Deloitte is once again one of the ‘50 Best Companies to Work for in Ireland’, according to a detailed assessment by the Great Place to Work® Institute Ireland. This is the sixth year in a row that the firm has received this prestigious honour – and it is the only professional services firm in Ireland with this record. In this year’s awards Deloitte not only ranked in the top 10 but also received an outstanding achievement award for promoting a work-life balance for its people.

Deloitte is one of Ireland’s leading professional services firms and provides audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services through over 1,100 people in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Known as an employer of choice for its innovative human resources programmes, the firm is dedicated to helping its clients and its people excel.

Pat Cullen, Managing Partner, Deloitte, said: “We are thrilled that we have once again been voted a ‘Best Company to Work for’ – and that we have achieved this accolade every year since the Great Place to Work Institute began their assessment of workplaces in Ireland. To be placed in the top 10 – and receive the special recognition award for work-life balance is an amazing achievement. It is testament to all our people in Deloitte, who have made it a great place to work by cultivating a fantastic working atmosphere through teamwork, professionalism and camaraderie. We believe that this work environment is one of the firm’s key strengths in attracting and retaining the best people. As in previous years, we will continue to work at further improving the workplace environment.”

Derek Moriarty, Partner in charge of HR, Deloitte, attributes this year’s success to the firm’s commitment to making Deloitte the best place to work and develop a career. “Having previously received this award five times, our HR team certainly did not rest on their laurels and have worked extremely hard in the last year to ensure that we maintained and improved the HR programme that we offer to our people – who are the greatest asset the firm has. This year alone, we have recruited in excess of 230 graduates who will play a pivotal role in the future success of the firm. We recognise the importance of addressing their needs – and the needs of all our employees, so they are best positioned to reach their potential with us here at Deloitte.”

There are a number of reasons why Deloitte is a ‘Great Place to Work’. Firstly, the career development of its people is a major focus - training and development programmes are offered at every stage of a person’s career that allow for rapid career progression and high quality training. To this end, the Deloitte Academy, a dedicated learning facility for the firm was launched in summer 2007.

Deloitte has also implemented a number of HR policies in order to ensure the wellbeing of its people.  The “STEPS” and “Equilibrium” programmes offer a wide range of initiatives designed to reflect the balance of priorities in people’s lives and ensure an adequate work-life balance. Everything from salsa dancing and yoga to extended paternity leave is offered.
  
Minister Martin congratulated Deloitte on their achievement: “I wish to congratulate you on your superb achievement. Deloitte is one of fifty who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to attitudes and policies that make your organisation a great place to work. By setting a high standard for best practice in the workplace, you are raising the bar and other organisations should strive to emulate your success, thus creating a better and more productive workplace for all. Ireland faces increasing challenges to maintain competitiveness and I welcome the efforts made by Ireland’s ‘Best Companies to Work for’ in enhancing the quality of Irish Workplaces and in doing so helping us to achieve both our economic and social goals.’’

The Best Companies study sets out to identify and recognise the finest employers, and therefore the most satisfied workforces in Ireland and throughout the European Union. The Irish study is the largest annual labour force survey undertaken in this country. This year over 100 Irish companies were surveyed with a total workforce of more than 90,000.

It’s the views of the employees that count when deciding if a company will make the Irish ‘50 Best Companies to Work for’ list. A random selection of employees in each participating organisation complete a confidential questionnaire, rating their employers on almost 60 elements covering communication, training & development, pride, work life balance, diversity and teamwork in the workplace. The questionnaire aims to find out what the employees’ views are on the policies and practices that are in place in their organisation. Surveys are returned directly to the Great Place to Work® Institute by each individual employee, therefore ensuring confidentiality – and honesty!

This prestigious honour was announced yesterday by Mr Mícheal Martin, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, prior to an awards ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Dublin, attended by over 600 guests. 

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