JTI seen as top employer

Japan Tobacco International was one of five companies to receive the Top Employer Global 2015 certification during an awards ceremony in Amsterdam yesterday.

According to a note posted on the company’s website, ‘JTI offices in an unprecedented thirty-three countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East were recognized by the Top Employers Institute for their exceptional employee environment’.

“This award recognizes the high standards we set ourselves worldwide and our constant dedication to foster a diverse work environment where employees excel,” said Ilona Alonso, Global HQ human resources vice president.

“Recruiting the best candidates and developing employees’ skills and competencies across the organization is in JTI’s DNA. We work hard to invest in tomorrow’s leaders with a solid performance management and succession planning platform.”

Meanwhile, David Plink, CEO at the Top Employers Institute, was quoted as saying that JTI was a perfect example of a company that had harmonized its operations in a way that had not only benefited its employees but also its operational efficiency on a global scale.

“Experience has shown us that employees with diverse backgrounds make strong leaders”, said Alonso.

“We recognize that career paths are changing and are not always linear, which is why we encourage employees to build their competencies and skills beyond their core functional areas of expertise. We take a truly global and flexible approach to help them grow within the company.”

About 80 percent of JTI leaders are appointed internally, and currently more than 800 employees are on long-term, short-term or rotational international assignments.