This year’s list of ‘Best Places to Work in Australia’ has just been released, with the top workplace named as healthcare provider Coloplast.
Over 43,047 employees from 101 organisations were surveyed by workplace services provider WRK+ to determine which workplace was serving its employees best.
Coming in at second place was Jetts Fitness, a fitness franchise with over 270 gyms across 6 countries. It jumped up from last year’s No. 7 spot — a feat that the company’s CEO Elaine Jobson describes as “a true testament to our model, culture and the people that make up our team.”
Jobson believes workplace culture is a critical aspect of employee retention and productivity, and says that everyone in her company, from the business owners to club managers, PTs to members, has a role to play.
“Culture is at the heart of everything we do, which is to inspire people to live a better life,” she said, adding that the survey helps her company “… gain a better understanding how to improve to ensure our culture is as great as it can be.”
“It’s amazing to come second but we will always strive to improve year on year.”
Jetts Fitness scored over 90 per cent across all aspects of engagement in the workplace, including relationship with work (90 per cent), team (94 per cent) and organisation (92 per cent).
The company provides staff with perks including birthdays off, free gym memberships, discounted fitness products and professional development courses and support.
The culture, according to Jobson, is referred to as “The Jetts Way”, which she says “…has always been ingrained in everything we do, and motivated, happy team members is at the core of this.”
Jobson also believes the results from the survey indicate the importance of direct feedback from staff, since it helps the company to improve and continue to put people first.
“The feedback provides us with the reassurance that our team members love coming to work and so our purpose is not only to inspire our members, but encourage our team to live better, healthier lives as well,” she said.
“Not only does a good workplace culture have a positive impact on employees, but it filters through to the customers, making their experience more enjoyable too.”
“Investing in our team’s health, training, development and mental wellbeing contributes to our positive workplace culture and ultimately, our ongoing recognition as a great place to work.”
Here are the other companies that made up the top ten list:
No. 3 hipages Group
The online tradie marketplace connects homeowners and businesses with trusted tradies across the country. It was launched in 2004, and now boasts more than 150 employees.
It’s chief people and culture officer, Jodette Cleary recently said that employee engagement and great workplace culture is one of her “secret weapons” to success.
“[People] want to be recognised for their efforts, they want to be heard,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t want to hear what you’re being told, but if you listen properly and address it, and involve people in the solution, magic happens.”
Last year, hipages Group claimed the People Power Award at the Smart50 Awards for the nation’s fastest growing SMEs.
No. 4 Kapitol Group
Melbourne-based construction company Kapitol Group describe themselves as a “diversified construction business” that currently boasts roughly 200 employees, and a current forecast annual turnover of more than $450 million.
The company’s people and culture manager, Alice Hanna says her colleagues operate within a culture of “owning our mistakes and sharing them as lessons learnt.”
“No one will get in trouble for making a mistake, as long as you own up to it, share it and don’t make the same mistake over and over again,” she said last year. “It’s all well and good to say that but a candidate may doubt the veracity of it.”
No. 5 Avenue Dental
The dental services provider boasts over ten locations across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, employing over 135 people and winning countless awards yearly since 2015.
Team members can access individual coaching plans and weekly coaching conversations to ensure optimal performance.
The company’s cohesive and positive company culture is achieved through a training program each team member completes.
According the WRK+ report, employees focus on “understanding the company purpose, values, and how through their role they can collectively transform dentistry for the team, patient lives, dental experiences and the dentist standards in Australia.”
No. 6 Smokeball
Smokeball gives small-medium law firms a platform to run, providing them with automatic time tracking, document automation, law society approved billing, and other services.
The legal practice management software is one of the most popular products in the legal tech market, with offices based in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Chicago.
Every quarter, the CEO Hunter Steele and Divisional Leaders present strategic plans to the company to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to the company purpose and its brand promise.
Teams and individuals across the board are encouraged to establish their own goals and objectives — ultimately creating a space where their day-to-day role and contributions help support the company’s overall goals too.
No 7. Interactive
Interactive has over 550 staff members working to provide end-to-end management IT and professional services, such as cloud services, cyber security, systems maintenance and network services.
Three years ago, the company introduced a new program, providing staff with a 6-part series on how to maintain financial wellbeing.
The company also hosts many guest speakers, education programs, leader training and wellbeing training days.
No. 8 Keypath Education
Keypath is an education tech business that works with universities around the world to deliver online education. It’s currently boasting over 160 programs across 38 universities, and has over 250 employees working in a hybrid environment.
Staff are given two mental health days of leave to rest, relax, and support their mental health, while managers receive training in managing mental health at work and refresher courses every six months.
Staff are also treated to weekly meditation and yoga classes.
No. 9 Nova Systems
This international engineering services and technology solutions company employs over 700 people across multiple cities around the world. They work across a number of markets, including Defence, Essential Services, Space, and Commercial Aerospace.
Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) to deliver high-tech innovative clothing systems solutions for uniform requirements.
The company operates within a framework called the “Ways of Working”, which defines how, when and where work gets done. This basically offers staff a freedom to design a work schedule that suits them best.
No. 10 DKSH Smollan
Market Solutions firm DKSH Smollan follow the philosophy that when people understand how their work contributes to an organisation’s overall mission and goals, they will feel pride.
That’s why the organisation regularly communicates their vision and values to their 2000-strong employees to help them understand how their work aligns with the company’s overall principles.
Performance management processes ensures that team leaders facilitate ongoing transparent conversations with their workers, addressing how their contributions aligns with the overall business outcomes.
Employees are also given an extra paid day off during months without a public holiday.
You can read the full list of Best Companies 2023 here.