Creating a culture of success; how employee engagement can directly and positively influence revenue; how workplace culture can attract and retain the best talent – these topics have gotten increasingly more coverage over the past few years and quite rightly so, but why? Where did this come from, and who is doing it well in Australia?

 

It is unsurprising that many believe this notion was pioneered by tech companies; Facebook being the most famous example of this. Mark Zuckerberg realised early on that if Facebook was going to grow from the small company he built from his dorm room in 2003, he would need to attract and retain the best talent on the market and to do this, people would have to want to work there. Facebook (despite recent backlash) is now well-known as an office of fun; with hiring process itself, as well as social activities and employee perks all carefully reflecting Facebook’s company values of being open and connected.

 

As a global tech hub, companies in Silicon Valley have to continually compete for the best talent and niche technical skills, meaning other tech companies had to quickly follow suit. Even the infamous Google, have had to step up their culture game over the past five years in order to remain as arguably one of the most desirable places to work in the world.

 

As part of the Mitchellake team, I am lucky enough to work with some of Australia’s most well-known technology companies; meaning I know first hand how difficult it can be to find candidates with the skill set and experience they require. Australian tech companies have also realised the value in putting more focus on employee engagement and company culture, in order to compete in a skills-short market, improve their product/ service offering and ultimately to continue to be successful.

 

I thought it would be fun to use my insider knowledge to round up some of the companies we work with who are doing the culture thing well (don’t all apply at once!).

 

Seek. Free breakfast (and pick n’ mix!); commitment to career development; generous parental leave

 

RedBubble. Meditation room for mid-morning zen; weekly catering from some of the best restaurants Melbourne CBD has to offer

 

Culture Amp. Allocation of a mentor/ coach outside direct line managers to help grow individuals’ career; “bring your whole self to work” culture, with money set aside to support learning inside and outside of work

 

Invoice2go. One of the more stocked, fully-stocked kitchens I have come across; 3pm office planks

 

Mitchellake. Partly because my boss would kill me if I didn’t include us, and partly because we have gotten new bean bags which are extremely comfy to work from. We also have weekly table tennis tournaments; spend for professional development and are a pooch-friendly office.

 

If anyone has any thoughts, comments or insights on this topic feel free to drop me a mail 🙂