The Best Places to Work study is widely acclaimed in Australia. Based on one of the world’s most comprehensive studies of workplace culture by Great Place to Work Australia, the competition to place is tough. According to Great Places to Work Australia, “the quality of this year’s study was higher than ever. The success of the Best Workplaces is a testament to their willpower and innovation to retain happy, engaged, loyal, high performing workforces during challenging times.”

The seed of an idea

This is a bright moment for us a business. We know how great it feels to be part of Invest Blue, to serve our clients in their journey to realising their goals and dreams, and to support each other in that service.

Over the years, the Directors of Invest Blue have been determined to build a great business that delivers for all its stakeholders; a small company with big dreams. “We wanted to dance with the elephants,” says Steve Sewell, Financial Adviser and Director. “We set out to create a company that was worthy of recognition on a National level. We are all so passionate about helping our clients and we wanted to ensure that coming to work each day felt great too. Placing in the Top 5 of the 50 Best Places to Work Guide was a goal we set to have our Business recognised on a National stage.”

“Some time ago, we took inspiration from Richard Branson’s theory on the importance of engaging your people”, reports David Stephen, Managing Director. “We believe creating a business environment where people are engaged, love what they do, and love coming to work directly benefits the clients we serve. It makes for an awesome place to do your best work, and it makes for excellence in service delivery.”

What our people have to say

In a recent survey of our people, this is what they had to say about their work:

I love that working here provides me with an avenue to feel fulfilled.
I really like the can-do attitude and that you matter to your workmates.
I love the family environment! As already mentioned the support provided is amazing to the point that it doesn’t feel like work anymore – part of life!
Invest Blue genuinely feels like a second family. I love that this has not dissipated in any way as we’ve grown. I also love being in a role that I genuinely enjoy and continuing to learn and grow and be supported and encouraged in my long-term career objectives.
Celebrating achievements and encouraging us all to be the best person we can be. Knowing that there is a supportive network of people behind you each day, makes the working day pleasant.
I love the people, the business we are in and how we go about it.
I love the culture, my colleagues and genuine care for each other and our clients.

The big night!

Let’s set the scene – imagine a business with a big stretch goal to realise national recognition for the way they work, getting the email that they have been invited to the awards night! This is the second year we have entered the survey. Our first attempt saw us place 31^st. This time around we knew we were in the top 20!

So, a group of very excited people, including our previous core value award winners, file into a packed room. The anticipation was palpable. There were nerves, jitters, and intense-level enthusiasm. Our category was up first. The presenters counted down from 20. As each incredible business took the stage we cheered them on. At one point, panic set in…What if we haven’t won anything? #12 was announced…. What if we were #21 and they just wanted us to be part of the night? When #6 was announced, they called for dinner. The top 5 would be announced in each category after dessert…..Ah, the suspense!

And #5 it was for us! The room went nuts! Well, we did. We laughed, we danced, we conga-lined….we fully lived our core value to #celebrate the wins!

What this means for us and for our clients

Beyond the recognition, there is deep meaning in this award to us as a business.

Working in Financial Services, looking after clients, developing financial strategies and helping clients realise their goals and dreams is hard work. It is a robust, highly regulated and challenging business to be in. We love it! We are honoured to do it. And we all bring our best selves to work through the challenges and successes each day.

“To have a culture that is worthy of such an award, to be a truly great place to work, we know there needs to be vision and commitment from those who develop strategy, budgets and steer the ship,” says Kasey Patterson, People and Culture Manager. “But all of that is for nothing if there isn’t complete support and engagement from each person who works here. I feel honoured to work with such an amazing, kind and dedicated group of people.”

Our culture is as great as it is because of the way each of us work with and treat each other. It’s because we all have a voice and share ideas and opinions. The core values that were set down as this business grew from a handful of people 22 years ago to the 87 people who work here today are truly lived. This culture shines through in our stories about our people and from our clients.

Invest Blue is an awesome place to work because the people who work here make it that way. So thank you, workmates, #lifeisshortworksomewhereawesome.

(by the by, we have two awesome roles available at the moment – check out our opportunities here.)

About Great Place to Work Australia

Great Place to Work Australia, part of Great Place to Work Inc, is a global research and consulting firm specialising in workplace excellence and development of high-trust and high-engagement
workplace cultures. Our proprietary research tool, the Trust Index® Employee Engagement Survey, is taken annually by over 10 million employees worldwide. Leading companies worldwide use our model to increase the levels of trust across their organisations and drive business results. You can view the full list of the top 50 here.