Singapore Prison is ranked a tad higher than Tata Teleservices as a place to work at. So says Aon Hewitt in its Best Employers in the Asia Pacific survey, 2011. In India, nobody is making too much noise about it, including the Aditya Birla Group, which has emerged on top (see box). Somebody will point out you are in the same league as a prison. And that can’t do much good for your image.

The real issue is that when we think of prisons, we think of Indian prisons. Tihar Jail is where the corrupt end up (sometimes) and are overseen by the corrupt who falsify bills and God knows what else. Its image is that of a high-class hotel meant for monied crooks. The other prisons in the country are a different kettle of fish. They register mentally as black holes where anything goes. Gangsters run the show; this is no place for the weak.

Singapore Prison is different. In this country of the Big Brother, you can be fined and sent to jail for spitting on the streets or chewing gum. So the prison has to have higher standards.

The prison has a motto: Rehab, Renew, Restart. “Our mission in life is to get criminals out of prison,” says the service. “(We are) made up of a professional team of uniformed officers and civilian staff, including psychologists, counsellors, medical personnel and management officers, working together towards a common vision co-created by its management and staff.”

The Tatas and the Birlas need not be ashamed of being found in such company. “But it is the sort of thing you don’t write home about,” says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh. “A more sensible way would have been to include the prison in a separate public services category, along with the airport, public transport and the police.”

Singh says that things are changing. Two decades ago, public sector organisations in India would be nowhere in any study on Most Respected Companies or Best Places to Work for. (They weren’t places you worked for; you just went to office and gossiped away the day. Remember the infamous public sector bank branches where it took you a few hours to get out your own money.)

Today, there are many companies — the oil majors or National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC), for example — which could easily compete with the Microsofts and the Oracles. They have an additional edge because they offer more job security; hire and fire has not accompanied improved employee performance and productivity.

Behavioural scientists say that people want to work. (There are some exceptions, of course; you can find a lot of these drones in Parliament.) You need to motivate them. Yes, money matters. But what really works is recognition. The award for Best Employee — which seems so hackneyed and humdrum to most — actually means a lot. The monetary part of the award is the bonus; the plaque will be there in the employee’s drawing room, occupying a proud position.

But would the employee be as thrilled if he were competing against, say, physically challenged workers for the honour? A departmental “best” is always appreciated. A global “best”, cutting across geographies and functional areas, is a little less appealing. When you are comparing apples and oranges, it is difficult to justify an award. “I can’t see any mention of the Hewitt award on the Aditya Birla site,” says Singh.

There is a lesson for the HR department in this. Peer recognition comes when the race is between peers. So keep awards on a smaller canvas. There could be “universal” awards such as the Best Suggestion. But these should be quantifiable in terms of money saved or earned. If you don’t manage to ensure and communicate the existence of a level playing field, the honour will be worthless.

STARS OF ASIA

The best employers in the Asia-Pacific region

1. Aditya Birla Group, India

2. Al Rajhi Bank, Malaysia

3. Bain & Company, Singapore

4. China Telecom, China

5. Citi Singapore, Singapore

6. GD Midea, China

7. Godrej Consumer, India

8. Golden Arches, Malaysia

9. LG Electronics, India

10. Mcdonald’s, China

11. McDonald’s, Singapore

12. McThai, Thailand

13. Neusoft, China

14. NTPC, India

15. S P Setia Berhad, Malaysia

16. Samsung Securities, Korea

17. Singapore Prison, Singapore

18. Swensen’s, Thailand

19. Tata Teleservices, India

20. Whirlpool, India