Australia's best tech employers for 2017 revealed

Research firm Great Place to Work has named the best places to work in Australia for 2017, with the IT industry once again well-represented on the list.

The research house presented its results across three categories: top companies to work for in Australia with more than 1000 employees, top places to work with between 100-999 employees and top places to work with under 100 employees.

Of the top 50 places to work named by the research house, 20 IT businesses were represented. Here we show how these firms ranked within their respective categories.

24. Autodesk Australia

100 employees or more

This global engineering, architecture and entertainment software development staple has 123 staff in Australia. According to Great Place to Work, Autodesk offers its staff flexibility within the office to keep employees relaxed, and encourages a mature approach to work, with trust and minimal supervision key factors of the culture. The company has arrangements for flexi- and part-time work as well as work-from-home agreements.

21. SAS

100 employees or more

This US-based business intelligence and data management firm employs 294 staff in Australia. The company is said to have replaced the traditional annual review with a coaching-based approach focused on personal development. These conversations give staff feedback and help them with problem solving and career enhancement on an as-needs basis, as opposed to once a year.

19. Pexa

100 employees or more

Pexa reportedly has a program to support its employees’ personal endeavours and encourages them to be the best they can be, both in work and life. The program encourages a healthy work/life balance. The company’s staff also enjoy extended annual leave and flexible work arrangements.

20. InfoTrack

100 employees or more

This Australian-owned software-as-a-service provider has 305 staff. Great Place to Work said InfoTrack ensured each of its team members engaged in training to identify and recognise mental health issues in the workplace, improving awareness and management of common issues that can make working life tough. The company sees awareness and care for the well-being of its staff as key to attracting and retaining top talent.

17. Kronos Australia

100 employees or more

This US-based company employs 150 people in Australia. Great Place to Work praised Kronos for its global health and well-being initiative called LiveInspired, which is designed to help staff reach health and fitness goals and stay happy.

14. Ansarada

100 employees or more

Ansarada wants its 108 staff to be personally committed to their roles, and encourages them to consider their personal aspirations and how their role can help fulfil this. Upon commencing with the company, employees are given a Kindle as a welcome gift.

10. Adobe

100 employees or more

The home of Creative Suite employs 244 staff in Australia, where team members' well-being is said to be an important part of the company’s culture. The company recently revamped its healthy food options and hosts annual financial well-being and education sessions for its staff.

8. NetApp Australia

100 employees or more

182 local staff are employed by this US-based storage and data management company. Great Place to Work said that following a period of transformation and change in response to an evolving data management environment, NetApp invested in growing its leadership from within, and encourages those at the company with an interest in people management to complete new training opportunities.

3. Atlassian

100 employees or more

The Australian success story founded by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar employs 980 staff. Due a technical skills shortage in Australia, 30 percent of Atlassian’s Sydney team members are expats. Because of this, the company set up a specific social club to help these staff and their families to settle into their new home. The club organises social events and provides information and tips about living in Sydney.

2. Salesforce

100 employees or more

The CRM and cloud computing company has 876 staff in Australia.
According to the survey, Salesforce staff are encouraged to move around the business, explore different areas, discover new interests, develop new skills and follow the most interesting and challenging path for themselves, rather than simply strive to move up a linear corporate chain.

20. Sitback Solutions

Less than 100 employees

Sydney web design and digital agency Sitback Solutions employs 35 staff. The company is said to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of its employees by hosting a World Food Day, where people bring in dishes associated with their heritage. With several languages spoken by staff, Sitback also promotes “language of the week”, where meetings begin with a greeting of the chosen language.

13. 4Mation Technologies

Less than 100 employees

This Sydney-based software development company employs 75 staff. Talent development and an annual fitness prize are two elements of maintaining a happy and healthy culture at 4Mation Technologies, according to Great Place to Work. Each staff member is rewarded with a fitness tracker, retail vouchers or class and venue passes on the one-year anniversary of their starting date. The company encourages learning and development through weekly meetings and a dedicated Slack channel.

12. Altis Consulting

Less than 100 employees

This Australian IT consultancy employs 74 people. Also faced with the challenges of a technical skills shortage, Altis has embarked on a program to retrain its existing team. The program provides staff with an understanding of the vision and direction of the organisation and helps develop relationship-building skills.

8. Mexia

Less than 100 employees

This Aussie IT consultancy is a Microsoft analytics partner with 40 employees. Great Place to Work praised Mexia for encouraging a learning culture where new things are constantly shared.

Pictured: Mexia chief executive Dean Roberston

6. Rackspace

Less than 100 employees

This global managed cloud computing company has 86 staff in Australia. With attracting and retaining staff an increasing challenge in the competitive cloud landscape, each employee is apparently assessed on their top strengths before they get started with the company. These are key attributes they proudly list at their desks. The company has coaches to help staff grow their skills and even develop new ones.

5. Stackla

Less than 100 employees

This US-based social content marketing firm employs 35 people in Australia. Great Place to Work said Stackla valued transparency, trust and camaraderie among its team members. The company promotes health and physical fitness through a running program that doubles as a charity drive, and even gets team members who aren’t joggers involved through other activities, which family and friends are welcome to join in on.

4. Insentra

Less than 100 employees

This Sydney-based IT firm employees 52 staff. Insentra was recognised for encouraging its staff to ‘own their career’ and supporting employees who want to reach and manage the highest level certifications in their relevant field. The company is said to value caring for one and other as part of its culture, and takes note when somebody might not be feeling their best.

Pictured: Insentra directors Steven Boi, Ronnie Altit and Itzik Gur

3. Canva

Less than 100 employees

This 91-staff Australian graphic design software company was founded in 2012. Canva was recognised for striving to instill a sense of purpose in its employees even before they start with the company. Once a part of the team, staff take part in regular sessions with Canva users to learn about the impact the product is having with its customers.

2. Intuit Australia

Less than 100 employees

Quickbooks developer Intuit has 94 staff in Australia. The company earned praise for its strident focus on leadership development, with staff meeting with their managers monthly to consult on development and desired goals.