Small But Mighty
Think your job is great? One research institute has made a definitive list of what jobs are truly the ‘best’.
If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life, or so they say. But what exactly are those jobs? Don’t pack a travel bag to quit just yet. The best places to work in Australia for one person might be absolute hell for another, so it really comes down to what you’re really looking for in a job. Maybe it’s the culture—coming to work each day surrounded by friends, the social aspect completely overshadowing the nature of the work you do. For others, it could be the opposite. You like remote working, or you want to go in, strap yourself to your computer, bash out your work and then go home—and you’re content with that. And there’s those that just love their company, one person’s Commonwealth Bank might be Canva to another!
Quantifying the “best” place to earn a living is no mean feat. However, the good folks at the Great Place To Work research institute have used their 30 years of experience in research and consulting to rank the best companies to work for in Australia by using the Trust Index Survey. The confidential quantitative and qualitative feedback collected in response to 60 statements is key to determining the top companies to work for. The institute’s survey data comes off the back of independent testimonies and confidential employee feedback from more than 40,000 participating employees around the country. The survey measures employees’ levels of trust in their employer, sense of camaraderie with their coworkers, and pride in their workplace. Their metrics and point scale look at companies that are actively looking to give their employees a voice, understand their experience day-to-day, consider the mental health of staff, provide an equitable workplace, and take steps to respond to the employee feedback they receive.
Image credit: Michelangelo Buonarroti via Pexels
The past few years have caused a seismic shift in the things employees are looking to get out of their professional lives. Flexible working is one of the leading features of a great workplace, and for a high percentage of employees, it’s simply a non-negotiable facet of the working environment. Many of the great workplaces of today could very easily end up lower down the list given the ever-changing priorities of workers in the coming years. Despite this, some companies, particularly in the larger company category, have been doing their best to barricade themselves into the top spots, determined to keep their employees feeling satisfied—and the results of this pursuit speak for themselves. Countless studies have linked high job satisfaction amongst employees to better individual and company performance.
It’s all well and good to go around comparing your company-supplied ham and cheese toasted sandwich to the five-course degustations on offer at the cool start-up down the road. There always seems to be a better option. You might crave a bit more fun in the office, or conversely you might want the stability that comes with an established company. Australia’s current employment landscape is rife with a diverse mix of workplaces both new and old, each of which are prioritising different things—it boils down to what works best for your goals. And look, some organisations are still working it out, so if you’ve found yourself in the new year questioning whether the time has come for a change, here are the best workplaces in Australia in 2025.
Large Companies (companies with 1000+ employees)
Compared to other categories in the rankings, the large companies section has seen the same handful of great workplaces occupying the top spots. In the most recent rankings, Cisco is now ticking off over five years in the top spot for overall satisfied employee experience. For large companies with offices around the world, creating a positive workplace culture is harder, but works all the same.
10. InLife
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Not-for-profit disability support provider
9. Marriott International
Location: Bethesda
Industry: Hospitality
8. CyberCX
Location: Australia
Industry: Information technology
7. Allianz Australia
Location: Sydney
Industry: Financial services and insurance
6. Salesforce
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
5. DHL Group Australia
Location: Bonn
Industry: Transportation
4. Specsavers
Location: Port Melbourne
Industry: Retail
3. REA Group
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Information Technology
2. Cisco
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information Technology
1. Hilton
Location: Sydney
Industry: Hospitality
Medium companies (companies with 100 to 999 employees)
The list of medium companies is the longest compiled by the Great Place To Work research institute. With companies in the list speckled across the country, the medium size company category incorporates a diverse range of industries that report healthy workplace experiences, strong options for work life balance, and the fostering of an inclusive workplace. Notable inclusions in the list for this year include software company Adobe, who have notched a decade in the list.
15. Randstad Australia
Location: Sydney
Industry: Professional Services
14. MoneyMe
Location: Sydney
Industry: Financial Services and insurance
13. Ralph Lauren Australia
Location: Sydney
Industry: Retail
12. X-Team
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information Technology
11. Talent International
Location: Sydney
Industry: Professional services
10. Sandoz Pty LTD
Location: North Sydney
Industry: Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
9. Jetts Fitness
Location: Sunshine Coast
Industry: Fitness
8. Bizcap Australia
Location: Toorak
Industry: Financial Services and insurance
7. Visagio
Location: Perth
Industry: Professional services
6. BGL Corporate Solutions
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Information technology
5. ServiceNow
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
4. Mantel
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Information technology
3. Nous Group
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Professional services
2. H&H Group (Swisse Wellness)
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Other
1. CrowdStrike Australia
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
Small Companies (companies with under 100 employees)
Workplaces with fewer employees roughly 30 to 99 people run off much finer margins than the larger ones. Company culture is more dependent on fewer employees, and relationships with upper management are often more interconnected, with stronger working arrangements than in a larger company. These smaller companies cover a range of industries, and the Great Place To Work team in fact uses a slightly different evaluation method; one that puts more emphasis on employee trust in their employer.
10. Be Challenged
Location: Chatswood
Industry: Professional Services
9. Corto
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information Technology
8. The Association of Professional Builders
Location: Sydney
Industry: Education and training
7. Intelia
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Information technology
6. Ansarada
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
5. MaxSoft
Location: Varsity Lakes
Industry: Information technology
4. Surge Direct Pty Ltd
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Advertising and marketing
3. Spaceful
Location: Sydney
Industry: Architecture and design
2. This Is Flow
Location: Sydney
Industry: Advertising and marketing
1. Macquarie Cloud Services
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
Micro Companies (companies with 10-29 employees)
Never underestimate these small, but mighty companies. These micro companies are great at fostering strong bonds and encouraging passionate involvement by their employees. Employees in micro companies showed a huge level of trust in their employer, and a strong sense of camaraderie with their coworkers. IT and professional services dominated this category, with companies like Katana1 and SEIVA boasting a 100 per cent employee satisfaction rate.
10. A1 Technologies
Location: Sydney
Industry: Information technology
9. SalesFix
Location: Brisbane
Industry: Information technology
8. Cox Purtell Staffing Services
Location: Sydney
Industry: Professional services
7. EzLicence
Location: Australia-wide
Industry: Information technology
6. Thirst Creative
Location: Carlton
Industry: Advertising and marketing
5. MSP Blueshift Pty Ltd
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Information technology
4. Axon Property Group
Location: Robina
Industry: Real estate
3. Signal Security
Location: Melbourne
Industry: Electronics
2. Volvo Financial Services Australia
Location: Wacol
Industry: Manufacturing and production
1. Sensible Business Solutions
Location: Norwest
Industry: Information technology
For the complete list of all companies featured in the Great Place To Work report, head to their website.
What makes a good workplace?
There’s no exact formula that adds up to a great workplace; one person’s dream-come-true might be someone else’s nightmare! If you value flexibility and work best alone, you might thrive in a remote working arrangement. On the other hand, if you love working collaboratively, you might prefer a more social, collective workplace culture where you can go for knockoff drinks with your boss and coworkers. But the Great Place to Work report measures workplaces by their employees’ levels of trust in their employer and coworkers, their pride in their work and company, and their sense of camaraderie in the workplace. All these factors come together to create the harmonious, positive workplace experience that the companies on this list provide.
Where are the best places to work in Australia?
The information technology industry showed up the most times in the list, with an impressive 18 entries from workplaces of all different sizes, from Sydney-based micro company Katana1 to globally successful Atlassian. So it’s safe to say these industries, and workplaces, might be a good bet. Survey data shows how these companies provide their employees with a positive workplace environment, where employees feel pride in their work and enjoy going to work every day. Although a lot of the top companies in the list come from major cities, we were excited to see great workplaces from smaller cities and regional areas represented in the list too. At companies like Spine & Sports in Bunbury WA and Moddex in Maryborough QLD, workers feel that their employers care for their wellbeing and work hard to foster a great workplace culture. Maybe the future is regional?