PRESS RELEASE: Building a great place to work at Seisma Group – its official!
Building a Great Place to Work – it’s official.
Australian and New Zealand based IT professional services company Seisma Group is on a mission to evolve into a dominant industry leader. As part of that journey, it has recently achieved certification as a Great Place to Work (GPTW). No mean feat for a group that doubled in size less than a year ago via two acquisitions in Smartapps and Braestone – and during the harsh Melbourne lockdowns of 2021.
The efforts of the executive team and business leaders have paid off. Heath Caban, COO commented, “We have worked very hard on integrating the new businesses, including rebuilding our employee value proposition (EVP) to include the best from all companies that have joined the group.”
Robert Hogeland, group CEO, is steering the company’s rapid expansion. “The end goal for us is to create Australia and New Zealand’s largest locally owned IT professional services company. We can only achieve that if we build a company that people want to work for and with.”
As we move forward through what many refer to as the great resignation, benchmarks such as GPTW are helping job seekers consider whether the company’s overall culture extends beyond the essential benefits on offer. As many of Seisma’s consultants are on deployment on projects at client sites, they have minimal opportunities for interaction with broader company teams. Seisma’s efforts to create small touchpoints and capability-led communities are helping build a culture of collaboration and connection, reflected in the results from the GPTW assessment.
“It is easy to see what has been successful and our areas for improvement,” said Heath Caban, “We are especially proud that our highest benchmarks were achieved around people feeling safe at work, and treated fairly regardless of race, sexual orientation or age.” Seisma is lucky to have the support of investors Liverpool Partners to ensure diversity, equity and inclusiveness is built into the group’s culture as it continues to grow.
Manique Tsang leads the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. “Armed with the support of the Seisma Executive team and Liverpool Partners, I am heading up our Diversity Committee. A group of passionate individuals who are the voice of the under-represented, from the perspective of gender, age, ethnicity, indigenous, religion, LGBTIQ+, differently-abled, family and relationship status. I am excited to see the impacts we are going to make!” In March this year as part of International Women’s Day, she hosted a Women in Tech webinar. “It was incredible to hear each of our leaders’ stories and their perspective on changes in the industry, the ability to take a career break to raise a family, and flexible workplace practices.”
For the past three years, government agency WGEA has awarded Seisma compliance accreditation with the Workplace Gender Equality Act. However, there is still much to do to achieve gender balance in consulting teams across the entire tech industry. Much of that is simply a reflection of the general shortage of females in STEM. Seisma is participating in programs that encourage girls in STEM programs with female leaders in the businesses providing mentoring and support to junior team members and their wider community of practice groups.
Achieving a GPTW accreditation is an incredible triumph given the growth in the business over the last year and disruption from lockdowns in the broader economy. It is encouraging to see how Seisma’s leadership guidance and support contribute to a positive culture felt throughout the organisation.
