0
In April this year BRW magazine published the results of its Top 50 Great Places To Work survey. Google Australia came first (no surprises there then), but in at number 7 came local Manly QLD based construction and civil engineering company BMD. With 1194 employees it’s the biggest business – in terms of number of employees – in the top ten by far. The interesting thing was reading what the employees had to say about BMD and why it is such a great place to work.
The social side of things organised by the company was very much appreciated by employees – things like interstate office sports competitions, but one remark by an employee was telling. His wife had just had a baby and, out of the blue he had a call from the person who puts together the BMD newsletter, asking the baby’s name and other details for a small piece in the publication. The employee in question was taken aback – and pleasantly surprised – that the company was that interested in what was going on in his life.
Now clearly having a newsletter alone is not going to get your organisation into the Top 50 Great Places To Work – but it’s indicative of an approach that is likely to get you there.
Company newsletters may sometimes seem a bit ‘old hat’ or superficial and boring – but they don’t need to be. A good – and regular – newsletter is a great way of communicating to staff members, particularly those that do not sit at a computer all day, and particularly where an organisation is geographically very spread out. BMD fits this category, as do many retail chains and retail franchise groups. In these sorts of organisations employees can sometimes feel cut off or not involved in what the business is doing at any level beyond their branch. A newsletter can inform and enthuse those people (again) – and occasionally pleasantly surprise them by taking an interest in what they are doing!
Back to top
