Amgen officially one of the best places to work in Australia

24 June, 2011: Amgen Australia today has been acknowledged as one of the top 50 companies to work for in Australia adding to its impressive mantle of awards and achievements.

Recognised by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTW), this is the first time the global biotech company has been recognised on the distinguished list in Australia and was highly ranked, placing in the top 25 companies.

207 organisations participated in the GPTW study with the successful organisations recently announced in Business Review Weekly (BRW) magazine.

The winning companies were chosen based on a rigorous and highly competitive selection process across five dimensions including credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.

An extensive workplace assessment evaluated the company’s policies, benefits and amenities, including initiatives that focus on work/life balance, environmental sustainability, health and wellness, diversity and career advancement.

Company pride achieved the highest score among Amgen staff and the company was recognised for its collaborative and positive work environment, effective management and inventive policies that attract and retain motivated, high-performing employees.

Amgen’s Managing Director, Ian Thompson said the award is a testament to the people he works with and speaks of the company culture of engagement, flexibility and recognition. 

“As a leader of an organisation that sets high expectations of its employees, I understand that to be successful we need to invest in our most important asset, our people.

“That’s why I’m delighted about Amgen’s recognition as a Great Place to Work. It was a clear validation that the programs and polices we’ve put in place and social architecture we’ve built was on the right track. We're honoured to receive this award as statement to the positive culture that our employees have worked to foster throughout our growing organisation.” said Mr Thompson.

The results demonstrate that Amgen works hard to enhance business performance by attracting, developing and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.  That’s why earlier this year, in addition to the GPTW award, Amgen received the EOWA Employer of Choice for Women citation.

A pioneer in medicine since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realise the potential of biotechnology. By bringing safe and effective medicines from the laboratory to patients, Amgen’s therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease and other serious illnesses.

Amgen Australia Receives Award                     

18 May, 2011: Amgen Australia has been awarded the Employer of Choice for Women (EOWA) citation, a prestigious acknowledgment by EOWA of organisations that are recognising and advancing women in the workplace.

Amgen also received an additional commendation on our work done in relation to flexible working arrangements available to staff, career development programs both locally and internationally and our mentoring program.

More than 2500 organisations report to EOWA each year. The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999, requires private sector companies with 100 or more employees to establish a workplace program to remove barriers to women entering and advancing in their organisation.

Companies are required to report on 7 employment matters to EOWA on their workplace program annually. In 2011, only 99 other organisations received this citation.

Australia’s credentials are impressive when you consider 73% of staff are female and with a senior leadership team representation of 30%. 64% of our managers are women and of the 26 FlexAbility programs in place, 92% are utilised by our female employees

For local employee Sally O’Callaghan, Amgen’s FlexAbility program provides a structure that keeps her career and family life working together.

“It’s not an easy task to overcome daily stresses of family, friends and work. Let alone find enough time to look after myself and do the things I enjoy. The program offered to me ensures that I have everything I need in place to reach the delicate balance between work and life,” said Sally.

Equal Opportunity in a workplace context means that all employees have equal access to the opportunities that are available at work. This means that all employees are treated with fairness and respect in that they are not subject to discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

“I am particularly proud of the citation we received from EOWA, as a company we’ve worked hard to ensure that our organisation is diverse, flexible and offers the same opportunities to men and women. We respect our people and recognise that we need to remain focussed on providing a culture and workplace that enables us to remain dynamic and true to our values,” said Amgen Australia’s Managing Director, Ian Thompson.