Ergo Wins Best Managed Company and Best SME Workplace Awards
A panel of judges chose Ergo in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards, while its own employees helped scoop a Best SME Workplace 2011 gong in the annual roll call compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute.
Ergo, Ireland’s leading professional IT services company, has won two separate awards, highlighting its business achievements and enhancing its reputation as a great place to work. A panel of judges chose Ergo in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards, while its own employees helped scoop a Best SME Workplace 2011 gong in the annual roll call compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute.
John Purdy, Chief Executive Officer of Ergo, said, “We are delighted to have been singled out for two prestigious awards. We have long recognised that strategic goals cannot be successful without the full support of committed employees who enjoy their work. These two awards are an endorsement of that approach.”
HR Manager at Ergo, Siobhán Ryan, said that the awards were the start of a journey rather than the end. “Awards like these help us engage further with our existing team and allow us to enhance our reputation in the marketplace, bringing Ergo to the forefront as an employer of choice. They help us to attract new talent which is vital for a company built on innovation.”
To qualify for the Best Managed Companies programme, an analysis of Ergo’s business was overseen by Deloitte Director Richard Howard. “Ergo has all the key components for running a successful business, where ideas and plans are matched by the ability of employees to deliver on them. This is reflected in a solid financial performance.”
He went on to praise for Ergo for its capacity to change, “Ergo is a company that has transformed itself more than once and moved with the times, a vital skill in today’s turbulent economy.”
The judging panel, which included businessman Dennis Brosnan and Deloitte Partner Pat Cullen, amongst others, also commended Ergo for its plans for international expansion and its use of technology. This was particularly important to Ergo CEO John Purdy. “We deliver cutting-edge solutions to our customers and we pride ourselves on being exponents of the benefits they can deliver,” he said.
Winning the Best SME Workplace award was entirely down to the company’s employees. According to the Great Place to Work Institute, 85 per cent of Ergo employees responded to a survey where the participation rate is usually closer to 70 per cent, a ringing endorsement of the company’s workplace practices.
Ergo employs 176 people in stylish new offices located in Dublin’s East Point Business Park. Last year’s move to the new premises helped engage and motivate employees, according to Siobhán Ryan. “It’s great for everyone to work in an environment that’s on a par with the very best multinationals. Clearly it makes a huge difference to our staff – in the survey the facilities scored a 97 per cent satisfaction rating compared to a typical response of 85 per cent,” she said.
Pictured from Left to Right: Les McAvinue, General Operations Manager; Frazer Furlong, Network Services General Manager; Mark Kenny, CFO; Ciara Young, Marketing Manager; John Purdy, CEO; Siobhan Ryan, HR Manager; Brian Cahill, Chief Product Architect; Michael Mongan, COO and Derek Kehoe, Sales Director; all of Ergo.
About Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards
The Deloitte Best Managed Companies programme, in association with Irish Life Corporate Business, promotes and recognises excellence in Irish owned and managed companies. It is the only awards scheme on the island of Ireland that considers a business’ performance from every perspective.
Entrants to the programme will compete for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates the calibre of their management abilities and practices. Programme sponsors are Irish Life Corporate Business, the Irish Management Institute and the Sunday Business Post.
The Best Managed Companies Programme originated in Canada in 1993, where it has been run successfully ever since and is the country’s leading business awards programme. In addition to Ireland and Canada, the programme is also run in The Netherlands and Mexico. Click here for more information on the Deloitte Best Managed Companies programme.
About Best Workplaces 2011
The Best Workplaces study, which is now in its ninth year, uses confidential employee feedback to identify employers who follow a policy of creating positive workplaces in which management build high-trust relationships with their employees, based on mutual respect.
The Great Places to Work Institute conducts similar studies in forty five countries worldwide. More than 4,000 Irish organisations are eligible to participate, including private firms, the state sector and non-profit organisations. The Institute’s work is based on the major findings of more than 20 years of research – that trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the best workplaces.
