PwC Australia has finished first in LinkedIn’s 2017 Top Companies list

Accounting firm PwC Australia has finished first in LinkedIn’s 2017 Top Companies list.

LinkedIn talent and learning solutions director Jason Laufer,

Accounting firm PwC Australia has finished first in LinkedIn’s 2017 Top Companies list — one of several ranking where Australians most want to work.

KPMG, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and Wesfarmers rounded out the top five.

LinkedIn talent and learning solutions director Jason Laufer says many Australian inclusions, including Qantas and CIMIC Group, indicate “Australian professionals’ desire to work for homegrown companies”.

LinkedIn says many of the companies on the list rewarded employees well, with some offering birthday leave, wellbeing programs, and plenty of perks.

JOB PRIORITIES

A ManpowerGroup Solutions survey has found Australian jobseekers consider the type of work they perform and work-life balance more important than salary.

Of the 14,000 job seekers surveyed, 68 per cent of the Australian respondents said the type of work is the most important factor when considering employment, while more than 40 per cent ranked flexibility as the top priority, showing the importance of work-life balance.

The Rise of the Well-Informed Candidate survey shows pay is one of the lowest priorities for Australians, while 59 per cent globally ranked it as their main concern.

ManpowerGroup Solutions Australia general manager Jamie Butterworth says this is a sign for employers to change their strategies to attract employees. “As organisations across the globe continue to report difficulties filling roles, understanding candidate preferences is critical.”

BREAKDOWN WOES

Human resources expert Lindsay McMillan has found the main reason employees seek counselling is a breakdown in relationships at work and home.

In his Renewing Australian Workplaces report, McMillan analysed more than 300,000 hours of counselling and found that with big shifts in workplaces affected by technological changes and the rise in part-time work, a greater focus on relationships was needed.

“Relationships are central to how people do their jobs, how people develop and how you can achieve sustainable workplace performance,” McMillan says.

The report highlights four healthy workplace principles to create healthy relationships: inclusion, development, engagement and life enhancement.

Details at: www.afuturethatworks.org.au.

KEEP THEM HAPPY

Employee engagement survey company Qualtrics says employee satisfaction and retention can significantly affect a company’s bottom line, productivity, and future success, with engagement programs helping if companies focus on company-wide adoption and executive buy-in.

Asia Pacific managing director Bill McMurray says engaged employees are 87 per cent less likely to leave, with the total cost of replacing an employee up to 213 per cent of their annual salary. “This demonstrates the value of having employee engagement programs in place, but to make them work, it must be a company-wide initiative with executive buy-in.”

McMurray says attaining company-wide commitment for an employee engagement program begins at the top and it must have a committed executive sponsor to maintain initiatives.

People managers are critical, he says, because they can drive change with direct reports, and often do so more effectively than more senior executives. But one of the biggest challenges is getting people managers to feel involved in and act on employee engagement data and initiatives.