The Top Employer Institute has awarded 18 companies in Singapore with the Top Employer 2020 certification, including German biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, Saudi manufacturer Sabic, South African IT company Dimension Data, and logistics firm DHL. All the certified firms are large multinationals with a significant presence in the region, and have also received other accolades for employee-friendly policies.

The Top Employer Institute certification indicates that a company’s culture and processes are highly people-centric. The institute, founded in 1991 and headquartered in the Netherlands, carries out its evaluation by looking at approximately 600 HR practices across 10 key areas including talent strategy, learning & development, compensation and benefits, culture, and leadership development. For 2020, there are 447 globally certified companies and 139 certified for the Asia Pacific region.

Unsurprisingly, Top Employer certified companies share the common approach that employees are the root of their success.

David Serés, Human Resources Director for Boehringer Ingelheim in Southeast Asia and South Korea, said, “At Boehringer Ingelheim, our employees are our greatest assets. It is our responsibility to empower and encourage our employees to continue learning and developing their skill sets to go beyond.”

The company attributed this year’s certification to region-wide improvements it had rolled out this year, such as strengthening the onboarding program for new hires and increasing the flexibility of work schedules.

Mechtild Walser-Ertel, Global Head of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility at Orange Business Services, said, “At Orange our employees play a central role in our success. This is why we’re committed to recruiting and retaining the best talent and to giving our employees a great working environment.”