Winners revealed for Australia’s Best Workplaces List

AbbVie, Medtronic and BMS are the only pharma and medtech companies recognised on the Australia’s Best Workplaces™ List 2022.

AbbVie Australia ranked 5th on the 2022 Best Workplaces list, up from 9th place in 2021.

Chris Stemple, General Manager and Vice President of AbbVie Australia and New Zealand, said this recognition is testament to the long-term focus the organisation has placed on increasing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

“Our workplace is united by our purpose. At AbbVie, we realise that greatness does not happen in silos. It takes all of us learning and growing together to make a difference. We empower our employees to be their best selves — not just at work, but also in everyday life.

“We foster a culture of core behaviours, known as our Ways of Working, and they are not just a set of words; they are core to our DNA and help drive our culture. Employees tell us that they join AbbVie because of our reputation as a fantastic place to work and they stay because it’s true,” said Chris.

Neil MacGregor, GM BMS Australia and New Zealand, said “Despite the challenging past few years of the pandemic, I am incredibly proud of our employees, united in their continued focus on the core mission and commitment to deliver transformational medicines for Australian patients.”

This recognition is not only a testament to the long-term focus BMS Australia has placed on employee engagement, inclusivity and wellbeing thus far, but also signifies a focus the work that still needs to be done to continue to achieve more for patients.

Liz Carnabuci, Managing Director and Vice President of Medtronic Australasia, said “It is a great honour to be recognised as one of Australia’s Best Workplaces™ for the second year running. This recognition underscores our commitment to attracting and retaining the best talent, our strong focus on health and wellbeing, and our unique culture that fosters a sense of belonging in an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace.”

Karen Newell, HR Director for Medtronic Australasia, said “Our unwavering commitment to IDE means we are working toward zero barriers to opportunity within Medtronic and to create a culture where all employees belong, are respected and feel valued for who they are and the life experiences they bring. If our employees can bring their full selves to our workplace, we know they will thrive and perform at their best.”

Experienced journalist, Sean Aylmer, reflected on the culture of the best workplaces prior to presenting the awards on behalf of Great Place to Work Australia.

He said “We saw a renewed focus on wellness as society reopened in the pandemic accelerated and we saw wellness extend beyond the physical. Increasingly the best employers are providing benefits that support their employees total wellbeing – mental, emotional and physiological.

“We also see great strides in flexibility. The best employers are proactively offering flexible hybrid work arrangements for their employees. The very best are engaging their people in designing what the future of work looks like – experimenting and adjusting the policies as they go. We’re also starting to see a new trend on redesigning the physical workspace to optimise this new way of work, creating friendly inviting spaces for collaboration.

Diversity and inclusion has also been a feature of this year’s list. Three out of four employers in the list have DEI policies and programs in place, a third extended beyond gender. Efforts to build belonging are critical to being seen as a good employer. It’s not enough to have a great workplace. It must be a great place for all.”

BMS, Medtronic, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, Organon and Lundbeck secured a Great Place to Work certifications in May 2022, a prerequisite to being considered for the awards.