Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company (GPIC) was given the 'Best Employers Middle East Award' for its achievement and on-going commitment to delivering employee engagement.

The awards were presented by Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon.

GPIC was the only Bahrain company out of 15 regional organisations to be honoured, reported the Gulf daily News, our sister publication.

The announcement follows Aon Hewitt's third Best Employers Middle East survey, which this year looked at more than 130 businesses with a combined total of 13,000 employees surveyed.

This is representative of a total workforce of more than 267,000 people - making it the most extensive study of its kind in the region.

It is also one of the few programmes which is free for participants to enter.

"We are thrilled to have been recognised by Aon Hewitt for our excellence in employee engagement," said GPIC president Abdulrahman Jawahery.

"Teamwork is of utmost importance and we are proud to say that we offer an environment where people want to come and work together, which in turn adds value to our customers and shareholders."

"Participation in this year's Best Employers is the highest yet, and we are delighted to reward the fantastic efforts of GPIC with this accreditation," said Aon Hewitt Middle East chief executive Dr Markus Wiesner.

"They have set the benchmark for employee engagement in Bahrain, which is testament to the increasing focus that organisations are placing on creating a positive work culture."

Launched globally more than 10 years ago, Best Employers has become an international benchmark for business, reflecting the opinions of an unprecedented number of employees and providing companies with a unique opportunity to assess and understand the level of employee engagement.

With unparalleled experience in conducting intensive reviews of human resources best practice, Aon Hewitt's Best Employers is the most robust study of its kind in the region.

The Best Employers Middle East 2013 winners will be presented with their awards at a high profile networking event to be held at The Address Downtown in Dubai on June 13.-TradeArabia News Service