Best Places to Work Revealed

Only four Not for Profits have made it onto an annual list of the 50 best places to work in Australia.

Released by the Great Place to Work Institute, a global research, consulting and training firm, and Business Review Weekly, the list ranked the 25 best places to work in two categories  –  more than 100 employees and less than 100 employees.

More than 62,000 people took part in the survey to help decide the best places in the country to work.

At ninth place in the under 100 employee category, AIME Mentoring was the only Not for Profit to make into the top 10 of either list, with the judges saying the organisation’s different approach to inspiration made it worthy of recognition.

“AIME is a dynamic educational program proven to support Indigenous students through high school into university, employment and beyond, providing students with the skills, opportunities, belief and confidence to grow and succeed,” the judges said.

"Inspiration is key to success at AIME, employing a Chief Happiness Officer – a Positive Psychologist whose role is to conduct sessions with employees that include practical takeaways around wellness, energy and work-life balance." 

Re-Engage Youth Services, which works with some of the most at risk and disadvantaged young people in South Australia, supporting them to overcome their disadvantage and be productive, healthy, participating members of the community, was ranked 13th.

"Re-Engage adopt a Restorative Practice approach to communication, in a way that values individuals and relationships. This is achieved by fostering a culture of trust and transparency by normalising direct and explicit communication amongst employees," the judges said. 

At 14th place, Link Housing Australia, one of the oldest Not for Profit community housing providers in NSW, was recognised for understanding the importance of face-to-face communication.

A target is placed on the back wall of the Link Housing Australia office which staff members are encouraged to get up from their desks and touch at least once a day, discouraging the use of inter-office email.

Andrew McAnulty, CEO of Link Housing, said his employees were what made his organisation one of the best in the country to work at.

“It’s a fantastic achievement to be acknowledged for the Best Places to Work Awards,” McAnulty said.

“Our employees and culture are the foundation of our organisation, and the drivers behind every objective we set out to achieve. We see great value in creating a work environment where staff are inspired, engaged and supported on a daily basis.

“This award is extremely encouraging and re-enforces the effectiveness of Link Housing’s many initiatives around staff development, culture and wellbeing.”

The only Not for Profit to make it onto the list of organisations with 100 or more employees was Mine Wealth + Wellbeing, previously known as AUSCOAL Super.

At 23rd place, the judges described Mine Wealth + Wellbeing as a “highly successful Not for Profit superannuation fund, with a primary purpose to innovate and deliver products, services and experiences that exceed customer expectations”.

“In the best interests of its staff members, (Mine Wealth + Wellbeing) have developed an Employee Consultative Committee to represent employees across the business to collectively discuss employee issues, and to also represent employees in relation to enterprise agreement negotiations,” they said.

The full list of the best places to work can be found here.