Employee engagement pays off on bottom line for Best Small & Medium Employers

Queen's School of Business Names 2013's Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada in partnership with Aon Hewitt

TORONTO, Dec. 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Employee engagement pays off on bottom line for Best Small & Medium Employers, across the country, according to Queen's University's School of Business which has released its annual list of the 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada. The study is conducted in partnership with Aon Hewitt, the global human resource consulting and outsourcing business of Aon Corporation (NYSE:AON). This year's list (attached below) appears on the Website of PROFIT magazine.

The average engagement score for this year's 50 Best Small & Medium Employers was 84% per cent; other participants in the study had an average score of 61% per cent.

"Employee engagement is key for all organizations no matter their size," said Einar Westerlund, director of project development at the Queen's Centre for Business Venturing, part of the Queen's School of Business. "In this study, feedback directly from employees about their workplace and their work experience enables us to measure how engaged they are."

Employee Engagement Challenges
According to Aon Hewitt's definition of employee engagement, employees are engaged when they "say, stay and strive": they speak positively about the organization to others, are committed to remaining with their current employer, and are motivated by their organizations' leaders to contribute to business success.

"Employers must have a strong level of commitment from their workforce to have success. If not, they will see employee turnover and absenteeism begin to increase", said Neil Crawford, Aon Hewitt's study leader. "This will also lead to less productivity and lower customer satisfaction."

To be eligible to participate in the Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada study, organizations must have been in business in Canada for at least three years and have between 50 and 399 permanent, Canadian-based employees. Employers with 400 or more employees may take part in the companion Best Employers in Canada study. A total of 280 organizations participated in the two 2012 studies.

To learn more about the Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada study and register online to participate, please visit www.bsmestudycanada.com.

About Queen's Centre for Business Venturing (QCBV)
Based at Queen's School of Business, Canada's leading business school, QCBV's mandate is to be the leading and definitive source of knowledge and expertise in the creation, leadership and management of new ventures. Further, it strengthens and helps build Canadian SMEs by focusing its efforts on serving the broader SME community through research, providing advisory services and support, and creating and delivering innovative curriculum. QCBV administers the annual Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada study. We are dedicated to increasing the odds of success for Canadian organizations and their leaders. Please visit www.bsmestudycanada.com.

About Aon Hewitt
Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resources solutions. The company partners with organizations to solve their most complex benefits, talent and related financial challenges, and improve business performance. Aon Hewitt designs, implements, communicates, and administers a wide range of human capital, retirement, investment management, health care, compensation and talent management strategies. With more than 29,000 professionals in 90 countries, Aon Hewitt makes the world a better place to work for clients and their employees. For more information on Aon Hewitt, please visit www.aonhewitt.com.

About Aon
Aon plc NYSE:AON is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 62,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world's best broker, best insurance intermediary, reinsurance intermediary, captives manager and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources. Visit www.aon.com for more information on Aon and www.aon.com/manchesterunited to learn about Aon's global partnership and shirt sponsorship with Manchester United.

The 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada of 2013

Rank		Organization		Rank		Organization
1		D.L.G.L. Ltd		26		Klick Health
2		Arrow Professional Services		27		OPTIMUS I SBR Inc.
3		Habañero Consulting Group		28		Brookfield Residential Properties Inc.
4		DevFacto Technologies Inc.		29		Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan
5		Protegra		30		Concept Electric Ltd.
6		iGATE Global Solutions Ltd		31		prairieFyre Software Inc.
7		Cybertech Group of Companies		32		CST Consultants Inc.
8		Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec		33		National Leasing
9		ISL Engineering and Land Services		34		Forensic Technology WAI Inc.
10		Intelex Technologies Inc.		35		Innovation Place
11		Vigilant Global		36		Geo. A. Kelson Company Limited
12		Benefits by Design Inc.		37		NorWest Co-op Community Health
13		Solvera Solutions		38		99 Bottles o/a beerbistro
14		College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta		39		TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd
15		Achievers		40		StarTech.com
16		CBCI Telecom		41		Quadra Chemicals Ltd
17		The Sovereign General Insurance Company		41		Réal Huot Inc.
18		IHG Canada		42		Furlani's Food Corporation
19		Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services Inc.		43		Davis Automotive Group
20		The Dilawri Group		44		Vista Projects Limited
21		Mennonite Savings and Credit Union		45		Desire2Learn Incorporated
22		Intuit Canada		46		North Shore Credit Union
23		BESTECH		47		SaskTel International
24		iQmetrix Software Development Corp.		48		Teshmont Consultants LP
25		Macadamian Technologies Inc.		49		Pinchin Environmental Ltd
				50		Phonak Canada Ltd

 

 

SOURCE: AON Hewitt

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