Hachette Australia is delighted to announce its second-year inclusion in this year’s AFR BOSS Best Places to Work Awards. In the 2024 Awards, Hachette Australia secured a second place ranking in the Retail, Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment, and Technology category. This is an advancement from the seventh place ranking in the same category received last year.

Published annually by The Australian Financial Review and Boss Magazine, these Awards recognise pioneering workplaces in Australia and New Zealand that foster adaptability and agility. In 2024, over 600 organisations submitted for the awards, with up to ten organisations shortlisted for each of the ten categories.

Assessment for the Awards is made up of a staff survey and a written submission, with questions relating to policies, practices and programs that exist within organisations that support and get the best out of employees. The methodology is underpinned by a Workplace of the Future framework developed by Inventium, Australia’s leading behavioural science and innovation consultancy, which identifies ten key factors critical to employees feeling motivated and engaged at work.

In 2024, Hachette Australia was recognised for the following:

• The introduction of new and updated inclusive policies, including the Neurodiversity Policy and Menopause Policy, that promote a safe and supportive environment for all employees
• The expansion of the Parental Leave Policy to include broader definitions within leave categories to better reflect a diverse workforce, with additional benefits including IVF Leave, Birth Support Leave, and Miscarriage Leave
• The introduction of Pregnancy and Baby Loss Guidelines to help employees understand the extra support available if required, promote open dialogue, foster a sense of community, and provide a platform for education and understanding
• The strengthening the Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, and Complaints and Grievances Policy to outline Hachette’s continued commitment to preventing unacceptable behaviour, supporting those affected by discrimination, bullying, or harassment, and addressing any incidents in the workplace

Louise Stark, CEO of Hachette Australia, says: ‘The AFR BOSS Best Place to Work Awards recognise businesses and organisations that go above and beyond their statutory requirements, and think deeply about the unique needs of their people. Securing second place in our category, with a workforce of around 75% women, underscores our commitment to implementing HR policies to support women in the workplace. These include policies addressing menopause, stillbirth, and birth partners, alongside enhanced flexibility for all employees to enable equitable distribution of domestic responsibilities and help eliminate barriers to career advancement.’

ABOUT HACHETTE AUSTRALIA
Hachette Australia is part of Hachette Livre Group, home to a constellation of prestige publishers for the consumer and education markets around the world. Hachette Australia represents an array of A-list authors on the international list including Stephen King, Nora Roberts, John Grisham, Alice Oseman and Delia Owens. Over the past decade, Hachette Australia has focused on growing the Australian list with around 100 new titles now published each year. The stellar line-up of locals includes bestselling authors such as Golden Dagger winner and ABIA Fiction winner Michael Robotham; ABIA Book of the Year winner Jessica Townsend; Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks; Australia’s bestselling non-fiction writer and favourite storyteller Peter FitzSimons; New York Times bestselling novelist Natasha Lester; Miles Franklin shortlisted Michael Mohammed Ahmad; and the Lothian Children’s Books author and illustrator and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner, Shaun Tan. Hachette Australia proudly supports emerging writers through the Richell Prize, in association with the Emerging Writers’ Festival; the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! program; and in partnership with Express Media, the Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers.
www.hachette.com.au

ABOUT THE AFR BOSS BEST PLACES TO WORK LIST
The AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list recognises and ranks the best places to work in Australia and New Zealand, by industry, and is the premier list of its kind. The list is judged and compiled by Inventium – Australia’s leading behavioural science consultancy, using a unique research-based methodology. In 2023, the list comprised of ten industry lists, compiled from over 700 nominations.
www.afrbestplacestowork.com

ABOUT INVENTIUM
Inventium is Australia’s leading behavioural science and innovation consultancy. Since 2007, Inventium has helped hundreds of thousands of people become more innovative and more productive at work. Inventium applies the latest findings from science (psychology, behavioural science and neuroscience) to help organisations unlock growth through innovation and to create brilliant workplaces that get the very best out of their people. Inventium is the official methodology partner of the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work List and the AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies list. Inventium is also a proud BCorporation.
www.inventium.com.au

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
For more than 50 years The Australian Financial Review has been the authority on business, finance and investment news in Australia. It has a reputation for independent, award-winning journalism and is essential reading for Australia’s business and investor community. The Australian Financial Review is owned by Nine, a leading multi-platform media company in Australasia.
www.afr.com