National broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), has been voted Victoria’s (and the nation’s) most attractive employer at this year’s Randstad Awards, closely beating defence, security and aerospace systems company BAE Systems and the Victorian Government, to the top spot.

The Randstad Award winner for Victoria was announced in Melbourne this morning in front of leading public and private sector organisations, revealing which employers and industries were deemed the most attractive by over 2,300 of the state’s workers.

Steve Shepherd, group director of recruitment and HR services specialists, Randstad, says the ABC should be extremely proud of being voted not only Victoria’s most attractive employer, but also the most attractive employer in South Australia and the country.

“This is a massive achievement and one which cements the ABC’s position amongst the best workplaces in the country. The ABC ranked extremely favourably across all key criteria including having a pleasant working environment, strong work life balance, interesting job content, great career progression opportunities and concern for society and the environment,” he says.

Shepherd says the ABC’s ability to stand out speaks to the organisation’s continued
commitment to its high quality products, services, culture and workplaces, and shows
employers if they invest in developing a great culture, a great business and a great workplace, it will be recognised not just by employees, but the wider public.

The most attractive industry to work for in Victoria is Aviation, followed by the FMCG and media industries.

“To appeal to and retain the right talent, every organisation needs to consider what makes their business and their industry unique and attractive,” says Shepherd.

Almost two thirds (61%) of Australians identify competitive salary and employee benefits as the most attractive attributes in an employer, followed by long-term job security, (55%), pleasant working atmosphere (50%); good work-life balance (47%) and interesting job content (41%).

Working for a business that is conveniently located is also high on the list according to 37% of Australians, and this is partly because commuting time to and from work plays a major part in being satisfied with your employer and achieving a good work-life balance.

According to 49% of Melbournians, it is acceptable to travel between 15-30 minutes to get to work each day and 35% actually complete their commute in this timeframe. 28% actually take less than 15 minutes to get to work, but 21% believe it is acceptable to travel up to 1 hour every morning.

“This is important for organisations to know, particularly those in the outskirts of Melbourne, or in rural and regional areas of Victoria requiring longer commute times. People are prepared to commute longer to work for a great organisation, so it’s important to understand what your unique employer value propositions are and make sure you ‘sell’ them well.

“Ultimately, a happy employee who has flexibility at work, with a good work-life balance and an enjoyable job, surrounded by great people in a pleasant working environment will be more engaged, more loyal and importantly, more productive.

“So when looking to hire new people for your business, it’s critical that what’s being offered in the job advertisement and interview phase, perfectly matches what they experience when they accept the job.

“If candidates have a clear and honest understanding of what to expect from day one, and it consistently marries up with what they experience from the moment they start, then employers will find they have higher retention rates, higher attraction rates and therefore, improved employer brands,” says Shepherd.