Australia’s top employers revealed

Australia’s most appealing workplaces have been revealed this month after HRD magazine confirmed the winners from its fourth annual Employer of Choice awards.

Iain Hopkins, editor of HRD magazine, said the votes for the winners had been cast by the people who matter most – the employees.

“Their votes have determined which organisations get recognised,” he said, noting that 2,611 employees from 143 companies had participated in the process.

“It’s clear that the companies listed are doing a great job across the various areas – such as L&D, remuneration and corporate health & wellbeing – that ultimately contribute to workforce that is engaged and willing to go above and beyond,” he added.

Recruitment and onboarding
Just over half of all respondents (54.93 per cent) strongly agreed that their employer has effective recruitment and onboarding strategies to bring the best talent into the organisation.

A further 27.33 per cent agreed with the statement while 11.78 per cent were neutral, 3.97 per cent disagreed and just 1.99 per cent strongly disagreed.

The four top performing companies in terms of recruitment and onboarding were identified as Colin Biggers & Paisley, ALDI, Tourism Australia, and PD Training.

“We have a strong focus on building our employment value proposition, sourcing talent from social media tools, creating opportunities for internal talent as well as leveraging external networks,” said Louise Campbell, HRD at Colin Biggers & Paisley.

Rewards and recognition
Some 48.7 per cent of all respondents strongly agreed that their employer offers sufficient rewards and recognition incentives while a further 32.53 per cent agreed.

One tenth (10.34 per cent) of employees were neutral in regards to the statement while 5.21 per cent disagreed and 3.22 per cent strongly disagreed.

Talent international, intelliHR, Employment Hero and College of Law Australia were identified as the top performers in this category.

“Supporting people is just part of the way we behave,” said April Marcot, head of people and culture at Talent International. “We try and focus on how we achieved as much as the achievement itself to help others understand that there is no magic to performance, just hard work and sticking at it.”

Work-life balance
An impressive 63.42 per cent of respondents strongly agrees that their employer offers flexible work practices which help them achieve work life balance.

A further 22.95 per cent agreed with the statement while 8.08 per cent were neutral, 3.01 per cent disagreed and 2.53 per cent strongly disagreed.

BigCommerce, Christian Super, NSW Business Chamber and Tourism Australia were identified as the top four performers in the category.

“We are committed to providing a work environment in which employees can achieve a work-life balance that is fulfilling in all aspects of life,” said Elise Hill, people and culture manager at Christian Super.

Health and wellbeing
A huge 67.67 per cent of all respondents strongly agreed that their employer supports their health and wellbeing. A further 21.58 per cent agreed with the statement while 6.78 per cent were neutral, 1.85 per cent disagreed and 2.12 per cent strongly disagreed.

The top performers in the category were Christian Super, Black Dog Institute, City of Cockburn and Data#3.

Leadership
Over half (54.59 per cent) of respondents strongly agreed that their employer demonstrates effective leadership while 31.51 per cent agreed with the statement.

Some 7.67 per cent of respondents were neutral about the statement while 3.42 per cent disagreed with it and 2.81 per cent strongly disagreed.

Halcyon Knights, Crossmark Australia, Colin Biggers & Paisley and Genworth Mortgage Insurance were identified as the top performers.

Communication
In total, 55.75 per cent of employees strongly agreed that their employer encourages effective communication at all levels of the organisation. A further 30 per cent agreed with the statement while 7.33 per cent were neutral, 4.11 per cent sidagreed and 2.81 per cent strongly disagreed.

Sidekicker, itelliHR, NSW Business Chamber and the Star Entertainment Group were the four front runners in the communication category.

Technology
A huge 60.55 per cent of employees strongly agreed that their employer provides access to the technology and resources they need to do their work effectively while 26.23 per cent of staff agreed.

Just 8.7 per cent of staff were neutral about the statement while 2.19 per cent disagreed and 2.33 per cent strongly disagreed.

BigCommerce, Data#3, Employsure and MSS Security came out on top in terms of technology.

Diversity and inclusion
Australia is undoubtedly excelling in workplace diversity and inclusion as an incredible 67.6 per cent of employees strongly agreed their employer has a strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

A further 21.23 per cent agreed with the statement while just 6.71 per cent were neutral, 2.6 per cent disagreed and 1.85 per cent strongly disagreed.

intelliHR, Black Dog Institute, Talent International and ALDI were crowned as the four leaders in this category.

“From a recruitment perspective, we have no bias whatsoever,” said Rob Bromage, CEO if intelli HR. “We focus on people’s individual talents, no matter what gender, generation or culture they may be.”

Learning and development
Over half (51.1 per cent) of respondents strongly agreed that their employer provides sufficient opportunities for learning and development while 31.1 per cent agreed and 11.3 per cent were neutral.

Just 4.52 per cent disagreed with the statement and 1.99 per cent strongly agreed.

Once again, intelliHR and Christian Super were among the front runners as were Perform HR and PD Training.

Career progression
An apparent area for improvement for many organisations, just 32.88 per cent of employees strongly agreed that their employer offers a clear career progression path for all employees while 36.1 per cent agreed with the statement.

Some 20.34 per cent of employees were neutral, 6.99 per cent disagreed and 3.7 per cent strongly disagreed.

Talent International, NSW Business Chamber, the Star Entertainment Group an Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers were named as the four top performers in the category.

Remuneration
Again, remuneration appears to be a possible area of improvement for employees as just 38.22 per cent strongly agreed their employer provides satisfactory remuneration and 38.01 per cent agreed.

Some 15.21 per cent of respondents were neutral while 5.89 per cent disagreed and 2.67 per cent strongly disagreed.

Donesafe, Halcyon Knights, Talent International and Sidekicker were the front runners for this category.

Employer of choice overall winners

1-99 employees
Gold: intelliHR

Silver: Christian Super

Bronze: BigCommerce

“It’s really great to be recognised for the things we are passionate about,” said Rob Bromage, MD and CEO of intelliiHR. “We see staff development, inclusion, diversity and recognition as crucial to our business’ strategy.”

100-499 employees
Gold: Talent International

Silver: Employsure

Bronze: Colin Biggers & Paisley

“As this award is voted for by employees, it feels good to know that this is not a result of our policies and systems but the genuine engagement our people feel with talent,” said April Marcot, head of people and culture at Talent International

800+ employees
Gold: NSW Business Chamber

Silver: ALDI

Bronze: Data#3

“This accolade is very important for our employer brand,” said Alex Diab, GM of HR at NSW Business Chamber. “Candidates from all generations, not just the millennials, take a special interest in wanting to work for an employer of choice.”