Employer of choice: Using computers to enhance employee engagement in Australia

Abstract

AbstractEmployer of choice (EOC) is an evolving interest for Australian business, as organizations look to attract and retain desirable staff and maintain a positive reputation in the marketplace. EOC reflects the value and importance organizations place on their key stakeholders—their staff. This article defines EOC in a context reflecting Australian business conditions and demonstrates how to use an existing information and communication technology (ICT) platform, typically available to office‐based staff in large institutions, to educate and engage with employees about their organization's EOC program.Characteristics common to “good employers” as presented by global research houses and consultancy groups are matched against standard characteristics evident from a review of Australian documentation on EOC, in order to provide the most appropriate EOC characteristics for Australian organizations.This article conceptualizes a model curriculum to educate large office‐based staff on their organization's EOC program using computer‐assisted learning (CAL). The model embraces constructivists' principles and adult learning pedagogy that enables individually tailored education. The belief is that an engaged and satisfied staff will enhance an organization's reputation and decrease the risk of staff loss. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.