JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Six Indonesian companies have made it on the Forbes 500 list of The World\'s Best Employers 2018 alongside world-class companies from other countries.
Coming in first is Alphabet, an American company that is engaged in computer services and the parent company of Google, which was chosen for its positive work atmosphere and diversity.
Bank Mandiri and Bank Central Asia (BCA) were respectively ranked 11th and 32nd, while PT Gudang Garam ranked 109th and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) came in 112th. In addition, Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) were respectively ranked 157th and 186th.
Bank Mandiri, Telkom, BNI and BRI are state-owned companies (SOEs), while Gudang Garam and BCA are publicly listed companies. Forbes said that Statista analyzed more than 430,000 global recommendations to determine the best employers in the world. "Employees are asked to rate their own companies," Kristin Stoller wrote on the Forbes website Wednesday.
Employees were also asked whether they would recommend the company where work to friends or family.
In a text message sent from Europe, Bank Mandiri president director Kartika Wirjoatmodjo said that one of his focuses in leading the bank over the last two-and-a-half years was to build a team that could work happily and be participatory and productive.
"I am sure that happy employees have the opportunity to develop themselves extensively and have the opportunity to have a good career, so they will have extraordinary energy for the company," said Kartika.
He also said that to welcome the millennial generation, the company must build a more informal and open two-way communication.
"Human resources are the focus of Bank Mandiri\'s strategy to build capability in order to compete in the long-term. So, career development for employees, opportunities to achieve a higher career level, opportunities to innovate and their leadership abilities are our main concerns," he said.
Meanwhile, BCA president director Jahja Setiaatmadja said that BCA was aware that its success depended on its human resources. BCA believed in several things that would make a person feel at home and thereby do their best for the company.
The strategies it adopted included creating a conducive work atmosphere, for example by ensuring that people felt that they were treated as individuals, were respected, heard, trusted, given opportunities, and were able to attain a work-life balance.
BCA also ensured that its employees could work optimally. Support and facilities were provided to facilitate the realization of its employees\' creative ideas. "In this way, [employees] feel that their work is appreciated and they can contribute to the company and the public," said Jahja.
Telkom vice president of corporate communications Arif Prabowo said that the telecommunications giant had worked hard to create a comfortable and dynamic work culture to support a creative, innovative and productive work atmosphere.
BNI president director Achmad Baiquni said managing a company must start with good planning, vision, strategy and initiative. These should them be implemented consistently according to the prepared plans.
However, mid-way down the road, the conditions could differ from the initial assumption, so the best possible opportunities must be taken. "Of course, the key is to prepare the human resources at BNI," he said.
BRI human capital director Sophia Alizsa emphasized the bank’s commitment to improving all aspects of human resource management. "We must work hard, so that next year BRI\'s ranking can be even better," she said.
Comfortable
Marketing expert Hermawan Kertajaya said that the Indonesian companies included on the Forbes list were indeed good workplaces.
Employees could work for a long time at these companies, because the work environment fit. "The advantage is that companies will find it easier to recruit the best employees on the market than their competitors," he said.
Meanwhile, Gatot Trihargo, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry’s deputy minister of financial services, surveys and consulting, said that international recognition of the SOEs’ performances proved the SOEs’ seriousness in realizing their long-term vision to become the best service providers with best performances.
(MAR/MED/DIM/HEN/ARN/IDR)
