Garden equipment manufacturer Stihl has been named one of Australia and New Zealand’s best employers for 2013.
The Aon Hewitt list has recognised 19 employers this year, awarding accreditation based on strong performance in areas including employee engagement, leadership commitment, and connecting employees to the company strategy.
“The best thing employers can do in today’s challenging retail marketplace is protect and nurture company culture, values and the talent of individuals without losing sight of driving a strong growth agenda. This has been our key to success,” says Chris Radin, managing director of Stihl.
With its headquarters in Victoria, Stihl has been in business in Australia since 1971 and currently employs about 100 staff.
Debra Rowley, Stihl’s HR manager, believes the award reflects the company’s focus on listening to and training its staff.
“A lot of our people practices are focused on the nurture and growth of our employees, such as looking at what career opportunities we can provide for them, and what development we can offer them,” says Rowley.
“Being a family business, we treat each employee as an individual among the team, so we don’t have a one size fits all approach.”
To be eligible for accreditation by Aon Hewitt, companies had to complete three components: an employee opinion survey, a people practices inventory, and a people initiatives inventory and organisational audit.
Other companies on this year’s list include the Fiat Chrysler Group, Millward Brown Australia, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts.
