Aon Hewitt's 2014 "Green 30" Study Highlights Canada's Environmentally and Socially Responsible Organizations -- as Decided by Employees

Positive Perceptions of Employers' Environmental and Socially Responsible Practices Are Key to Sustaining Employee Engagement, According to Aon Hewitt


TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 09, 2014) - Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), today released its annual "Green 30" list, which identifies Canadian organizations whose employees are most positive about their employer's record on environmental stewardship and social responsibility. In Aon Hewitt's industry-leading research, employee perceptions of a company's environmental and social record has emerged as an important driver of employee engagement -- a key metric in organizational performance and staff retention.

This year's Green 30 -- the 4th annual edition -- was developed by assessing employee perceptions of environmental and social responsibility in their workplaces, and drew on survey data submitted as part of Aon Hewitt's Best Employers in Canada and Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada 2014 studies, in which almost 300 Canadian public- and private-sector organizations participated. The 2014 Green 30 includes a wide range of organizations in terms of size and sector, from entrepreneurial firms in travel (G Adventures) and e-commerce (IQMetrix) to large corporations in financial services (The Co-operators Group) and IT (Cisco Systems).

"Our research consistently shows that environmental and social responsibility is a Top 5 high-impact driver for organizations seeking to sustain high levels of employee engagement," says Neil Crawford, Aon Hewitt's leader of the Best Employers in Canada study. "Perceptions of environmental/social performance are a risk area that organizations need to understand and manage to protect against declines in employee engagement."

On average, 95% of employees in Green 30 organizations were positive about their employer's environmental and social responsibility record, compared with 79% of employees in the average Canadian organization in Aon Hewitt's employee research database. In a typical Green 30 organization, 93% of employees believe that their employer is fair, respectful and honest with their customers or clients, compared with a Canadian average of 82%. Employees in Green 30 organizations are also more likely to believe their employer has an excellent reputation in the local community -- an average of 90%, versus the Canadian average of 75%.

The payoff of these positive perceptions are clear: employees of organizations on the 2014 Green 30 cite a greater degree of pride in their organizations than employees of other organizations do -- 90%, compared with the Canadian average of 77%.

The 2014 "Green 30" list appears in the TBD issue of Profit magazine and the May 19 issue of Maclean's magazine.

The 2014 Aon Hewitt "Green 30"

Organization 

Arrow Professional Services Inc. 
Benefits by Design Inc. (BBD) 
Brigil 
BuildDirect 
C.S.T. Consultants Inc. 
Chubb Insurance Company of Canada 
Cisco Systems 
Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan 
Farm Credit Canada 
G Adventures 
Gibraltar Solutions Inc. 
Habanero Consulting Group 
Intuit Canada  
iQmetrix 
Island Savings 
Klick Health 
La Capitale Groupe financier 
LoyaltyOne Inc. 
Mennonite Savings and Credit Union 
National Leasing 
O.C. Tanner Recognition Company Limited 
OPTIMUS | SBR Inc. 
Scott Construction 
Stikeman Elliott LLP 
The Berkeley 
The Co-operators Group (including Co-operators General Insurance Company, Co-operators Life Insurance Company, The Sovereign General Insurance Company, CUMIS, and TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd.) 
The Municipal Infrastructure Group 
Vancity Credit Union 
Vista Projects 
Windsor Family Credit Union 

About Aon Hewitt
Aon Hewitt empowers organizations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative talent, retirement and health solutions. We advise, design and execute a wide range of solutions that enable clients to cultivate talent to drive organizational and personal performance and growth, navigate retirement risk while providing new levels of financial security, and redefine health solutions for greater choice, affordability and wellness. Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resource solutions, with over 30,000 professionals in 90 countries serving more than 20,000 clients worldwide. 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.

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Contact Information:

Media Contact:
Alexandre Daudelin 
+1.514.982.4910 
alexandre.daudelin@aonhewitt.com

Company ProfileAon Hewitt