Nous Group a top management consultancy to work for
Great Place to Work has released its annual ranking of Australia’s top employers, with Nous Group the only management consulting firm to feature in the list.
Based on a survey of employees and HR professionals, Great Place to Work Institute – an agency that conducts human capital research in 50+ countries – has looked at which Australian companies stand out as good employers. Two main aspects of employers ship were assessed: the quality of employee experience and the quality of people practices, spanning the entire employee lifecycle.
At the helm of the 2019 edition are large companies such as Salesforce, Cisco and Hilton (the top three employers in the category for >1,000 employees) and Avenue Dental, LogMeIn and Insentra (the top three in the category for <100 employees). In the mid-sized landscape, medical technology industry player Stryker, visual database Canva and software vendor Intuit lead the list, however, from a management consulting perspective, Nous Group is the country’s only player to have made the prestigious cut.
Speaking of the acknowledgment, Tim Orton, managing director of Nous Group, said: “This recognition shows we are continuing to offer an engaging work experience to our team. I am pleased that so many people are building fulfilling careers at Nous Group, and this quality work environment supports us to deliver superb results to our network of clients.”
Orton founded Nous Group in 1999, and over the past two decades years, the consulting firm has grown into one of the country’s most established management consulting brands. Today, Nous Group has a team of roughly 400 consultants working from eight locations in Australia, as well as one hub in the United Kingdom.
According to one employee that filled in the survey, “Nous Group is committed to continuous improvement, has the genuine intention of treating everyone fairly and with respect and does great work aligned with its values.”
One of the key values the consultancy strives for is creating a positive influence in economy and society. To nurture this cause internally, at its bi-monthly staff meeting, project leaders showcase project achievements to demonstrate the positive influence they deliver through their work. The company also has a corporate social responsibility programme which includes conducting pro-bono consulting work.
Other human capital elements that according to the researchers set Nous Group apart include an environment of intellectual challenge, care and connection among employees, being part of a successful and growing firm, a decentralised approach to strategy setting and delivery, an elaborate performance management cycle coupled with professional development opportunities, workforce diversity, and a range of information sharing and collaboration platforms that a teamwork-led culture.
“People that work for Nous know they are working for a firm that cares about them.”
– Sally Pritchard, Chief People Officer
A peek into the experiences of employees on career review platform Glassdoor underlines Great Place to Work’s recognition. A consultant in Canberra said: “Nous Group offers a great culture, flexible working and learning opportunities.” A Sydney-based colleague added, “There is always something interesting to work on, and lots of opportunities to be exposed to different industries. And Nous Group consultants are smart people who are always a pleasure to work with.”
Sally Pritchard, the firm’s chief people officer, was not surprisingly delighted when the news broke, pointing out that it builds on the firm’s continued drive for people excellence. This starts at the very gates of the consulting firm: “We have considered every step of the selection process to make sure it is consistent with our values.”
Ultimately, it all comes down to providing a great working experience. “People that work for Nous know they are working for an organisation that cares about them,” she concluded.
