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What the Best Companies to Work for Offer Their People

What many employees want from their workplace has rapidly changed since the pandemic's start. More flexibility and better work-life balance have become must-haves.��

These days employees aren’t shy about sharing their reviews of their former and current workplaces. Company review websites like Glassdoor have made it easier for people to see which employers are truly committed to meeting their needs.����

Unsatisfied employees are looking for new career opportunities, and employers who don’t offer value will face a shortage in their workforce.

To help make your next career move a successful one, here’s our guide to what the best companies to work for look like and what they have to offer.����

For employers, it’s a hyper-competitive talent landscape. And there is a real need for the best companies to provide an environment for employees to thrive personally and professionally, to attract and retain the best talent.

Finding a workplace��you can thrive in

Alongside watching streaming services and making sourdough bread, pandemic lockdowns gave many of us more time to stop and think about what we really wanted.��

The pandemic also allowed many knowledge workers��to work remotely and have more flexibility around hours.��

“Everyone’s adapting to working in a new way,” says Vivienne Mak, Director of Health & Clinical Programs for ������Ƶ Education. “Companies are moving to a work-from-home policy because they have found that employees can still be productive – and it saves on travel time.”��

Now, after having a taste of flexibility and realizing what matters most, employees are demanding more from their workplaces. And if their needs aren’t being met, people are either resigning or planning to do so soon.��

In fact, a recent IBM study of global employee trends found that nearly one-third of employees changed jobs in 2021 or planned to leave by the end of the year.��

If you’re thinking about changing jobs soon, here are some key factors to consider when choosing your next employer. The best companies to work for will have these covered.��

Flexibility around where and when you can work

If you’re an employer, being flexible in the workplace means giving employees the option to adjust both where they work and how long they work. The best companies are thinking flexibility not just for where their people work, but when they work.��

While some companies have introduced hybrid working arrangements, many have neglected to provide schedule flexibility. Considering that 9 out of 10 knowledge workers say they want flexibility in working hours, it’s an important factor for talent attraction and retention.��

If you're a job seeker, make sure to confirm with potential employers what their definition of workplace flexibility really means.��

Employee work-life balance is prioritized

When organizations say they prioritize employee work-life balance, how do you know if they really mean it?

For one, know that a work-life balance commitment means more than giving employees flexibility in their hours and work location.��

Instead, the best companies to work for prioritize employee work-life balance by offering benefits such as:

• More time back - giving their team members some precious personal time back. This could look like flex-time, half-day Fridays or even moving to four-day working weeks.
• Life admin support - this could be subsidizing a domestic cleaner for an employee versus the usual gym membership perk.
• Caregiver support - including having on-site child care at office locations.��
• Mental health support - through employee assistance programs or subsidized mental health services.

Committed to a healthy culture

As with prioritizing work-life balance, an organization committed to nurturing a healthy culture is more likely to be a better place to work.��

Healthy workplace culture is one where team members feel:

• Valued for their contributions
• Like they have fun at work
• A sense of belonging
• Their manager is someone who advocates for them
• Empowered to make decisions

In fact, these were some of the top ten responses from employees worldwide when asked what helps them thrive.��

“������Ƶ Education learns how I work and considers my background,” Vivienne says. “They utilize and build upon my strengths to provide a structure that fits me but also fits the business, which has been very useful."

“There’s a lot of fluidity and flexibility in that.”

How do you know if a workplace has a healthy culture? Check company review websites, online forums, news sites, and social media to find out what is being said about a particular organization. Should you get to the interview stage, ask potential employers how they nurture positive workplace culture. For example, one way of finding out how long a company retains employers is to ask the interviewer how long they have been in their role and��how their role has changed during their time in it. And also, think about what you really want and what really matters.

What a good workplace looks like

The world of work has completely changed. To be successful in the ‘next normal’ after the pandemic, employers need to rethink how they attract and retain employees completely.��

To help organizations adapt and create better workplaces, the World Economic Forum has developed the Good Work Framework. It sets out five key objectives and core goals, including:

1. Fair pay and social justice with the core goal of ensuring at least a living wage for all.
2. Flexibility and protection with the core goal of enabling all workers to benefit from flexibility, where possible and appropriate.
3. Health and well-being with the core goal of safeguarding total well-being at work.
4. Full inclusivity with the core goal of ensuring that the workforce profile reflects the operating market.
5. Learning culture with the core goal of providing accessible upskilling and reskilling for the entire workforce.

If you’re wondering whether a current or potential employer is committed to making good work a reality, compare them against the framework above.��

“At ������Ƶ, we have mental health programs, an employee assistance program, and a focus on wellness,” says Kathryn Cliff, Executive Director HR for ������Ƶ. “We give our people a really great toolkit to support their mental health."��

“The supportive nature of our people comes from the top, where our leaders actively reduce the stigma related to mental health and wellness through storytelling.”

How ������Ƶ is embracing the future of work

We’re a global EdTech company that partners with leading universities to develop, design, and deliver the most career-relevant online education solutions.

At ������Ƶ Education, we like to do things a little differently, and we’ve been:

• Ranked #10 Best Place to Work in Australia 2022 by Wrk+
• Certified as a Great Place To Work in Canada for 2021-2022
• Named one of Crain’s 2021 Best Places to Work in Chicago
• A recipient of the Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Bronze Award in 2021

These awards and recognitions are attributable to our firm commitment to embracing the future of work. How are we doing this?

Firstly, we’re fostering a culture that encourages curiosity, learning, and opportunity wherever possible. This means that we continually invest in our people by offering opportunities to continue to learn and be the best they can be. This may include free or heavily discounted advanced degree programs from some of our university partners.

“If I were to go to my superior and say I’m interested in something, but it’s not part of my usual role, they would give me that opportunity,” Vivienne says. “������Ƶ provides structure and allows me to express my ideas and innovations."

“I have opportunities to think differently, and that's what really matters.”

Flexibility is also at the core of what we do. All are available as remote, hybrid, or in-office roles – it’s your choice. We also offer flexible working hours. A recent report from around global company culture trends found employees can still be productive in a work-from-home position and team members are 2.6 times more likely to report being happy in their role.��

Every day ������Ƶers are transforming the world through education.��We enable students to improve their lives through education, no matter where they want to learn, no matter how they want to learn.��

Through our university partners, we work with students globally who are changing their lives and the world around them for the better. The programs we collaborate with our partners on are purposefully designed to suit the future of work and solve our global, social and economic challenges.��

We also believe that our differences are our greatest strength: we support diversity, inclusion, and equality in our teams. It’s why we launched our Global Diversity and Inclusion framework in October 2020 to inform how we operate and ensure the diversity within our organization continues to grow.

"I love being surrounded by people who really care about me as a person and want to foster my growth. I know they’re invested in me, and I think that’s rare to find. It makes me feel very lucky and grateful." - Nicole Bernadowitsch, Team Lead, Student Success.

Find your place at ������Ƶ

Want to start your best work life? We’re looking for curious, collaborative, and globally-minded humans to join our team.

Take the first step in becoming a ������Ƶer and take a look at our current job openings.��

If you don’t see any opportunities that fit your interests, join our Talent Community to stay up to date on current ������Ƶ happenings and be notified of future available opportunities.