The criteria for Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) is based on five elements identified as being consistent to Hewitt Best Employers over the eight-year history of this study in Australia and New Zealand:

• Engagement
• Leadership Commitment
• A Compelling Promise to Employees
• Connecting Employees to the Company and Strategy
• A Differentiated High Performance Culture.

What is required to achieve Accreditation?

Participants will be assessed, and their performance graded, depending on the extent to which they demonstrate excellence in each of these criteria.

Hewitt recognises that all organisations have strengths in different areas and even some of the best organisations can’t excel against every one of the criteria. To be considered for accreditation you need to achieve a minimum of 3 green and 2 yellow rankings against the criteria.

How are participants measured against the criteria?

Engagement

Description: Employees have a high level of emotional and intellectual commitment to their organisation.

Measurement criteria:

• Employee Engagement (i.e. the extent to which employees Say, Stay and Strive); and
• Employees have strong and consistent positive perceptions of key components of the employment experience (key engagement driver questions).

Leadership Commitment

Description: Employees perceive that leaders demonstrate passion for the people in the business, and this is reflected in HR practice and the emphasis of the HR strategy.

Measurement criteria:

• Employees perceive leaders to demonstrate company values;
• Employees witness leaders spending time on people issues; and
• HR practice and strategy demonstrates leaders invest in developing future leaders.

A Compelling Promise to Employees

Description: Employees perceive that their organisation delivers on a clear and consistent set of promises about their employment deal, and this is reflected in HR practice and the emphasis of the HR strategy.

Measurement criteria:

• Consistency between the relationship employees perceive they have with their organisation and the relationship the organisation is trying to create with employees; and
• Employees perceive that the organisation delivers on the promises it makes to them.

A Differentiated High Performance Culture

Description: Employees perceive their to be leaders, systems and processes in place that drive them to contribute to outstanding performance, and this is reflected in HR practice and the emphasis of the HR strategy.

Measurement criteria:

• Employees perceive managers set goals that stretch;
• Employees perceive managers provide feedback and coaching to drive their performance; and
• The organisation uses rewards to recognise and differentiate high performance.

Connect Employees to the Company and Strategy

Description: Employees perceive managers and leaders to create meaning for their people around the organisation's goals and objectives, and this is reflected in HR practice and the emphasis of the HR strategy.

Measurement criteria:

• Employees understand the organisational strategy; and
• Leaders and managers are perceived to communicate a clear and compelling vision.