The second ‘Best Employers Study in Middle East 2011’, conducted by Aon Hewitt, a global human resources consulting firm, has received a tremendous response, a statement said.

The representative employee base registered for the study has crossed the 120,000 mark, making the survey one of the largest employee research projects undertaken in the region.

Aon Hewitt will be announcing the results on May 10. The research project was launched in the Middle East in September 2010.

The study aims to honour leading organisations from Middle East as outstanding places to work. Globally, the study provides the definitive benchmark against which organisations measure how effective they are in providing a workplace that engages the intellectual and emotional commitment of employees, said the statement.

Samir Mardini, talent and performance solution leader, Middle East, Aon Hewitt, said: “The study will focus on not only how organisations drive business results through their people but also how the best succeeded during the economic downturn. While revealing how organisations in the Middle East are achieving a real competitive advantage through their people, the study also indicates where an organisation is at with regard to its journey to becoming a best employer. We expect this study to enhance the standards of people practices in Middle East, making the region a better place to work.”

The panel of judges includes Hussain Al Shamsi, head Arab Incubator Network, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation; Hisham Fahmy, chief executive officer, American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt; Dr Muhammad Al Khaldi, supervisor for financial and administrative affairs, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia; and Dr Salwa Al Nuaimi, vice president talent acquisition, human resources, Etihad Airways.

The Middle East research will tap into the leadership strategies and people practices of several organisations to determine the common factors that the Best Employers in Middle East focus on as compared to the Best Employers in other parts of the world. Further analysis of employee opinions will also enable depiction of these trends by demographic cuts such as - employee’s nationality, age category, length of service, gender, educational qualifications, employment status and management function.

Aon Hewitt is being assisted by their study partners - the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the Bahrain Association of Banks and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in making the study a success, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service