Turkish firms top employer list

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

Ritz Carlton Istanbul topped the list for small- and medium-size firms in the same study, announced last week and sponsored by The Wall Street Journal Europe.

Ceva, which offers services in logistics and warehousing for corporate customers, started also addressing individual customers by purchasing Varan Kargo last year, said Nihat Çukurkaya, human resources and communication director at the firm.

Ceva is the world’s fourth-largest logistics firm, reported Anatolia news agency, citing Çukurkaya. "This success is based on many years of efforts, proper communication and investment strategies. Considering our field of activity, our human resources constitute our most valuable asset. Within this framework, clean communication with workers is a significant point."

Into the study
The rest of the top five in the list of large companies includes Avendi, McDonalds Russia, Quintiles from Poland and McDonalds Romania. The companies that follow Ritz Carlton in the list for small and medium-size companies include Abbot Slovakia, Quintiles Hungary, Adobe Romania and Singenta Romania.

Five companies also received a special recognition for demonstrating regional excellence as employers. Microsoft, Hilti, DHL, McDonald's and GlaxoSmithKline were ranked as "Best Employers" in at least three countries.

The study shows that "Best Employers" with highly engaged teams can break the spiral of falling motivation. Based on Hewitt's research, 31 percent of organizations experienced a decrease in employee engagement Ğ compared with 15 percent in previous years. Employee engagement is dramatically endangered in an economic downturn Ğ just when companies need their employees to be most productive.

"The good news is that this downward spiral of de-motivation can be prevented. Hewitt’s latest research has confirmed some practical steps that Central and Eastern Europe's Best Employers are already taking to improve engagement and to regain employees’ commitment and trust," said Rita Veres, leader of Hewitt's engagement practice in Europe.

"We know that anxiety and uncertainty about the future are powerful influencers of employees’ attitudes and we certainly know that in many organizations, these factors increase during difficult times. This increased anxiety and uncertainty leads to confusion in employees and an increase in unproductive behaviors, with employees focusing their discretionary effort on themselves rather than on the organization and customers. The opposite outcome to what leaders are wanting during this critical time," said Veres.

Hewitt surveyed 160,000 employees, 4,000 top leaders, and employees out of 700 companies who joined the study in 11 Central and Eastern European countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Turkey and Poland.