InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading global hotel companies, has been named among the top five companies to work for in Asia in Great Place to Work’s annual ‘Best Workplaces in Asia 2017’ list.
 
Ranked fifth in this year’s coveted list, IHG has been recognised for showing commitment to creating a great work environment where colleagues trust the people they work for, take pride in the work they do, and enjoy working with the people around them.
 
The rankings are derived from insights gathered from Great Place to Work's extensive Trust Index Survey which measures employee perception of the workplace environment, and a Culture Audit, completed by the organisation’s management team and evaluated by an independent Great Place to Work team. More than 1,400 companies participated in national list studies across nine Asia-region countries, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.
 
Deborah Woollard, vice president, Human Resources, Asia, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said: “At IHG, it is our people that make up the heart of our business and a great workplace culture. A place where people come to work excited and engaged in what they do, where they can grow and learn, and where they can be themselves, is not just nice to have but is part of our DNA, and a competitive advantage. This stems from an environment built on trust and shared values and impacts how we interact with our guests and with each other.
 
“Being recognised as one of the best companies to work for in Asia shows that we are on the right path. As we continue this journey, we are committed to continue investing tirelessly to provide opportunities for our people to grow in their professional and personal journeys, celebrate the contributions of those who give so much to IHG, and create an even stronger environment for our colleagues to build trust and relationships with each other,” Deborah added.
 
Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer – India, Middle East, Africa (IMEA), IHG, said: “Across our established brands in India and the Middle East, we have long understood the importance of both career development and enabling employees to be the best they can be. With our expanding portfolio in these markets, our focus in recent years has been on finding, developing and accelerating our growing talent pool to support IHG’s current and future growth. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce, and concentrating on talent development for our people.”
 
IHG Academy has over 250 programmes globally, almost half of which are in the AMEA region, engaging in initiatives tailored to the local environment. In Saudi Arabia, for example, IHG Academy recently partnered with local universities in Riyadh to offer free work experience placement and on-the-job training to Saudi students. This effort reinforces IHG’s commitment to Saudization as well as to employee satisfaction and engagement.
 
IHG places strong emphasis on growing, developing, and retaining its people by creating an inclusive culture where people are encouraged to be themselves. In recent years, the company launched industry-leading programmes to help colleagues grow in their roles and develop personally and professionally, such as IHG Future Leaders, where young individuals with leadership potential are trained to lead a function in the hotel within two years, and GM Express, which focuses on accelerating the development of high-potential talent to be the General Manager of a hotel under the company’s select service brand, Holiday Inn Express, within 18 months.
 
The company also celebrates its employees’ great work through initiatives such as its annual ‘IHG Celebrate Service’ week, where employees are recognised for their commitment and dedication to delivering great guest experiences throughout the hotels every single day.

IHG was ranked third in Great Place to Work’s ‘Best Company to Work For’ list in Singapore in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, the company also came in fourth in the Saudi Arabia awards, and moved up the ranks to take 16th place in the India awards held by the Great Place to Work Institute. - TradeArabia News Service