urn - assets.redballoon.com.auassets.redballoon.com.au/media/mediacentre/pdfs/br..."happy staff...

I OBS

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION:

MelbourneINDUSTRY: Information

technology consultingRANK LAST YEAR: 7

NO. OF EMPLOYEES, 207

JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12

MONTHS: 4100 takes it on trust"). "You

After four years in the

upper echelons of theBest Places to Work list,

CBS has finally crackedthe big one in 2012.The point of being agreat place to work is

that you have to be ableto produce that

environment

consistently," OBS

managing director

Andy Neumann, pictured,

tells BRW (see "OBS

can't just achieve a setof conditions and forgetabout it. You have to be

able to do it again andagain."

For CBS, as with so

many others on the list,

that repeatable culture isone based on mutualtrust, good intentions

and camaraderie. The

free beer, fresh fruit andability to knock off earlyto do the school run

don't hurt either.

'-IM

Urn

DDW

m

Ref: 151021135Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) licenced copy

Business Review WeeklyThursday 21/06/2012Page: 36Section: Business NewsRegion: National, AUCirculation: 41605Type: Magazines BusinessSize: 3,188.57 sq.cms.

of 18AUS: 1300 1 SLICE NZ: 0800 1 SLICE [email protected]

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2 NETAPP AUSTRALIA

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: North Sydney

INDUSTRY: Data storage and management

RANK LAST YEAR: 3

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 173

JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: 144

Don't look for the managing director of NetApp

Australia and New Zealand, Peter O'Connor, in somecushy corner office with sweeping views. He sits at

one of the smallest desks in NetApp's open-plan

layout, in the middle of the floor near the photocopier.Not that he or any of NetApp's other staff are chainedto their cubicles staff are allowed to work wheneverand from wherever they like, provided the job gets

done. NetApp's employees also get to interview

potential co-workers in a bid to maintain the culture.

I GOOGI,E

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Pyrmont

NSW

INDUSTRY: Information

Technology

RANK LAST YEAR: 1



MONTHS: 35,106

Yes, that ratio of

employees to

applications is right.

Googlers can almost

legitimately call

themselves One Per

Centers, and part

of the reason is

20 per cent. That's thetime staff can spend

working on their ownideas and projects, which

has yielded products

such as Google Maps

and Google Sky.

Eighteen weeks

maternity leave at fullpay, $4000 referral

bonuses and the

GoogleServe20 progam;i offering a full week plus

20 additional hours of

free volunteering time, all

add to the appeal of thisAm.. Place to work.

4 IAMB MARKETING

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: St Leonards, NSW

INDUSTRY: Digital marketing

RANK LAST YEAR: 2

NO, OF EMPLOYEES: 35


Toxic work environment? Take a tip from E-Web

Marketing and buy your staff a few Lymphasizers

special trampolines designed to flush toxins from theJumper's lymphatic system. E-web's Gen Y-heavy

workforce also get to enjoy bean bags, a Playstation,karaoke machine oh, and a massive 250 to 300hours paid training time every year.




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ALTIS CONSULTING

HBO OFFICE LOCATION: Sydney

INDUSTRY: Information management

RANK LAST YEAR: 10



6 StLESFORCE.0011

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Sydney

INDUSTRY: Information management

RANK LAST YEAR: Debut

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: Not disclosed

JOE APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: 1 594

Of all the informationthat Altis filters for itsclients, this is the bit it

has based a business on

"Happy staff = happycustomers = profits". Welike the way that addsup. Day-to-day, Altis

achieves that through a

philosophy of

"connecting with

courage, heart and

"I have the best job in

the industry,"

Salesforce.com's vice-

president of enterprise

sales, Tony Armfield,

says in such a way thatyou actually believe him

insight" whether that's

with clients, spouses or

each other. A $150 giftcertificate is given eachmonth to a staff memberwho's lived up to the

philosophy and the firm

recently did its bit by

taking the entire teamand their families to theNovotel Twin Waters on

the Sunshine Coast.

Salesforce (see "Mascota morale builder") sells

cloud-based tools forcreating a "social

entrerprise" and tries tolive up to the highestideals of corporate

behaviour, not least

through its "1-1-1"model of workplace

philanthropy.

Since its inception, the

company has devoted

1 per cent of its equity,

1 per cent of its

employees' time and

donated 1 per cent of its

product output to goodcauses. A big beneficiary

is the Homeless Connect

fairs, where street people

are offered food,

massages and haircuts.




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7 CORDELT1


Canberra

INDUSTRY: Professional

services

RANK LAST YEAR: 11



MONTHS: 120

Cordelta is a consultancy

in the business of

helping the public

and private sectors

improve their

management, technologyand people, so it's

important to set ashining example on all

those fronts. Founders

8 THE PHYSIO CO

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: South Melbourne

INDUSTRY: Healthcare

RANK LAST YEAR: 12



The founder of The Physio Co, Tristan White, only

hires physiotherapists he thinks can live by four values:

respect everyone, be memorable, find a better way andthink big, act small. These values are important

because The Physio Co specialises in theunglamorous end of the profession, aged care, where

problems sometimes can seem intractable. It's the

genuine sense of social service that keeps White'sbusiness a great place to work. And if you're ever inthe support office and wondering who the GeorgeGarraway and Marjorie Cullen meeting rooms are

named after they were memorable residents of thefirst nursing home The Physio Co ever visited.

Matthew Ryan and Ken

Gutterson have created

a structure that does notentrench a hierarchy

based on longevitynew partners can buy

into the firm's equity foras little as $1. Generousholidays are another

Cordelta perk staff get23 days a year off plus

the days betweenChristmas and New Year

9 ATIASSILAN


INDUSTRY: Information technology

RANK LAST YEAR: 5

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 253 (in Australia)


This software developer has, over its decade in

existence, rewritten the workplace rulebook like it wasso much code. There's not much hierarchy business

cards are a recent phenomenon and no

performance reviews either (performance bonuses

come in the form of $50 gifts awarded betweenpeers). Atlassian's quarterly "FedEx" days where

staff get 24 hours to bring a pet project up topresentation stage have been so successful in terms

of the company's product development, it's engineers

have begun running them for other organisations. Co-

founder Mike Cannon-Brookes is adamant that

Atlassian's unique culture would survive the public

listing he's refused to rule out, he told BOSS magazine

earlier this year. Part owner Accel Partners bought inbecause of the culture as much as anything else.

I 0 TIM (.ROE I


INDUSTRY Recruitment

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A



MONTHS: 67

Staff lunches atTRC Group tend to be

more exciting than pizza

thanks to the recruiter'stradition of honouring

each staff member's

country of origin by

having traditional foods

brought into the office.The recruitment

company celebrates and

tells stories about high

achievers in weekly

meetings and awards

prizes at its annual

general meeting to those

who have demonstrated

its values over the year.

TRC Group's central

management philosophyis: "We cannot motivate

employees to do

anything, we can only

help them want to

motivate themselves." It

does this by helping

employees to feel part ofsomething larger thanjust a company.




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INDUSTRY, Information technology, software

RANK LAST YEAR 24



The local offshoot of this multinational software

company offers staff up to 60 hours of training a yearand up to 30 hours for volunteering. It also holds a

raffle each quarter in which three employee names arepulled out of a hat. The leadership team takes the

winners and their partners out to dinner. "It's a socialnight out, rather than work related," a spokesman says.

This gives our employees [the chance] to get to knowthe leadership team on a personal level."

I 2 AMGENAUSTRALIA


INDUSTRY: Biotechnology.

pharmaceuticals

RANK LAST YEAR: 25

NO. Of EMPLOYEES: 183


MONTHS: 820

Medicines developer

Amgen Australia expanded

its horizons last year whensent 30 mice on the Atlantis space shuttle mission to

test bone density. "We hope this experiment will

support the development of future medicines for bothastronauts and earthlings suffering from bone loss," it

says. The company's more down-to-earth employees

benefit from up to 150 hours of training a year, an

additional week of leave after five years of service,one week's paternity leave and 15 hours allowed each

year for volunteering, such as with the company's

corporate philanthropy partner Carers Australia.


INDUSTRY: Media

RANK LAST YEAR: 8



MONTHS, 3243

The agency has a scale

of benefits for maternityleave (or paternity leave,

if the male is the primary

carer), ranging from

eight weeks' paid leave

for staff with up to threeyears' service to 10weeks for three to five


INDUSTRY: Manufacturing (beverages)

RANK LAST YEAR: 39


JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: About 3000

If you work for a company that produces drink brands

including Johnnie Walker, Baileys and BundabergRum, it would be sad not to drink them, so that is whatthe UK-based Diageo's Sydney staff can do each

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening at the in-

house bar in McMahon's Point after being trained in

the company's responsible alcohol policy. Key staff get

opportunities to work overseas. All get four days extraleave a year, 12 weeks' maternity leave and a week's

paternity leave.

years and rising to 12weeks for more than five

years' service. Employees

with more than fouryears on the clock get an

extra week's annual

leave. All staff can

compete for the monthlyMagic Unicorn Award,

the winner being

someone "who has been

curious, shown a new

way of thinking or

approached a problem ina new way," the

company says.

14 DIAGEO AUSTR ALIA

11 MCAFEE AUSTRALIA 13 MON CO:11111 NICATIONS




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MEDIACAVV1


INDUSTRY: Media

RANK LAST YEAR: 43



Rather than give passive rewards for notable work, this

media buyer offers monthly winners a choice: they can

take a $50 cash prize or undertake a challenge that

will give them $1000 if done successfully. "Thechallenge is bespoke to the individual as everyone hasdifferent trigger points to be brave," MediaCom's head

of people and culture, Efi Richter, says. Challenges

have included swimming with sharks, flying someone

to Queensland to make their way back to Sydney

without any money and delivering a two-minute stand-up comedy routine. The prizes have included big-ticket

fashion items, travel vouchers and extreme sports

vouchers from RedBalloon. To date, everyone has

taken the challenge. The company also offers 25 days

annual leave, as well as two days off a year to

volunteer.

16 IVIRWED GROUP

HEAR OFFICE LOCATION: Morayfield, Old

INDUSTRY: Education and training

RANK LAST YEAR: 9



Have you just chalked up a personal or a professional

milestone? Have you just marked your anniversary of

employment with this train-the-trainer specialist? The

company celebrates those events with its staff and

has even created its own MRWED memorabilia to dish

out. In addition to (or perhaps despite!) such

inducements, the company gives staff up to 152 hours

of training a year, as well as 38 hours a year half

Ilkof last year's figure to devote to voluntary work

The online retailer of

experiences such as

kayaking trips, cooking

classes and wine tasting

and which consults to

other companies on

getting the most out ofstaff describes a range

of workplace quirks of its

17 REDBALLOON


INDUSTRY: Retail

RANK LAST YEAR: 29

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 54


own, such as birthdays

off work, chair races and

cheering on new staffwho make a client call

for the first time. "It's thesum of our values that

makes RedBalloon such

a great place to work,"

says employee

experience manager

Megan Bromley.




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18 C3 BUSINESS SOLUTIONS


Melbourne

INDUSTRY: IT, consulting

RANK LAST YEAR: 45

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 69


MONTHS: 2000

The provider of business

intelligence and

information management

software has a diversestaff, with more than 20

19 SILVER CHEF

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Brisbane

INDUSTRY: Financial Services

RANK LAST YEAR: 37



MONTHS, 1800+

Silver Chef offers therestaurant and cateringindustry a rent-try-buy

model for procuring

nationalities represented

in a workforce of just 69.It offers each of them 80

hours of training a year,

with a further eight forvolunteer work. The

company says that in

tough times, demand forbusiness information

management grows as

companies seek to getmore information out of

the data they have on

existing customers.

equipment. The company

gives staff access to 22hours of training and 40

days of leave a year, as

well as paternity leave ona case-by-case basis. It

encourages innovation,

with a suggestion boxfrom which a monthlywinner is selected and

awarded an iPad.

20 DUE ALCOCK HOMES

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Perth

INDUSTRY, Construction

RANK LAST YEAR: N/R

NO, OF EMPLOYEES, 163


MONTHS: 1266

This company specialises

in the construction of

single-storey houses. It

holds a themed stafffunction each month andthese have included

Mexican. football. circus.

A Minute to Win It andOlympics. The events

also recognise staffbirthdays and

anniversaries of service.

There is a history oflong-serving staffgeneral manager Dean

O'Rourke began his

career there as an

apprentice. The company

allows all staff eighthours of volunteer work

a year.




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21 DISTRIBUTION CENTRAL



technologyRANK LAST YEAR: 15



MONTHS: 268

Fast growth at

Distribution Central has

not prevented theinformation technology

business from keeping

its staff happy. It was

established by its

executive chairman,

Scott Frew, in 2004 andmakes its money by

assisting in the process

of moving technologyproducts from vendors to

resellers. It turns over

- -

BEST PLACESTO WORK 2012

about $180 million ayear. Employee numbers

are up from 90 last yearand 74 the year before.

Three senior managers,

including Frew, invite a

rotating group of nine

employees to dinner

once a month. This

allows for a relaxed

discussion of thebusiness and forfeedback to be provided

in a non-threatening way

22 OPTIVER


INDUSTRY: Financial services

RANK LAST YEAR, N/R

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, 170


MONTHS: 1642

The high-frequency

trading firm returns to

the list this year aftermissing last year. (It

made it in 2010 in 35thplace.) Its business relies

on complex algorithms

and its staff tend to beyoung, very intelligent

and handsomely

rewarded. Competition

for jobs is fierce and it

receives a high number

of applications each year.

Staff are entitled to three

months' maternity leave

at full pay. Paternity leave

depends on length of

service. An in-house

barista makes more than

600 coffees a week (see"Keep 'em caffeinated").




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23 MARBLE GROUP 25 EMPLOIIIIENT OFFICE

Specialist recruitment

firm the Marble Group

has benefited from the

fast growth in the mining,

engineering and

construction industries

since being set up in

2006. The company'smanagement has elected

not to diversify the

business into other areas

so as to maintain the

reputation of its staff asexperts in the industry

24 ALLUVIUM

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Melbourne

INDUSTRY: Environmental consulting

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A



Alluvium is an environmental consulting firm that

specialises in the restoration of rivers and water

catchments. The firm is owned by its employees andstaff are kept up to date with its financial performanceStaff are a mix of scientists, environmental engineers

and natural resource managers. Alluvium won the best

consulting engineering firm (revenue less than$50 million) award last year in the BRW Beaton ClientChoice Awards. It has offices in Melbourne and

Townsville, Queensland.

they service. Staff,

especially high

performers, get a range

of perks, including heath

programs and trips to

Queensland. All are

trained extensively

before they are allowedto speak to clients.

Co-founder Gary Denton

describes his staff(mostly recruitment

consultants) as the heartand soul of the business.

Brisbane-based

recruitment agency

Employment Office has

been in business since

2003, providing clients

with a low-cost

recruitment model. Staff

have the opportunity to

own a business within

the group. Listed travel

agency Flight Centrebought half of the

26 SEVINHEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Brisbane

INDUSTRY: Education and training

RANK LAST YEAR: 19



It stands to reason that a business that is expert in

keeping its clients' staff safe is good at keeping itsown staff happy. Sentis describes itself as a firm thatuses psychology to helps its clients achieve safety,

leadership and well-being in their workplaces.

It has offices in Australia and the United States andreturns to the Best Places to Work list this year afterassuming 19th position last year. The company's

executive team appoints staff members to champion

one of its four values to ensure they are not just"words on a wall".

agency in 2007.

The business runs

monthly "buzz nights"

where all staff celebrateany recent achievements

The awards are handedout and all award

recipients get a

celebratory shot of

alcohol (consumption,

however, is not

compulsory).

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Sydney HEAD OFFICE LOCATION, Brisbane

INDUSTRY: Recruitment INDUSTRY: Employment services

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A RANK LAST YEAR: 27

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 46 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 38

JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: 1698 JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: 2002




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27 READIF1(


Melbourne


technology

RANK LAST YEAR: 18



MONTHS: N/A

Software company

Readify was set up in

1999 and has become a

leading provider of

Microsoft development

consultants. Based in the

Docklands precinct of

Melbourne, Readify hasa highly mobile

workforce. Most of its

staff are based in clients

offices and they are

given the opportunity to

choose how they work,including what

equipment they use.

Technical staff get timeset aside for further

study. Managing director

Graeme Strange says

fast, innovative and

sustainable growth isimportant to

shareholders and staffalike.

28 WAVELENGTHINTERNATIONAL


INDUSTRY: Professional

services/staffing and

recruitment

RANK LAST YEAR: 30

NO OF EMPLOYEES: 62


MONTHS: N/A

Medical recruitment and

locum services business

Wavelength International

is a regular on the Best

Places to Work list. (It

was ranked 30th in both

29 KIANDR1 IT


Melbourne

INDUSTRY: IT

RANK LAST YEAR: 16


JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST

12 MONTHS: About 800

The business's three

directors were friends athigh school when they

started the business in

1995 out of theirparents' lounge rooms.

Kiandra IT provides

2011 and 2010.)Wavelength provides itsstaff a "snooze/chill-out"

area at its Surry Hills

head office. It also holds

an annual awards night

(Wavie of the Year

Awards). Staff are paid a

bonus if they refer a

successful employment

candidate. They also get

an extra five days of

annual leave.

information technology

infrastructure and

software developmentfor large and small

clients. Staff shortages

have been a common

problem for fast-growing

information technology

companies. Kiandra co-

founder and managing

director Cameron

Brookes says making

investments in staff andthe company itself is an

important factor in

keeping employees

happy.




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30 MIDAUSTRALIA


INDUSTRY: Advertising and

marketing

RANK LAST YEAR: 36



MONTHS: About 2000

OMD puts all of its staffin one of four houses:

Redbacks, Great Whites

Stingrays and Tiger

Snakes. Each team

31 AUSCOU

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Warners

Bay, NSW

INDUSTRY: Financial

services/superannuationRANK LAST YEAR: 13

NO, OF EMPLOYEES 115


MONTHS: 120

32 NIOIAEROSPACE


Edinburgh, South

Australia

INDUSTRY: Defence

RANK LAST YEAR: 33



MONTHS: 2500

competes in regular

events such as trivia and

lawn bowls. The media

agency also has an

annual ski trio for about

Mining might not be

recognised for its

flexibility and gender

diversity but resources

superannuation company

Auscoal is breaking with

the trend. In a bid to

encourage workplace

flexibility, the Warners

Bay-based company

offers employees a

higher than average 12

80 of its staff from itsfour offices. A "gorilla ofthe month" award goes

to an outstanding

employee and is

weeks' paid maternity

leave and an option to

extend their annual

leave. Embracing what itdescribes as a "safari

suit culture", every

Auscoal employee gets aday off on their birthday

and is encouraged to doat least one day of

volunteer workevery year.

presented by the

previous month's winner

who makes the

presentation dressed ina gorilla suit.




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Employees at this

Adelaide engineering

professional services

supplier to the defenceforce are supported byan "army style"

camaraderie, along with

punching bags to relieve

their stress. It offers

assistance to staff whoneed to travel or relocate

for work, which is

commonplace for Nova

employees, and benefits

such as laptops andmobile phones.

;3 ERNST &VOUNG


INDUSTRY: Accounting and

professional services

RANK LAST YEAR:

NO. OF EMPLOYEES. 4652


12 MONTHS: 40.306

Ernst & Young is

frustrated by the "boring

desk-bound, work-

obsessed, number-

cruncher label normally

bestowed on

accountants. Flexibilitygoes a long way to

encouraging work-life

balance and a more

diverse workplace,

according to the firm.It offers employees

incentives such as up to18 weeks paid materniti

leave (after five years'

service), flexible work

conditions, higher than

average superannuation

contributions and options

to purchase additional

annual leave. Ernst &

Young believes

education plays an

important role in staffengagement, with the

company dedicating

more than 230.000hours a year to learning

and development.




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35 ,IDS


Melbourne

INDUSTRY: IT. professional

services

RANK LAST YEAR: 20



MONTHS: 720

34 MIAMI ATTORNEYS


INDUSTRY: Law

RANK LAST YEAR: 17



MONTHS: 199

The Sydney commercial

law firm uses rewards to

encourage loyalty and

team-building. Its

managers and legal staff

are all given iPads to

"encourage innovation"

and all employees are

given flowers and a card

from the chief executiveevery year to celebrate

their "Swaabiversaries".

Loyalty is rewarded withjewellery a blue box

from Tiffany for three

years' service and giftsevery two years thereafter

and every quarter"Swaab superstars"

(employees who perform

outstandingly) are given

Westfield gift vouchers.

Coming together and holding quarterly face-to-face

meetings between its Melbourne, Sydney andBrisbane offices and encouraging its employees tonetwork and share ideas with each other is animportant part of team building for IT consultancy firm

JDS. The company also encourages its employees to

socialise outside the office, with regular barefoot

bowls tournaments, Texas hold'em poker games andtrivia niahts.




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36 RCI

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Gold Coast, Queensland

INDUSTRY: Hospitality

RANK LAST YEAR: N/R



Queensland time share company RCI which hasmore than 3 million members worldwide with about

3700 affiliated resorts aims to attract and retain itsbest performing employees through incentives such as

paid maternity leave, flexible work conditions and

workplace competitions. The company, which startedin the mid 1970s and offers holidays to time shareowners, encourages its employees to participate in

team building activities to "create a buzz, boost moraleand engagement and to have fun".

37 ZINC GROUP


Melbourne

INDUSTRY: Marketing

RANK LAST YEAR: 40

NO OF EMPLOYEES: 36


MONTHS: 125

Melbourne privately

owned promotional

marketing agency Zinc

Group recognises the

direct impact thatrewarding, training and

retaining its topperformers has on its

bottom line. The

company has its own

beach house thatemployees and their

families are free to useand offers various other

-perks" such as freebreakfast each morning,

Staff are eligible for paid

parental leave, with Zinc

paying the differencebetween the federal

government's paid

parental leave scheme

(18 weeks' at minimum

wage) and 60 per cent of

an employee's total

salary for 10 weeks(1,11-sn nrsn,

38 12C DESIGN 8.111 AN AGEIIENT

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Glebe. NSW

INDUSTRY: Architecture

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A

NO OF EMPLOYEES: 38

JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS, 205

Working from a renovated inner-city Sydney pub, it

seems only natural that architecture firm i2C would offer

its employees cold beer on tap served, naturally, from

company-labelled schooners. Its Melbourne and Sydneyemployees are treated to monthly "food experiences",

elaborate lunches and an annual two-day team-building

weekend. But its not all about indulgence: health and

fitness expenses, such as gym memberships and

exercise equipment. are reimbursed dollar for dollar and

massages and facials are also handed out,

39 JUNIPER NETWORKSAUSTRALIA

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION, North

Sydney

INDUSTRY: IT

RANK LAST YEAR



12 MONTHS: 50

For three-quarters of the

employees of IT services

company Juniper

Networks,

"telecommuting", or

working from home, is

the norm. For those who

do go to its NorthSydney offices. Juniper

provides many creature

comforts, such as three

state of the art gamesrooms. Having fun is one

way to encourage

greater staffengagement, according

to Juniper. It holds

regular competitions,

such as an annual table

tennis and pinball

tournament.




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40 ADCON1ON N1EDIA GROUP


Melbourne

INDUSTRY: Media

RANK LAST YEAR:

NO. OF EMPLOYEES. 76


MONTHS: 1966

Digital media is new and

happening, so it is only

fitting that digital mediacompany Adconion

Media Group has equally

quirky ways of attractingand retaining its people.

The company plays a

game of Wheel of

41 OLIKSIIA ER r

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Torquay

Victoria

INDUSTRY: Retail

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A



MONTHS: 4528

The groovy sport and

surf retailer Cluiksilver

walks its talk with itsworkforce. As a retailerpromoting an active

lifestyle to its buyers, it

also promotes a similar

ethos to its employees.

Lunchtime surfing and

snow trips are a givenand helped by the

Fortune at each staffmeeting in which five

employees are

nominated by their peers

for excellence in their

day-to-day work. Thenominees spin the wheel

to win a prize (ranging

from travel vouchers and

adventure experiences to

iPads, subscriptions and

beauty vouchers).

Adconion has offices

across Europe and the

United States and offersemployees three weeks'additional annual leave.

Rad: Niki Sh:nme, Hugh

1Nanner End Jai hi wit n In

allikAllvetrs Torquay °nice

company's most recent

initiative in the form ofThe Boardroom a

library of boards of all

shapes and sizes

available for any team

member to use before or

after work or during

lunchtime (see story

"Seats on boards".

Quiksilver employees are

living the dream,




press clip

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: North

Ryde, NSW

INDUSTRY: IT

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A



12 MONTHS: 300

At Hitachi Data Systems

most of the perks areplain to see. A mix of12 weeks paid maternity

leave, two weeks paid

paternity leave, five days

of time allowed for

S XSVt

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Lane

Cove, NSW

INDUSTRY: IT

Rank last year: 42NO OF EMPLOYEES: 197


MONTHS: 1700

There are so many great

things about working forSAS that it's hard to

volunteer work and20 hours for

development and

learning bring this IT

provider in at the 42nd

spot. The company also

has a three-part set ofvalues called the HitachiSpirit: wa (harmony, trust

respect), makoto

(sincerity, fairness,

honesty, integrity) and

kaitakusha-seishin

(pioneering spirit,

challenge).

know where to begin.

Let's just mention the240 hours of learning

and development a year,

extra annual holidays

linked to length oftenure, 22 weeks ofminimum wage for those

on maternity leave in

addition to the 18 weeks

of government pay and

matching employee

super contributions up to3 per cent.

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Christies Beach, South Australia

INDUSTRY: Social services

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A



One of the main joys people get from their job ishaving a sense of purpose, which is something that

shines through for the employees at Re-Engage Youth

Services, a social services organisation that aims to

get troubled young people back on track. It workswith students who have been referred by schools as

being disengaged with education and having complex

needs.

-15 THOUGHTWORkS


INDUSTRY: IT

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 2 14

JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: N/A

ThoughtWorks is a global software consultancy thatsays it was founded as a social experiment i.e. hire

smart passionate people and set them loose on toughproblems. The results speak for themselves with

offices around the globe, including four in Australia. Itsunique appeal is based on a "three pillars" approach tocreating a workplace these are running asustainable business, championing software

excellence and advocating passionately for social andeconomic justice.

-12 HITACHI DATA SYSTEMS 13 RE-ENGAGE YOUTHSERVICES




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lb CHECK POINT

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: St Leonards, NSW

INDUSTRY: IT

RANK LAST YEAR: 46

NO OF EMPLOYEES: 50


Another IT consultancy flies in the top places to worklist with Check Point. a software group, taking out the46th spot. With the company offering 80 hours to

each employee to spend on learning and development,

maternity pay and 16 hours a year for volunteer workthat should be no surprise. What may surprise,

however, is the icing on the cake all employees ofthe global organisation and their spouses were taken

to spend a week chewing the fat at a resort on theMexican Riviera in January 2012 to celebrate hitting arevenue milestone,

47 ADIDAS AUSTRALIA

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Mulgrave, Victoria

INDUSTRY: Apparel and merchandising manufacturer

and retailer

RANK LAST YEAR: N/A


JOB APPLICATIONS IN PAST 12 MONTHS: 19,500

Nearly 20,000 people tried to get a role at AdidasAustralia last year a tall order given that thecompany employs fewer than 500. What got potentialcandidates excited, apart from the global brand name,

were the 35 hours for each employee to spend on

learning and development, eight weeks of paidmaternity leave above the statutory minimum and

superannuation that is paid on total earnings

including bonuses and car allowances.

48 ABBOTT

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Botany,

NSW

INDUSTRY: Health care

RANK LAST YEAR: N/a



MONTHS: 3500

This global, broad-based

healthcare companyscores on the top 50 list

by dint of a range of

employee-friendly

practices. This includes

superannuation payment

above the obligatory

9 per cent and between50 to 160 hours onlearning and

development for each

employee, depending on

their role. The icing onthe cake is probably the

family friendly policies of

18 weeks' paid maternity

leave and two weeks'

paid paternity leave.

49 KIKKI K

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Port

Melbourne, Vic

INDUSTRY: Retail

RANK EAST YEAR: N/a



MONTHS: 14,344

The high-end stationarystore gives lots of perks

to employees, including a

paid day off on their

birthday so they cancelebrate with friends

and family or even just

stay in bed! What's mostnotable is if employees

want to go to Sweden onholiday, the company

(whose founder KristinaKarlsson, pictured, is

Swedish) will pay for the

accommodation and

contribute to the airfare

and the employee isn't

even obliged to visit the

company's Swedish-

based design centre(see story "Swedish

sojourn on the house").




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30 SOLENTIAT

HEAD OFFICE LOCATION: Surry

Hills, NSW

INDUSTRY: IT

RANK EAST YEAR: N/a

NO OF EMPLOYEES: 35


MONTHS: 995

This software company

believes in keeping its

staff fit and healthy. Tofoster this, it provides

lunch every Tuesday to

get all its staff to sitdown and eat with eachother. It also offers

personalised kung fu

lessons (see story "Kung

fu fighters work better")

undoubtedly to ensure

that any fat gained at thelunch is burnt off. Otherperks include maternity

leave of two weeks' pay

per year of service.

Fighter; CEO

tic wpm TawnsileadS the hung fusessions




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