North Construction & Building has ranked as one of the best places to work in Australia. At last night’s Great Place to Work Australia virtual award presentation, this regional 100% employee-owned commercial construction company ranked number 17 on the 2020 Best Places to Work study in the 100-999 employee category.

39,156 Australian-based employees from 124 companies participated in the benchmarking study, making North’s ranking all the more impressive.

“To be named as one of the best companies to work for in Australia is such an honour,” expressed Matthew Cook, North Managing Director. “As a business, we have always strived to be an employer of choice, creating a culture of trust that not only nurtures and develops each individual but also embraces excellence, camaraderie and fun.  Employees flourish in high-trust workplace cultures.”

“Trust, for us, isn’t limited to our employees,” Cook went on to say. “Trust is the foundation of all that we do and all that we are. This award and recognition is the culmination of our efforts over the past 30 years and a wonderful acknowledgement of our dedication to our people, our subcontractors, our clients and our community.”

This year’s benchmark study publication comes amid the COVID-19 crisis, which has upended daily life and business operations throughout the world. The ranking of Australia’s Best Places to Work 2020 is based on data collected prior and during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“The organisations in the study are leading the way amid the pandemic, demonstrating care for their employees, customers and communities during this challenging time,” said Zrinka Lovrencic, Managing Director Great Place to Work Australia. “The COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge facing organisations across the globe, and it puts a premium on being a high trust people-first culture.”

“We celebrate the companies that earned places on our 2020 Best Places to Work benchmarking study and we hope this will inspire more companies to continue maintaining and building trust with their team members.”

Through the 2020 Best Places to Work study process, Great Place to Work had the opportunity to observe how North inspires, invents, and innovates as they introduced new initiatives whilst navigating through this changing landscape.

North stood out in this regard as the company has been making in-roads in transforming the construction industry by doing business differently.  A genuinely value-based business, combined with a corporate commitment to the personal and professional development of its people, North has created an environment that is respectful, inclusive and flexible.

97% of all North employees completed the Great Place to Work survey.  The company was given high praise across all areas, most notably: employees consider senior management to be competent, honest and ethical; employees feel they are given responsibility, treated fairly and aren’t discriminated against due to sexual orientation, ethnicity, or gender;  North’s facilities create a nice working environment where employees feel physically safe to carry out their work; and employees were happy with the company’s contribution in the community.  In addition, the survey indicated that employees overwhelmingly have a sense of pride working for North and are proud to tell others they work at the company.

“North truly is an awesome place to work,” stated Ryan Wheele, North Site Manager. “There is a great culture of trust, learning, growth, and opportunity for those on- and off-site. I’m supported by senior management and my colleagues both professionally and personally. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

The 2020 Best Places to Work will be published in a feature insert in the Australian Financial Review, www.greatplacetowork.com.au, www.wrkplus.com and www.workforthebest.com on Wednesday, 22 July 2020.