Fairfax tells Best Places to Work organisers to tighten rules after complaints over UM’s win
BRW has told the organisers of its Best Places to Work award to tighten up their rules after receiving a formal complaint about media agency UM’s win in the under 100 staff category last week.
Organisers of the scheme the Great Place to Work Institute have now confirmed UM’s award was only for its Sydney office, contradicting its claim last week it was for its national network.
Fairfax Media’s business magazine has now demanded Great Places to Work clarifies the rules around companies being able to enter a single office, after rival agency Maxus lodged a complaint.
It is also understood another GroupM agency was told it could not enter as an individual office.
Last week competitors questioned how one of Australia’s fourth largest media agency, which claims to have 200 staff in the RECMA rankings, won the under 100 staff category of the awards, which cost $2,190 to enter.
Lovrencic
Zrinka Lovrencic, managing director of the Great Place to Work Institute, this week told Mumbrella it stood by its decision, but contradicted her assertion last week that it was given to the agency’s network of offices, adding: “We wish to clarify that this includes an entry which we accepted from UM Sydney.”
While last week’s awards literature declared it was UM which had won the award, the story has since been amended to say UM Sydney.
Maxus CEO McCraith
Maxus CEO Mark McCraith confirmed the agency, which was the highest ranked media agency in the under 100 category and was 23rd this year, confirmed he had lodged a complaint.
Neither BRW nor Great Place to Work was willing to comment on whether other complaints had been received.
A Fairfax Media spokesperson told Mumbrella Great Place to Work had been asked to ensure its terms and conditions around these issues were clearer in the future, adding: “We believe the terms and conditions of entry can and should be clearer about eligibility criteria. We have made this point to Great Place to Work.”
It also noted that UM had been allowed to enter its Sydney office at the discretion of the Great Place to Work researcher.
The spoksesperson added: “Great Place to Work accepted an entry from UM Sydney. The terms and conditions allow the researcher discretion as to which entries it accepts.
“The list remains as published – with clarification added to stories where necessary.”
UM’s updated entry on the BRW website.
IPG Mediabrands and UM declined to comment but last week its CEO Mat Baxter noted: “As far as I’m aware entrants do not choose whether they enter the under 100 or over 100 category – this is a determination made by BRW based on your submitted worksheets and entry.”
Nic Christensen
Related content:
- Media agency UM named as Australia’s best place to work with fewer than 100 employees
- Culture matters: But do BRW and Best Places to Work understand the media industry?
Full statement from Great Place to Work:
“We stand by the Best Places to Work List as published by BRW on 2 September 2015.
“We wish to clarify that this includes an entry which we accepted from UM Sydney.
“The Terms and Conditions of our study allow us discretion as to which entries we accept.
Full statement from Fairfax:
“BRW published a list of Best Places to Work on 2 September 2015.
“That list was prepared by third-party global human capital research and consultancy Great Place to Work Australia, part of Great Place to Work Inc, in accordance with its methodology.
“Great Place to Work accepted an entry from UM Sydney.
“The terms and conditions allow the researcher discretion as to which entries it accepts.
“We believe the terms and conditions of entry can and should be clearer about eligibility criteria. We have made this point to Great Place to Work.
“The list remains as published – with clarification added to stories where necessary.”
So why does it still say 3 sites for UM Sydney?
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Did Mumbrella enter?
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Hi Sour Grapes,
Thanks for your question.
No we didn’t enter the awards.
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella
Well done BRW to finally admitting the error.
No disrespect to UM, who are obviously deserving of great recognition, but UM didnt pick the category it was awarded – this was an organiser stuff up. It can’t please UM to have its win tarnished by a story on whether it was in the right category or not (and the insinuations that it deliberately did this). The recognition that ought to go to them is now a little diminished to say the least..
Well done to Maxus as well for having the guts to complain about what is obviously an error – everyone else afraid to speak out it seems. Nothing for Maxus to gain here, they are 23rd on the list anyway.
The only one who looks silly in all of this is the GPTW organisation who previously assured everyone the award was for the UM national organisation.. which clearly it is not as UM has nearly 200 staff
So well done UM Sydney.. fantastic effort on your achievement as best workplace under 100 employees.
As an aside, would be interesting to know how UM Melbourne would fare on this list of best places to work..
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Poor UM Melbourne, cut off so their sibling can get the recognition.
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