Auror takes top 5 spot in Australian Finanical Review Best Workplace Award 2023

NZ TECH COMPANY THE WINNER ON THE DAY - AUROR TAKES TOP 5 SPOT IN AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW BEST WORKPLACE AWARD 2023

Crime intelligence platform, Auror, was announced as a winner in the Australian Financial Review BOSS Best Place to Work 2023 awards on Thursday evening, taking the 5th spot in the Top 10 Technology companies across Australia and New Zealand. Auror is the only New Zealand company to make the Australian Financial Review’s list in the Technology category.

Auror’s CEO, Phil Thomson, is excited by the win and says it’s a result of the company investing heavily in its people. Auror is cultivating an environment where people come to do their best work - globally.

Auror has abandoned the traditional Human Resources department since inception, instead choosing to focus on People Experience (PX).

People aren’t simply resources to be managed, and we want to ensure we’re connecting with the whole person, not just viewing what they might add resource-wise to the company, says Thomson.

“Over 10 years ago when we launched Auror, we wanted to build an inclusive workplace where people of all different cultures, identities and backgrounds can thrive and a place where people enjoy coming to work everyday. Historically, companies have viewed PX as something that’s going to slow down commercial success, but we’ve found it’s the opposite.

We know that by creating a place where our team believes in the company mission, where they’re appreciated, valued, and heard, we’re creating a company that thrives. When our team comes to work, they know they’re accepted for themselves, and because of that, they bring their best selves.”

“We’re really proud to be bringing the culture that’s been cultivated in New Zealand to our Australian base. But we’re not stopping there - we now have teams and offices in the US and launched into the UK in 2022 . Auror is the proof you can embrace connectedness and inclusivity, scale your culture across the world, and still generate positive business outcomes - it’s vital to your success.”

Auror’s entry to the AFR awards detailed the various initiatives the company has implemented to ensure its people-first culture, including:

• Shorter Work Weeks (SWW): a 4.5-day work week, finishing early on Fridays to encourage the team to start their weekends early (giving back five weeks’ of time across a calendar year)
• Flexible working: remote-friendly, no clock-watching, asynchronous working environment that understands 8.30-5pm doesn’t work for everyone anymore
• Wellness: generous wellness (sick leave) and parental leave policies above what’s required, and a focus on building mental health awareness
• Diversity as a priority: implementation of key initiatives, resulting in progress across important demographics. Specific mention of gender diversity with 53% women and gender-diverse and a 50:50 split in the executive leadership team 
• Leadership programs: recognising that anyone can be a leader, regardless of direct reports, and fostering leadership across the company with a bespoke program targeted at high performance. 

The AFR BOSS workplace awards, held in Sydney on Thursday evening, recognised companies across Australia that continue to push boundaries when it comes to workplace practices, and those pioneering new ways of working. Two years ago, Auror appeared on the publication’s list of Six start-ups you should know about. Since then, Auror has more than doubled its Australian-based team, and works with the majority of Australia’s top retailers. Its founders were the recipients of the New Zealand EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2022, and will be in Monaco in June this year to compete for the global title.

Auror is a crime intelligence software platform, with its Australian base located in Melbourne. The company also has offices in London, Denver, and Auckland. The Auror platform has over 75,000 retail users and 20,000+ law enforcement users globally (including New Zealand Police), working to prevent retail crime, a $150 billion problem annually.

ENDS