Sitback achieves Great Place to Work® certification

We are honoured to share that Sitback has recently achieved its Great Place to Work (GPTW) certification—a recognition we feel is particularly well-aligned with our ongoing commitment to achieving BCORP status and our general dedication to improving our employee experience. 

“We are committed to being an employer of choice by creating a caring environment where people can deliver their best work and maintain a positive work-life balance,” explains Chris McHugh, Sitback’s CEO. “We believe this will help us attract and retain the best talent in the industry—and, as such—deliver better outcomes for our clients and stronger financial returns for our business. Happiness isn’t just a good idea, it’s extremely good business.”

So in the same spirit of openness and transparency that contributed to our receiving this recognition, we wanted to share a few details about what GPTW certification means and why obtaining it was so important to our team.

What is the Great Place to Work Certification Program?

The mission behind GPTW is to have all people in the world working at a ‘Great Place to Work’ by 2030. In service of this goal, the organisation offers both a certification program—which helps companies assess their existing employee experience—and Best Workplaces^TM lists, which help job candidates connect with GPTW employers.

Whilst Sitback had applied for and earned recognition on GPTW’s list of top Australian employers in 2015, 2016, and 2017, this year, we instead elected to pursue our overall certification. The certification process—which Sitback team members may recall taking part in—included three stages:

• Surveying employees on their experiences at Sitback over a two-week period
• Completing a Culture Brief questionnaire
• Benchmarking our results against the world’s top companies to be considered for certification 

Overall, Sitback scored an average of 93% across all survey questions—a score that was more than sufficient to qualify for a GPTW certification when compared to a typical company score of 56%. In addition, the following breakdown shows how Sitback scored against every criterion assessed by GPTW:

Characteristic	Sitback’s Score	Description
Intimacy	99%	A measure of people’s enjoyment of their colleagues, their sense that they can be themselves, and that they can count on and support each other.
Integrity	90%	A measure of leadership’s commitment to high principled standards and their ability to take actions based on these standards.
Team	91%	A measure of the pride that employees develop in their team, the team’s accomplishments and their willingness to give extra for the benefit of the team.
Pride	91%	A measure of employees’ sense of pride in their work by assessing the positive way they regard their jobs, team or work group, and the company.
Corporate Image	92%	A measure of how employees view the organisation and its reputation in the larger community.
Credibility	92%	A measure of the extent to which employees see management as credible (believable, trustworthy) by assessing employees’ perceptions of management’s communication practices, competence and integrity.
Fairness	92%	A measure of the extent to which employees feel that management practices are fair by assessing the equity, impartiality and justice employees perceive in the workplace.
Communication	93%	A measure of the extent to which communication between management and employees is effective in inviting two-way dialogue.
Competence	93%	A measure of management’s leadership and people-management capabilities.
Hospitality	93%	A measure of the extent to which employees feel the work environment is friendly and welcoming and they can have fun and enjoy each other’s company.
Caring	93%	A measure of the extent to which managers show an interest in people’s well-being by providing a safe and healthy working environment and benefits that support people’s lives outside of the workplace.
Impartiality	93%	A measure of employee perceptions of the degree to which management avoids favouritism and actively promotes the fair assessment of people for positions and work assignments.
Collaboration	94%	A measure of employee perceptions of management’s willingness to engage employees in collective efforts.
Support	94%	A measure of the provision of training opportunities, resources and equipment as well as appreciation of professional accomplishments.
Respect	94%	A measure of the extent to which employees feel respected by management. It measures the levels of support, collaboration and caring employees perceive as the result of management’s actions towards them.
Leadership Behaviour	94%	A measure of people’s experiences with leaders’ behaviour and how it resonates with the company’s strategy and values.
Engagement	94%	A measure of the degree to which people are tuned into their work, give more of themselves and their talents than is required and act as owners of the business.
Innovation	96%	A measure of the ability to continuously improve, adapt quickly and generate game-changing opportunities.
Camaraderie	96%	A measure of employees’ sense of enjoyment in the workplace by assessing the level of intimacy they experience, the freedom they feel to express themselves, the sense of hospitality in the workplace environment and the extent to which people feel they are members of a community.
Community	96%	Reflects the deepest level of camaraderie that is developed within a group, and measures the extent to which employees consider that there is a sense of ‘family’ or ‘team’.

According to Vicky Hopper, Head of People and Culture at Sitback, “Gaining the Great Place to Work certification recognises the contribution and amazing work by everyone in our Sitback team; it truly is a team effort. We have worked hard to create a supportive and caring environment where people feel free to be themselves, share their ideas and have a voice.”

“A sense of community is key in any workplace, we are proud of our culture because we genuinely care about each other and provide a support system for each other professionally and personally.”

Confirmation of these efforts was particularly evident in the following ‘top statements’, which represent some of the most agreed-upon sentiments captured by the GPTW survey.

Our Commitment to the Employee Experience

Ultimately, our decision to pursue a Great Place to Work certification wasn’t about earning accolades or being able to add a shiny new logo to our website. Rather, we see going through the program’s benchmarking exercise as an extension of the work we’ve done—and continue doing—to cultivate a great employee experience at Sitback.

For example, some of the perks we’ve added to our compensation and benefits packages include:

• An enjoyable working environment with supportive mentors and the opportunity to learn from experienced peers
• The opportunity to work with high-profile clients
• A flexible working environment where we encourage forward-thinking and nurture ideas
• The promotion of excellence at all levels, in all roles, including the provision of any tools needed to help employees succeed
• Full and flexible remote working arrangements with access to collaboration spaces in order to meet up and work with your fellow team members whenever you need access
• Regular social activities, such as quarterly company social events, monthly team lunches and social events, and company charity activities (e.g. The Push-up challenge, Steptember, Movember)
• A strong focus on wellness and mental health

We also offer generous parental leave, travel policies with associated allowances and subsidies, and training budgets allocated by team. Yet, despite these initiatives, we don’t allow ourselves to become complacent. On an ongoing basis, we continue to review all policies according to market standards, as well as our commitment to community and environmental initiatives to improve our employee experience.

“It’s rare that you see an organisation show the level of care that we see daily at Sitback,” states Nathan Feick, Senior Developer & Development Team Lead at Sitback. “This is because they understand the importance of finding the right people and recognising those who show dedication to their role. Communication is very open on all levels, which builds a level of trust between all members of the team. It truly is a great place to work and deserving of this award.”

If you’re looking for opportunities with an organisation that’s truly committed to creating a great employee experience, we encourage you to learn more about Sitback’s culture and current opportunities, or to reach out to us directly to express your interest.

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