How Great Place to Work Boosts Employer Brands: Esri Ireland's story

Esri Ireland have been featured on the Best Small Workplaces list for 7 years running. They are passionate about the work they do, and it necessitates having a skilled team in the business. However, they are competing for talent with some of the world’s biggest tech companies. So how do they gain a competitive edge through the Great Place to Work Programme? Let’s find out. 

Esri Ireland’s Great Place to Work Journey 

Esri Ireland are a software and services organisation, specialising in the application of geographic information systems, or “GIS” pioneering problem-solving using geography. It’s what they call #TheScienceofWhere. In just 4 years, Esri Ireland progressed from being the 13th place Best Small Workplace to placing 1st over 2 consecutive years. The culture they created, rich in meaningful listening practices, and where all are inspired to give their best is now synonymous with them. During that 4-year journey to the top, they addressed issues highlighted by their employees through the Trust Index Survey. It is the work conducted by leveraging that data and building trust that has seen them rise through the ranks. 

As an example, in 2017 just 35% of their employees felt that special events were celebrated in the organisation. By introducing a range of camaraderie boosting social events such as a breakfast to mark employees work anniversary, an annual celebratory summer BBQ to mark their Great Place to Work results, Thank You Days and more, they responded to the input from their employees. As a result, they saw a 55% increase in their employees’ agreement with the statement “People celebrate special events around here”. 

Employer Branding Innovators

With those special events involving celebrating 2 years at the top of the Best Small Workplace list, they knew they had something unique in Esri Ireland. They had built the kind of culture where people could thrive, they just had to ensure that talent knew where to find them. To achieve that, Esri Ireland’s talented marketing team took full advantage of their recognition. By cleverly timing marketing campaigns to coincide with the annual Great Place to Work Awards, and consistently branding themselves as a Best Workplace, they amplified their brand to help them attract and retain top talent. 

With 90% of candidates independently referencing their status as a Great Place to Work, their strategy has certainly been effective. What’s more, they have reduced their need to engage with third-party job agencies to 0%, and 98% of those offered a position accept it. It isn’t just how they attract talent that got them to where they are, they enjoy a 95% employee retention rate once talent joins the business. In a competitive talent market, where major tech brands are recruiting from the same cohort, these activities have been invaluable to them. 

The View from the Top 

Along the way, Esri Ireland have gone from strength to strength, racking up awards. In 2020, they received a special award for the work their internal Great Place to Work Team did throughout the year. This team, with input from all levels of their business, developed a listening ecosystem in the organisation, where colleagues can rest assured that their suggestions are heard. In 2024, they received accreditation as one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces in Tech for the fourth year in a row, in addition to placing first in the Best Small Workplace category. Despite these achievements, they show no signs of slowing down and are always looking at ways to improve. We can’t wait to see what they do next.  

More resources on this topic:

• 8 Highlights on Navigating Change and Employer Branding
• 8 Ways to Build an Effective Employer Brand

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About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries. To join the thousands of companies that have committed to building high-trust company cultures that help them attract, retain and take care of their people, contact us about getting Certified today.