Tech companies are among some of the best places to work in Australia after taking out the top honour for 2021.

Research institute Great Place to Work Australia produces an annual list of the top Australian and overseas companies with offices in Australia.

Conducted based on one of the world’s most comprehensive assessments of workplace culture, each company is ranked in order of their approval ratings based on employee surveys and an evaluation of internal polices and measures, such as inclusiveness, wellbeing, and people and culture.

Winners are characterised by high trust and highly inclusive cultures.

They’ve survived the trials of the past year, and seized the opportunity to become better and deepen their commitment to both their workforce and their chosen purpose.

Awards are given in the categories of large, medium, small and micro businesses.

Large

IT firm Cisco topped the list in the large category. With more than 1,000 employees, the IT juggernaut took out the award for the second year running.

Cisco

The survey found that the company’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all, leading the way in hybrid work with trust, flexibility, supporting wellbeing and enabling teams to succeed.

Cisco ANZ vice president Ben Dawson says the company has been resilient through some of the most challenging experiences the nation has faced.

“Throughout uncertain times, we took decisive action to care for our people first, adapt our business and support communities in need.

“We responded to the needs of our employees – with their safety, health, financial stability, and mental wellbeing as our priority,” Dawson said.

Also lauded in this category is Salesforce (#3), with 1,960 employees, and Atlassian (#5), with 1803 employees.

Medium

Tech firm Mantel Group has taken out top spot in the medium category, recognised for its commitment to establishing an amazing culture, and its handling of employee wellbeing during the pandemic.

Mantel Group

Launched four years ago, Mantel Group employs more than 300 people across Australia and New Zealand.

Pre-COVID, the teams were mostly based in Melbourne and Sydney, but during the pandemic, Mantel Group established five new hubs, including a work space on Queensland’s Magnetic Island and in Queenstown, New Zealand in response to employee demand for ongoing flexibility, remote work and greater lifestyle choices.

“Like most businesses, the challenges from the past year were tough to navigate,” Mantel Group CEO Con Mouzouris said.

“However, with our core principles as our guide, all of our decisions were communicated openly and honestly, and we have since invested heavily to ensure our people, current and future, are part of high performance business and a workplace that values their needs, their life outside of work, and gives them every opportunity to succeed.”

Mantel Group is actively hiring for around 150 roles over the coming 12 months.

In order to attract the best talent, the company has established a number of entry-level pathway programs that encourage more people to consider IT roles, particularly women and people from minority groups.

BPAY Group (#2), with 126 employees and software consultancy Thoughtworks (#4), which has 330 employees, also made the list.

Small

Sydney tech company Tilitier topped the list in the small category. The company makes computer vision products that use the latest artificial intelligence to automatically identify objects.

Tiliter

Tilitier has survived and thrived through lockdowns, expansion, moving office, another lockdown, and ultimately, and has learned to expect the unexpected.

The firm conducts regular check-ins with staff, uses collaboration tools like Slack and MS Teams, and runs wellbeing group chats to keep the team motivated.

Also on the list is IT company Propel Ventures (#4), with 65 staff, and services provider Quorum (#5), with 40 staff.

Micro

The top tech company in the micro category is a cloud company called Atarix. With just 11 employees, this small but mighty firm is working towards a model where you can be productive from anywhere, anytime.

Atarix

Atarix came in fourth spot behind a recruitment firm in top spot (The Recruitment Company), a financial services and insurance brand (Entourage) and an education and training company (Train The Crowd).

One hundred per cent of employees at Atarix say it’s a great place to work.

This compares to 55 per cent of employees at a typical Australian company.

“Well, I can tell you it feels great. Really great. Not to sound cheesy or cliched, but working at Atarix, I honestly do look forward to work when I wake up.

“Most people I meet are constantly looking for their dream job, but I can tell you that I’ve already found mine,” cloud consultant Cain Verdlinden says.

Atarix was the only tech finalist this year.