KOCHI: The state government on Monday bestowed 446 establishments with ‘Platinum’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ rankings under its maiden venture to rank business establishments here in an attempt to develop a business-friendly environment.
The 2017 state awards for business establishments saw 221 businesses getting Platinum ratings, 119 getting Gold ratings and 56 getting Silver ratings. In all, 941 applications were received, of which the 446 establishments were shortlisted after a verification. Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan presented the awards.“A healthy atmosphere between business owners and their employees is a prerequisite for the holistic development of the state. In addition to solving the problems faced by entrepreneurs, the government aims to ensure a conducive working environment for employees,” he said.
Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden said in future, the process will enable potential customers and employees to check a company’s ratings online before deciding to associate with them. “Just like we check ratings for of a hotel or restaurant online, a robust rating system for businesses had been a long-pending need,” he said.
“A study conducted at large multi-national companies like Google and Amazon revealed if the company is able to provide a pleasant work environment, its productivity goes up significantly, giving more returns to the company in turn,” said Asha Thomas, Additional Chief Secretary, Labour.
“Overcoming all the shortcomings of the maiden attempt, the next edition will incorporate a more foolproof approach and encourage more applicants to strive to achieve certification,” she said.
Labour commissioner M Alexander said Kerala was the first state to rank its industries to improve the business environment here.“In our efforts to improve ease of doing business rankings and employee-employer relationship, we are setting an example for others with the initiative,” he said.
Parameters
The establishments were ranked based on an online 100-point questionnaire with emphasis on topics such as child labour, minimum wages paid, on-time payment of wages, gender equal pay, maternity leave, travel facilities for ladies after 7 pm, seating arrangement in display shops, appropriate toilet facilities and other amenities provided to employees.