Bayer wins ‘Best Employer in India 2017’ Award

Bayer is one of India’s Best Employers in 2017 as per a study conducted by Aon, a global research consultancy. The Best Employer Awards were announced in a ceremony which was recently held in Mumbai. The 19 winners from 2017 included organisations that empower results through high employee engagement, a compelling employer brand, effective leadership and a high performance culture.

"We at Bayer are delighted to be recognised as a ‘Best Employer’ in India. Our employees are our core resource. It is their skills, creativity and commitment that shape Bayer’s performance. Therefore we invest great efforts in recruiting and retaining the best employees. Bayer’s corporate culture and work environment is characterised by diversity, customer focus, experimentation and trustful collaboration. This plays a large part in ensuring employee well-being and satisfaction," said Richard van der Merwe, Senior Bayer Representative South Asia.

The awards ceremony was preceeded by a thought provoking CEO panel discussion on "The Power of Purpose." The discussion focussed on the importance of organisational purpose and the alignment needed in helping organisations prepare and re-orient themselves for the future. As one of the panelists, van der Merwe shared insights on how Bayer translates its mission "Science For A Better Life" into its employer brand positioning: "Passion to Innovate, Power to Change."

Speaking about the importance of having a compelling employer brand positioning, van der Merwe said, "A brand promise helps employees understand what is expected of them in the organisation and how each employee can succeed in the company. It also shows what the organization offers as an employer and what makes the work culture special."

The Aon Best Employers programme was launched in 2001, which aims to get insights into companies that are creating real competitive advantage through their people, to explore what makes a workplace of choice and to identify the Best Employers. A total of 119 organisations representing 14 key industries, with cumulative responses of 358000 employees, participated in the 2017 Aon Best Employers India study.

The study methodology involved a rigorous process, conducted over a nine-month period that culminated in the list of Best Employers decided by an external panel of independent jury. The jury for the 2017 awards comprised of eminent business leaders and academicians including Sanjiv Mehta, CEO and MD, Hindustan Unilever; Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank; Prof Vansanthi Srinivasan, Faculty, IIM-Bangalore; Leo Puri, MD, UTI Asset Management Company and Dr Omkar Goswami, Founder and Chairman, CERG Advisory.