We made the 2021 Best Places to Work list

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We’re thrilled to announce that Xero has been recognised as one of Australia and New Zealand’s Best Places to Work. The prestigious annual list, published by The Australian Financial Review and Boss Magazine, is based on a rigorous assessment process that’s backed by behavioural science research.

Xero is ranked #4 on the technology industry list, from around 1000 nominated organisations across all categories. Our inclusion is a result of our achievements and innovative practices in three core areas: flexible working, diversity and inclusion, and employee wellbeing.

As we continue to expand our teams globally, we want to make sure our #human value is reflected in everything we do. We believe the above elements are not only critical to making sure Xeros are motivated and engaged, but will give them the tools and support to do the best work of their life.

It’s an ongoing journey, and we’re committed. Here are some of the initiatives we’ve recently introduced, which made Xero stand out in the 2021 Best Places to Work list.

Giving teams flexibility and choice

Our people have different responsibilities and priorities outside of work, and it’s important they can successfully juggle these. Recently, we began a Future of Work initiative to encourage greater flexibility and choice in terms of when, where and how our people work, encouraging leaders to lead by example.

This initiative acknowledges that flexible working can mean different things to different people at different stages of their life. And it’s paid off. In 2020, our teams reported feeling more productive at work than before COVID-19, yet flexibility was far greater.

A key part of our flexible working guidelines is about choice. For example, people may like to adjust their start and finish times, or work remotely on certain days. No matter where they live or what role they have, we want them to find a balance that suits their lifestyle and passions.

Bringing your whole self to work

We’re proud of our inclusive and diverse culture, where people feel psychologically safe to bring their whole self to work. As a company with a global customer base, diversity of thought is incredibly important, as it helps us see problems and possibilities through many different lenses.

We’re one of 380 companies worldwide to be included in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), and have a number of programs in place to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace, such as Ally training. At Xero, 60% of our global executive leadership team is female.

We’ve also made some changes to our parental leave benefits so they’re more inclusive. The extended leave is now available to all permanent employees, regardless of gender identity, how they became a parent or how long they’ve been with Xero.

Putting employee wellbeing first

Last year, we appointed a Global Head of Wellbeing. This has allowed us to build on a solid foundation and deepen our focus in this vital area at a time when our teams need it the most, as they continue supporting our customers while facing all the challenges that COVID-19 brings.

We launched a number of wellbeing initiatives last year, including a new Xero wellbeing hub and a mental health toolkit for people leaders. We also introduced lifestyle leave, repositioned sick leave as wellbeing leave, and provided an extra wellbeing day to all employees for World Mental Health Day.

Xero offers a range of other leave options, including volunteer leave that helps our people give back to the communities where they live and work. Our partnership with BeyondBlue and access to the Benestar Employee Assistance Program also empowers our people to seek help when they need it.

Doing the best work of our lives

I’m so proud of our teams and the way they continue to innovate and solve complex problems for our customers, even when times are tough. Our people are the most important part of our business and we’re proud to be recognised for what we’ve known all along: that Xero is one of Australia and New Zealand’s Best Places to Work.

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