Deloitte takes top honours at human resources awards
The Australian Lawyers & Businesses Association (ALBA) have awarded Big Four professional services firm Deloitte as this year’s leading Australian company for human resources.
As rivals PwC and KPMG deal with serious personnel misconduct issues (separately, a widespread cheating scandal and allegations of racism among staff), Deloitte has walked away with one of Australia’s top human resources honours, earning the HR Team of the Year gong at the Australian HR Awards for 2021. In addition, the firm was recognised for its diversity & inclusion and learning & development programs among others.
“To be named as Australia’s leading HR team, and for so many of our initiatives to also be acknowledged, is an incredible recognition for our team and our business,” said Deloitte Australia’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Tina McCreery, who recently oversaw a major workplace rejig. “At Deloitte, we understand the importance of creating a great talent experience for our people, where everyone is supported to be at their best.”
The firm was lauded for establishing a number of innovative initiatives, including its personalised learning platform, Cura, and MyBenefits, a one-stop-shop for all exclusive Deloitte benefits. In addition, Deloitte was noted for strengthening its inclusion, diversity and well-being programs, including through the launch of a new mental health strategy. “You should expect a lot from the Deloitte team and they delivered,” concluded the judges.
In a category which considers Australian companies with at least 1,000 employees, Deloitte was the only professional services and consulting firm to feature in the major excellence award for human resources – nominated alongside the local arms of big brands such H&M, Telstra, Johnson & Johnson, and PepsiCo – but still had some competition in the other segments recognised on the night, including from near rivals.
Accenture was an ‘Employer of Choice’ nominee in the 1,000-employees-and-above category, alongside marketing and consulting agency Publicis Groupe, while Ernst & Young stood alone ahead of its consulting rivals in the ‘Best Graduate Development Program’ section – both worthy ticks in times of such heightened talent competition. EY also popped up alongside Deloitte and KPMG as nominees in ‘Best Leadership Development program’.
Meanwhile, Findex, one of the less heralded but biggest financial consulting and accounting networks of Australia, ahead of BDO and RSM on revenue, was named among the “Globalisation Partners Best Remote Work Strategy” nominees, a significant title in the current environment. A smaller Australian-borne research and strategy firm, DBM Consultants, also scored a nomination, backing up on a swag of other awards issued this year.
Elsewhere, Tata Consultancy Services (TSC), earned a nomination for ‘Best use of Technology”, while EY and Accenture featured alongside Deloitte for diversity & inclusion.
“We’re proud of our initiatives, policies and frameworks and are committed to creating an environment in which all our people feel comfortable to be themselves and are able to reach their full potential, every day,” said McCreery, who took on Deloitte’s chief HR role late last year.
