Dow Corning Corporation in Belgium has been named 'Best Workplace in Europe 2009' by Great Place to Work Institute Europe, ranking 14th among the 50 Best Large Workplaces with more than 500 employees. Dow Corning, a global leader in silicone innovation and technology, won this award for what the judges called a company where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with'.
'Best Workplace in Europe' is the largest and most comprehensive employee-based study conducted annually in the region, with about 1.1 million employees participating from more than 1,350 companies. The list of the Best Workplaces in Europe is based on the 16 national best workplaces studies all around Europe.
Dow Corning implements multiple initiatives to ensure high levels of employee satisfaction with their work environment and work-life balance. Employees in Belgium and other sites are allowed to work from home when needed, thus enabling them to find a balance between their professional and personal lives.
In addition, the corporation is committed to ensuring workforce diversity. "In fact, Dow Corning's workforce in Belgium represents more than 20 different nationalities," said Bernard Simon, Belgium site manager. "With scientists and business experts from all over the world, the Seneffe site an ideal place to explore new frontiers for silicon-based applications."
In addition to comprehensive compensation packages, Dow Corning benefits in Belgium range from flexible working times to tuition reimbursement and on-site health screening. Dow Corning offers coaching and mentoring as well as international career development opportunities and assignments in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Elisabeth Ganss, Human Resources Business Partner Europe at Dow Corning said "we listen to our employees and do our best to give them the tools and resources they need to effectively manage work and life, advance in their career and volunteer in their communities. Being included on this list is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of great people."
The 'Best Employers in Europe' study assessed three major areas - the degree of employees' trust in the company they work for, pride in what they do and camaraderie between the people they work with. It was conducted based on a management survey accounting for 1/3 of the score and employee surveys accounting for 2/3. The 2009 survey looked at corporate criteria like two-way communication, collaboration, equity, team spirit and welcoming atmosphere.
Klaus Hoffmann, European Area President for Dow Corning commented: "Since so much of this recognition is the direct result of what employees said in this survey, it means that much more to be considered one of the Best Workplaces. We see this as appreciation of our efforts to implement world-class human resource practices in Europe, as well as our strong commitment to our employees in good times and in bad times."
Earlier this year, Dow Corning was also named 'Best Employer in Belgium' by the Great Place to Work Institute Europe and Vleurick Management School. Dow Corning Corporation has received 'Best employer' awards in several countries like in the UK, Germany, Korea and Australia in 2008 and 2009. The corporation has also been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for, and as 'Best Employer in Asia' by Hewitt Associates and the Wall Street Journal Asia.