Media communications agency UM Australia has captured fourth place in the prestigious Best Places to Work with 100 or more employees ranking for 2014, announced by BRW.
The list was published today in The Australian Financial Review’s Boss magazine.
UM recorded a dramatic rise in its ranking from 11th place last year and is easily the highest ranked company in the media and marketing communications industry.
Best Places to Work is published by global workplace assessment and research company Great Place to Work, which began its Australian publishing partnership with BRW in 2009. This year 137 companies and 28,000 employees took part in the survey. The rankings are determined by combining results from an employee survey, which measures behaviours known to lead to a trusting workplace, with a “culture audit” that gives human resources personnel the chance to express their company’s unique culture.
Scores are weighted two-thirds towards the employee survey. The poll is taken anonymously and is a representative sample of each company’s employee base. The remaining third is based on Great Place to Work’s analysis of the company’s programs and practices compared with other applicants.
Employees are asked for input on key measures such as trust in the people they work for, pride in what they do and how much they enjoy the people they work with.
From a management perspective, a company’s ranking is also determined by attributes including achieving organisational objectives with employees who give their personal best and work together as a team in an environment of trust.
Among its many accolades in the past year UM Australia, part of IPG Mediabrands, was named the most awarded agency in the world by the global Gunn Report. BRW said the company’s collegiate atmosphere and willingness to listen were among the many positives cited by staff. Great Place to Work Australia managing director Zrinka Lovrencic said, “The UM culture is open, transparent and collaborative. UM employees love what they do.”
Mat Baxter, CEO of UM Australia said, “I’m obviously thrilled to improve on last year’s rank and to be acknowledged as one of the top 5 workplaces in Australia. But the real heroes are my management team and the employees of UM that have built a simply amazing company culture.”
IPG Mediabrands Australia executive chairman Henry Tajer said, “For UM to rise seven places to Number 4 in these prestigious rankings speaks volumes for the dedication Mat Baxter and his management team have for the people at UM and their clients. It is one of the finest accolades a business of our type could have.”
