Today while driving to work I was listening to a talk on the top ten companies to work for in Australia. Apparently the survey covered over 7000 people with the outcome being that Newcrest Mining topped the charts followed closely second by the ABC. No surprises the resources sector is highly sought after at the moment.

It got me thinking though – what does it take to be an employer of choice?

At Optimum, I feel we like to offer a fun-filled and relaxed environment in which we are rewarded well. When I asked my colleagues for

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one point on why they worked here I was quite surprised – none of them came up with the monetary value and instead they came up with:

  • You’re respected and treated equally right through the board.
  • I work for and will stay with Optimum because I feel genuinely valued as an individual and believe that the company will support me to reach my full potential.
  • It is definitely the work colleagues that make Optimum a great place to come to each day

So how does one go about becoming an employer of choice? The global skills shortage means employers must know more about what makes a great working environment so they can keep and attract excellent staff.

Unofficial or maybe officially – Google, is the world’s most popular employer (although Facebook is closing in fast). Apparently more people daydream of working for Google than any other organization in the world. If you have ever been to the company’s headquarters in the USA (or looked them up on Google) you can understand why. On offer are free connoisseur meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner; free massages; gyms; dry cleaning; hair Salons; even a car wash. However this is just what you initially see – if you delve deeper – Google also provides child care; reimbursement of tuition fees; and Health insurance etc etc.

Candidates are drawn to companies for many reasons. There are the obvious, more traditional enticements such as financial reward, job security and the opportunity for career progression, but the game has now shifted. Today, organisations that present a complete package by offering an array of benefits to employees – such as real work/life balance, strong company culture, quality training and flexible working conditions – are the ones that will continue to win the best talent.

Of course Money still matters but it is not the only factor that candidates take into account – they now want to see extra benefits, work-life balance and culture. This requires us to put into place recognition programs that address the above.

We at Optimum have just had a quarterly management meeting and to be very honest it was a robust discussion with lots of ideas thrown around – the outcome of this though is “the offering of ownership and flexibility, the building of high levels of employee engagement along with giving employees the opportunity to learn and develop with a sense of purpose” – will be crucial for us moving forward.

We feel that a plump pay slip is a short term buzz but these cultural differences will give us a step forward in retaining key/excellent staff.

Alicia Sumich – Senior Consultant

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