Employer branding and reviews platform JobAdvisor (a Search Party Group Limited company) has revealed the winners of their third annual Coolest Companies in Australia competition.
The competition recognises companies that offer game changing service, provide unprecedented benefits to employees, foster friendly working environments and are addressing workplace diversity in a meaningful way.
This year JobAdvisor sought out Australia’s coolest companies in four categories: Coolest in Tech, Coolest in Finance, Coolest SMB and Coolest Company for Diversity. Canva, WorldFirst, Splend and Envato won each category, respectively. The judging panel was composed of Jodie Baker, Angus Woods, Justin Babet, Jason Shepherd and Ben Hutt.
Coolest Tech Company
- Winner: Canva
- Finalists: Hubspot, 99Designs, Adobe, Adroll, Domain Group, Expedia, Buzinga, Nitro, IE Digital, Lux Group, MYOB, Commonwealth, SiteMinder, Viator, Kiandra, Insentra, Appscore, Vocus Communications, Gumtree
Coolest Finance Company
- Winner: WorldFirst
- Finalists: SocietyOne, Petsure, ME bank, Commonwealth
Coolest SMB
- Winner: Splend
- Finalists: Driveyello, Hardhat Digital, Social Garden, The Network, Beaumont Consulting, 33Talent, Big Wave Digital, Halcyon Knights, Lotus People
Coolest Company promoting Diversity
- Winner: Envato
- Finalists: Thoughtworks, Medibank, Commonwealth, Lead Like a Woman, Sportsbet, Finder.com.au, WME Group, The Coaching Institute, Xpand Group.
Ben Hutt, CEO of Search Party & JobAdvisor, commented, “This year’s competition clearly showed us a move in many companies towards a more humanised and supportive working environment. Australian employees are looking for companies that live and breathe their values and are going the extra mile when it comes to making them feel good and valued at a professional and personal level.”
One of the strongest trends in this year’s finalists across the categories was fostering a community mindset whereby the office is an extension of employees’ lives, not an isolated aspect of it. Pet friendly environments were also cited frequently as a top benefit, as were flexible working hours and employers that recognised emotional well-being of employees to be as important as physical wellbeing. Finally, employees praised their companies for access to professional training as well as internal recognition programs.
“Having cool offices isn’t enough anymore. Ping pong tables and friendly kitchens where employees can have lunch are a given. In order to attract and retain top talent, Australian companies – and especially SMBs – need to provide their employees with a supportive environment on both professional and personal levels,” added Hutt.
“The companies awarded by JobAdvisor this year represent the best of the best, and offer an example to other businesses looking to attract and retain employees. Even if Australian SMBs don’t have the budget of the big guys, they can most definitely compete for talent by fostering an inclusive culture that takes care of employees as human beings first,” Hutt said.
“At the end of the day, ‘Walking the talk’ when it comes to company values is most important to Aussie employees and what truly makes an employer a Cool Company.”
