ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, said it has topped this year’s 'Best Company to Work for' survey in Saudi Arabia.

Following a comprehensive study by consultants TeamOne Middle East and Al Eqtisadiyah newspaper, ABB Saudi Arabia scored the highest for employee satisfaction and for HR practices amongst enterprise-sized companies with more than 500 employees.

ABB was commended for its inclusive approach to employee relations - the company provides staff with long-term financial security through its pension scheme as well as share acquisition options.

ABB also emphasizes human development through internal and external training programs, the survey added.

“While many companies may have cut their spending on HR last year due to the economic downturn, we actually upped our training budget,” said Zeid Al Rumaihi, HR country manager for ABB in Saudi Arabia.

“We’re committed to providing our employees with the means and the tools to better themselves, for the company’s benefit as well as their own personal growth,” Al-Rumaihi pointed out.

With over 1,300 employees in the Kingdom located in numerous sites, ABB has grown to become one of the largest providers of power and automation technology solutions in Saudi Arabia.

Despite the difficulties of attracting able and talented electrical engineers, ABB has succeeded in building local resources. Today, approximately 30 per cent of ABB in Saudi Arabia’s engineers are Saudi nationals, he said.

“The management at ABB came to realize over a decade ago that if done properly human resources will lay the success of the company for the long term,” Al-Rumaihi explained.

“By reaching out to our employees, their families and the communities in which we operate we’ve helped to create a company that has been recognized as the employer of choice in the Kingdom,” he added.

Last year, ABB in Saudi Arabia was ranked as the best company to work for in the industrial sector among 40 companies that took part in the survey, and third best company in terms of HR practices in the Kingdom.-TradeArabia News Service