Mark Moran Group Earns Prestigious Recognition in the 2024 5-Star Employers of Choice
16 Apr 2024
Mark Moran Group is delighted to announce its inclusion in the 2024 HRD Australia 5-Star Employers of Choice, a comprehensive roundup that highlights the best in the industry.
As an impartial authority in the HR sector, HRD Australia conducted an exhaustive research study to identify and showcase the industry's top performers. In this thorough assessment, Mark Moran Group has emerged as one of the distinguished contributors to the industry.
HRD’s 30+ strong Intelligence Unit determined the winners by following a rigorous process, which included interviewing objective industry professionals and conducting extensive research. The winners are those who matched the exacting 5-Star Employers of Choice criteria.
Mark Moran Group takes immense pride in being acknowledged as one of the industry's finest within the HR domain.
Chris Sweeney, Managing Editor for Special Reports at HRD Australia, shared his insights on the selection process, stating, “It was inspiring to see so many organisations leading from the front and providing excellent working environments for their people. Mark Moran Group rightly deserve their recognition for their unwavering commitment to their employees and also for fostering a supportive culture, that allows them to thrive.”
About Mark Moran Group
As the most awarded aged-care group in Australia, Mark Moran Group is renowned not only for its upstanding service to residents but also for its exemplary employee care.
“We have had registered nurses 24/7 for many years and encourage our leadership teams to be on the floor and taking an active role in employee morale. Our values are promoted, and we look to engaging employees whose value ethos align with ours,” says Malcolm Day, senior people and culture leader.
As a top employer, the company maintains amenity rooms for employees across its facilities in Vaucluse, Little Bay and Warrawee and provides fresh snacks to staff every day.
To maintain an engaged workforce, Mark Moran also provides employees with incentives through referral fees, awarding $500 to any team member who refers a permanent employee who stays past probation.
Awards are also given to employees who promote roles on their own social media sites.
Day says, “This initiative not only provided more candidates than [traditional job postings], but also contributed to a better workplace culture – working on the premise that employees would only recommend those candidates with whom they would want to work and who would fit into the culture.”
To further bolster engagement and combat turnover rates, in April 2022, the organisation undertook a review of employee wages and subsequently increased all frontline hourly rates by 10%.
“This was a very powerful message about the dedication of the leadership team to [employees] and led to a decrease in attrition and an increase in applications for vacant roles. In an industry where statistically 39% of aged-care workers intend to leave the industry in the next three years, Mark Moran saw stability comparable to pre-Covid conditions and a decline in attrition,” Day explains.
Crucial to the firm’s success and ongoing performance is the enthusiastic involvement and presence of co-CEOs and co-founders Mark and Evette Moran.
“Their leadership style is consultative and humble. They take an outstanding interest in both the residents and the workforce alike and are always approachable and keen to talk to all levels,” says Day.
Additionally, Mark Moran conducts engagement surveys and runs focus groups with employees to understand how to increase employee satisfaction. As a result of focus groups, initiatives have been launched, such as a monthly staff newsletter, and opportunities for staff to select preferred shift times to promote greater work-life balance.
Employee training and education is also a central value at Mark Moran. The firm seeks to promote from within and supports staff who seek out additional training.
“At Mark Moran, we are proud of the length of tenure of our leadership cadre – not only the length of time leaders have worked at Mark Moran, but the fact that many have risen through the ranks of the Group,” adds Day.
Mark Moran is diverse in the composition of its workforce. Like many aged-care facilities in Australia, the organisation has a 70% female population, as well as a high percentage of employees from the Indian subcontinent, especially Nepal. Its co-CEO is of First Nations heritage and the Group has a majority female board. As a top employer, the firm ensures that diversity, equity and inclusion are actively promoted throughout its code of conduct and its day-to-day culture. “We have zero tolerance for rudeness or cruelty. At all facilities, there is a sense of family within the employee groups and a sense of pride in their roles,” says Day.
About 2024 5-Star Employers of Choice
The entry process for HRD Australia’s 2024 5-Star Employer of Choice comprised two steps: an employer submission followed by an employee survey. First, organisations had to complete an in-depth submission to explain their various offerings and practices. Next, employees from nominated organisations were asked to fill out an anonymous form evaluating their workplace on a number of metrics, including benefits, compensation, culture, employee development, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
To be considered, each organisation had to reach a minimum number of employee responses based on overall size. Organisations that achieved a 75% or greater average satisfaction rating from employees were named 5-Star Employers of Choice for 2024.