making us from good to great,” says Tom Tran, Managing Director, Business Services, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau of Swarovski.
