What Smart50 Workplaces Top Performers are doing to build culture and careers

“We don’t really have any more definition around flexible work other than trust, communication and being mindful that flexibility is a two-way street,” said Sarah Bardwell, co-founder at Exa Product Development in the Smart5o Workplaces: What it means to be a great employer webinar. 

Exa Product Development was named Top Performer in the Flexibility and Hybrid Work category, due to its positive and open approach to flexibility and also the generous investment it has made into helping staff with home office setups.

One interesting finding in the Smart50 Workplaces ‘What are great employers doing differently in 2023?’ Report was that a “less connected workplace culture” is the number one challenge for business leaders around remote and hybrid work. 

“I don’t necessarily subscribe to the notion that it’s truly difficult to create a great culture without that in-person element,” Hareta McMullin, a culture and EX consultant, said during the webinar.

“There is so much we can do when we are remote and not in person physically that can help gel and bring us together.

“I think the key there is being vulnerable, prioritising the time to get to know each other as people and not just titles.”

Alex Hattingh, chief people officer at Employment Hero agreed. Employment Hero is fully remote but has a global get-together once a year and includes regional events throughout the year. 

“It’s not easy though, because between those times, you need to facilitate both regional in-person gatherings as well as virtual gatherings. It’s not all about work. How do you get to know people as true people? And introduce new people and have fun events and celebrate wins?”

She advised brands to facilitate fun culture through whatever means necessary for internal comms, such as Slack or Teams. “Having those interest groups that might be around future leaders, animals, foodies, whatever it might be, let people opt in and you will start to see those groups automatically formulate around passions and interests, which is really fantastic.”

An enlightened approach to careers in the workplace

Top Performer in the Training and Career Development category NRG Services trains and thinks long-term about its staff right from the apprentice level. In its 10 years, it has grown from two staff to 190 staff. As a company growing that fast and mostly based in the regional centre of Toowoomba in Queensland, founder and managing director Dan Briskey said NRG Services has been “naturally forced into ensuring that we invest in training and development.”

“Being a regional business, you don’t have access to lots of qualified people”, so the focus on developing skills and filling roles internally has been of greater importance.

Now, the business has developed apprentices into project managers and engineers across a diverse set of skills and competencies in electrical, mechanical, construction and engineering.

To understand and lay out pathways for each staffer, NRG Services conducts two dedicated conversations each year with its staff instead of the usual one annual performance review. The first, in March, is focused on career development, values, and opportunities in the business, and the second, in September is about collating the information, discussing performance and potential and doing a development review.

“The first conversation is very important,” said Briskey. “That’s where we focus on their strengths, weaknesses, the opportunities for the individuals and the threats to them not being able to succeed.”

A specific plan is developed for the individual, which lays out a quarterly review and action plan, 12-month priorities, and three-year ‘winning moves’ that might take them from an electrician to a site manager, for example.

“We do put a bit of responsibility back onto the employee… we want them to drive the experience, however we will facilitate the experience as well,” Briskey said.

Sarah Bardwell from Exa Product Development agreed. At her company, personalised objectives are set for a team member’s development over 12-month periods. This “guides them and sets a map for their individual key results and contributions and learning and development hours and budget for the year.”

And the investment in people and skills is paying off. “We benefit hugely as a growing company and a team. We have highly engaged employees who are wanting to learn and stretch themselves and contribute in ways that are outside of their immediate job description.”

A big part of getting it right, Bardwell said, is communication. “The most critical aspect about that program is that OKRs are talked about really openly among the entire team and frequently. Se each colleague really knows what their other colleagues are working towards.”

It encourages staffers to work together and bring people in on projects where in areas where they may want to develop.

“We’re creating a genuine culture of growth and support of one another, and we’ve been seeing some amazing results from that.”

For more results and insights from the Smart50 Workplaces program — and tips and solutions from winners and HR and culture experts — download your free copy of the Smart50 Workplaces: What great employers are doing differently in 2023? Report.