Employer of choice: Using computers to enhance employee engagement in Australia

Abstract

Employer of choice (EOC) is an evolving interest for Australian business, as organizations look to attract and retain desirable staff and maintain a positive reputation in the marketplace. EOC reflects the value and importance organizations place on their key stakeholders—their staff. This article defines EOC in a context reflecting Australian business conditions and demonstrates how to use an existing information and communication technology (ICT) platform, typically available to office‐based staff in large institutions, to educate and engage with employees about their organization's EOC program.Characteristics common to “good employers” as presented by global research houses and consultancy groups are matched against standard characteristics evident from a review of Australian documentation on EOC, in order to provide the most appropriate EOC characteristics for Australian organizations.This article conceptualizes a model curriculum to educate large office‐based staff on their organization's EOC program using computer‐assisted learning (CAL). The model embraces constructivists' principles and adult learning pedagogy that enables individually tailored education. The belief is that an engaged and satisfied staff will enhance an organization's reputation and decrease the risk of staff loss. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

What Makes an Organization a Great Place to Work in South Korea?

“…When compared to previous research, our study shares similar findings. The identified list of organizational and work‐related factors for a great place to work from the current study resembles those of previous studies, including trust among people, pride in employees’ work, enjoyment in the relationships with peers, treating employees fairly, maintaining a sense of team, employee development programs, work–life balance, active communication, energetic work culture, safety, community involvement, attention to sustainable practices, and employee wellness (Burchell & Robin, ; Fulmer et al, ; Gill, ; Joyce, ; Love & Singh, ). While our study results indicate a similar list of organizational and work‐related factors for a great place to work, one contributing finding is the relative importance of each of these factors at different levels (organizational, team, and individual) within a given organizational structure compared to previous research findings.…”

“…Research on a great place to work has focused on exploring related factors that help create a more attractive workplace and positive organizational culture for employees (Beauchamp & O'Connor, ; Cropanzano & Wright, ; DeCotiis Sullivan, Hyatt, & Avery, ; Gill, ; Lan et al, ; Love & Singh, ; Norquist, Gilbert, King, Brown, & Clarke, ). For instance, DeCotiis et al () introduced a successful case of a restaurant chain service company that created a great place to work.…”

“…These criteria reflect the broader concept of corporate social responsibility in Australia, which can be drawn from five strategies: business ethics, employee relations, human rights, community investment, and environmental sustainability. From their work, employer of choice in Australia can be defined as organizations with corporate social responsibility strategies (a) safeguarding effective operations for a business (the employer's perspective) and (b) securing an employee's commitment to the business (the employee's perspective) (Gill, ).…”

“…Performance Improvement Quarterly Cropanzano & Wright, 2000;DeCotiis Sullivan, Hyatt, & Avery, 2004;Gill, 2010;Lan et al, 2005;Love & Singh, 2011;Norquist, Gilbert, King, Brown, & Clarke, 2002). For instance, DeCotiis et al (2004) introduced a successful case of a restaurant chain service company that created a great place to work.…”

“…From the Australian perspective, Gill () reviewed literature about employer of choice and found common criteria, including leadership, interrelationships, safety, well‐being, staff development, opportunity, inclusion, community involvement, and attention to sustainable practices. These criteria reflect the broader concept of corporate social responsibility in Australia, which can be drawn from five strategies: business ethics, employee relations, human rights, community investment, and environmental sustainability.…”