According to the IMF, Thailand’s economy is currently in a recovery phrase and Thailand’s CEOs remain confident regarding the growth of their organisations. Nevertheless, human resources management poses the most challenge to both Thai and Asian’s CEOs.

Aon Hewitt and Sasin share the Best Employers’ value proposition and outlook into 2016 at the recently held media briefing to launch the 8th annual Best Employers – Thailand 2016 Program at Sasin Royal Hall, Chulalongkorn University.

Guest of Honour Vilasinee Puddhikarant, Chief Customer Officer of Advanced Info Service (AIS) shared the experiences that led to AIS becoming a Best Employer in Thailand for the second consecutive year.

According to Best Employer’s research, CEOs in Thailand believe that critical skill shortages, rising salaries, and an inadequate leadership pipeline present the top human resources challenges.

Dr Adisak Chandprapalert, Managing Director of Aon Hewitt Thailand, discussed the relevance of the Best Employers program to the business community, especially to those in the human resources field and said: “This annual study highlights the human resources-related factors that can expand an organisation’s capabilities and its ability to gain a sustainable business advantage on a journey to become a Best Employer that every employee would like to work for. This program aligns with Aon Hewitt’s vision of empowering organisations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative human capital solutions.”

See: Challenges to Hiring and Retaining Managers in Thailand

“Human factors have posed the top challenges for Thai management for many years. It is a shocking fact that many organisations do not have an expedient backup plan to manage this risk”, said Dr Adisak. “The organisations that have been recognised as Best Employers are more ready in all aspects of human resources management. They exhibit high employee engagement, a compelling employer brand, effective leadership, and a high-performance culture – all are important factors that create sustainable business growth.”

Jutharat Winitchaiyanan, Best Employers 2016 Project Manager at Aon Hewitt Thailand said, “The Best Employers study demonstrates that the HR department is an important mechanism that drives the organisation towards success.” This perspective aligns with the findings from 400 CEOs in Asia and underscores the strategic importance of the HR role in business.

Jutharat further revealed that the key to success of every best employer is based on HR’s active role in business development in determining the HR strategy in relation to other business functions; the alignment of different stakeholders through strong communication and action planning; and placing great emphasis on work process by benchmarking with external organisations and prioritising the work results.

The Best Employers program results demonstrate that companies recognised as Best Employers have better business outcomes compared to other organisations in both revenue and profit. Therefore, HR is no longer limited to simply “managing human capital”; it exerts a clear impact on business outcomes.

Jutharat Winitchaiyanan commented, “Many organisations are concerned about participating in the Best Employers program because they look on it as a competition. Therefore, they say they will participate only when they feel ready. But in fact, their level of readiness will be enhanced by active participation in Best Employers. The decision to participate in the Best Employers program marks the start of the journey towards becoming a Best Employer.”

Also read: Where are the Most Satisfied Workforces in Asia?

Image credit: impacthiringsolutions.com