In this episode of HRDTV, Mark and Evette Moran, co-founders and co-CEOs of Mark Morren Group, reveal the people-first practices behind their sustained 5-Star Employer of Choice success. From 12-week, on-the-floor onboarding and global team-building retreats to major cultural celebrations and even sharing $2.1 million in profits with staff, they explain how respect, visibility, and genuine care shape every decision. The pair discuss why they refuse to have offices, how they ensure every employee feels seen, heard and celebrated, and what other organisations can learn about embedding humanity, diversity and compassion at the core of their workplace culture.
00:00 So to have it consecutively reflecting values that are really fundamental and important to us, it's just the the biggest reward we could have.
00:09 We tend to treat the people that work for us, you know, we really care about them first and foremost. [music]
00:17 Hello and welcome to HRDTV. I'm Kylie Spear and joining me today are Mark and I Morren, co-CEOs and co-founders at
00:26 Mark Morren Group. Mark Morren Group has been named as one of the winners of HRD's five stars employers of choice for
00:35 four consecutive years now. Welcome to you Mark and Iet. Huge congratulations and thank you both so much for joining us today.
00:45 Thank you for having us Kylie. We're delighted to be here.
00:49 Well, firstly, what does this recognition mean to you and the Mark Morren Group, especially considering the
00:56 rigorous methodology involving both employer submissions and employee satisfaction surveys? Look, it's really
01:05 it's an honor because the staff are involved with the process of the recognition. And so to have it um
01:13 consecutively reflecting values that are really fundamental and important to us, it's just the the biggest reward we
01:21 could have in terms of recognizing that that intent is being actualized and and practiced in the day-to-day workforce.
01:30 The special report highlights the importance of employee satisfaction across metrics such as benefits, compensation, culture and development.
01:40 Can you share some specific initiatives or practices at Mark Morren Group that you believe most contributed to your high employee satisfaction rating?
01:51 We tend to treat the people that work for us uh you know we really care about them first and foremost. So, uh, you
01:59 know, we'll do things like we'll travel all around the world, um, you know, for workshops and team building out of
02:06 Hawaii and, um, Singapore and the Southern Highlands, the Blue Mountains
02:13 and, uh, everybody comes across from all all over our industry. So, you have clinical, you have hospitality, you have
02:21 head office, you have the financial teams, you know, there's so many different arms. um you know concurge
02:28 that in our in our organization and it's lovely for everybody to you know so many people to get together because we don't
02:35 just take five people we actually take about 25 people so it's a yeah it it it really is a true uh team building
02:45 exercise and everybody said I get to know what the others are doing and they actually feel part of a great of a of a
02:52 team and very connected. One one of the initiatives that that resonated with with team over the last couple of years is the we we do an extensive onboarding.
03:02 It's it's a 12week program but beyond the onboarding we actually have an educator who who like we work in age care and hospitality and seniors
03:11 planning. So the educator spends each day on the floors with the team rather than traditionally an educator is you
03:20 know come to the education room or come to the conference room and we do a session right which is which is important as well but the difference is is that you actually have someone who
03:28 has expertise competencies insights to share and they can tailor that to the practices that
03:36 are taking place on the dayto-day rather than in some regards intellectualizing it and hoping and trusting that that it resonates. So that's a really good one.
03:46 We we have so many initiatives like this that that allows things uh we'll talk about it a little bit later but things
03:55 like shining light which is to go beyond expectations of the clients and the and even the other team members to to to
04:04 share those moments to share those insights to share those ways. So it's it's it's almost the memories.
04:11 Yeah. It's almost like education has, you know, it's picking up on the some of its heritage and perhaps might as well.
04:18 It almost moves into an oral tradition rather than a simp simply a written, you know, fact sheet of information being shared. It's it's interesting.
04:29 Your company profile emphasizes a strong commitment to culture and employee development. How do you ensure that
04:37 these values are consistently experienced by employees at all levels and how did this commitment influence
04:44 your success in the five-star employer of choice survey?
04:49 So the values are readily translated in the day-to-day practice. It's it's we're
04:56 we're never about virtue signaling or having a good you know having an articulate philosophy even values that
05:04 are obviously important to all organizations. It's more about translating those into a way into practice I suppose and and
05:13 that means you know we're a very diverse culture. So we're we're looking we we tend to look at our work culture through
05:22 the employees eyes through their experience through their values through their cultures through their religious
05:30 festivals through what's said to diversity all the things that are part of their makeup part of their way of seeing
05:37 part of their DNA. So we like to weave their DNA through
05:43 our workforce and um and then you know really celebrate them. But also this
05:50 award means so much to Mark and I because you know it is feedback from the people that work for us and they and
05:59 it's honest genuine sincere feedback and and uh you know the fact that you know
06:07 we uh so many people are so happy to be there just uh you know it it makes us so
06:14 happy like delighted we feel we are doing something right.
06:19 And and you know there's that old sort of adage which perhaps not a positive saying but you are as good as your weakest link. And so if you if you if
06:28 you actually apply that and go if it you know if 30% of your staff are happy or 30% of the team or 50% or 70% even
06:36 that's terrific and that's wonderful to have that hiring staff. But if you have 30% who are unhappy or indifferent, then
06:46 that's not really it's not hitting it achieving the the optimum culture, the opt the optimum environment. So, it's
06:53 all about being real with ourselves and go, okay, if if someone is unhappy for whatever reason, let's let's dive into that. And maybe it's an education thing.
07:03 Maybe it's a something's going on in their personal lives. Maybe maybe they're not relating to another staff member and you you you reccalibrate the
07:11 the the the team positioning. There's all there's a range of things that you can consider and look at to improve.
07:18 Yeah. And you know, Mark and I really we come from a hands-on approach. So you know we lead by example and so we are
07:28 the co-founders and the co-CEOs but we don't have an office. We don't believe in having an office. So our office is the building.
07:38 So we are everywhere around everyone constantly and speaking to them and you know asking asking for genuine feedback
07:47 and how we can do things differently and engaging the people that work for us.
07:52 engaging them and and uh you know in giving in in their feedback and uh we actually we listen we take it on board
08:00 and uh and we we act on it. So you know people feel heard in our organization and seen and seen
08:08 which is a lovely segue into my next question. Diversity and inclusion were key components evaluated in the special
08:16 reports methodology. How has Mark Morren Group approached fostering an inclusive environment and what impact have you
08:25 seen on both your team and your business outcomes as a result?
08:30 I'd have to say well a lot of our workforce are Nepalese and uh and we have an Indian so we do
08:40 you know I mean we obviously have the obvious celebrations of Christmas and and Easter but we celebrate Dvali in a
08:48 huge way and Dashan in a huge way like big and and um and because we have age care and retirement and things like that
08:57 we include everybody there in those celebrations. So, it becomes a a massive celebration of the day for everybody in
09:06 the building and um we'll have food, we'll have paint, we'll have everyone everyone comes in their costume dress.
09:12 It's beautiful. And uh you know one of our our GM is Indian and he is you know they've just built a huge temple out
09:20 west and they we took a bus and everybody went out there and and um saw and it was just beautiful and celebrated
09:28 that fact and and you know it took years for the Indian community to build this fantastic beautiful temple and you know
09:36 and to know that you know the people that are there at Mart you know They they do like I keep saying
09:45 they feel seen, they feel heard and they honestly feel celebrated but that nobody feels different. This is just uh an
09:53 everyday thing in the you know in Martin Bclus we we celebrate everybody and it doesn't matter where where you come from
10:02 we will celebrate your big days and we work a lot through with the staff as well to go through you know like you know because everybody will want that
10:12 time off but we'll do it in a very fair method and a fair way too and you know to make sure that there you know there's
10:19 people still there and running and doing things. So, it's done in a really lovely way where um a lot of celebration of
10:26 diversity and and using that example like historically it'd be a a cultural
10:33 celebration and then a roster Clark would be wondering why lots of not even wondering knowing why 20% of people
10:42 didn't turn up. By doing it in collaboration with respect and celebration and and and joy, I would say
10:49 then everyone's on the same page and and and we come together. It's a team.
10:53 Yeah. We come together to to get a good result for the staffing choices that the staff make rather than imposing. We're not imposing.
11:02 And finally, Mark and Evette, looking ahead, how will this recognition as a five-star employer of choice shape your
11:09 future strategies for employee engagement and workplace excellence? And what advice would you offer to other
11:17 organizations aiming for similar recognition?
11:20 It would be that once you become attuned to the diversity and the the depth of
11:30 the your team, the people that you work with and the people that you serve because it it transcends the staff into the people that we that we provide
11:38 services to. Then you you really don't go backwards from there. your your mindset shifts and your mindset then
11:46 becomes and I I'll give you you know kind of the example of put your money where your mouth is. We we restructured part of our group last year and and as a
11:55 result of changes in staffing and people that were were with us, we we literally um you know, we're not a big organization. We're medium medium to
12:04 small, but we gave the monies that we had and it was a lot at the time. The monies that that came through at the end of the year result, it was $2.1 million.
12:12 They actually gave it to the staff because it was us recognizing genuinely
12:20 with you know authentically that it wasn't about our sole vision which was part of it. It was about the
12:29 collaboration, the collective team effort to deliver something and and and you know the earlier point that I was saying
12:36 is that once you once you recognize it, it's really hard to go backwards because you wouldn't want to go backwards. You know, there's there's no reason to go
12:44 backwards and then it then you create another challenge for yourself and and that is how do we go how do we progress it? How do we do something more? How do
12:53 we how do we ensure that 100% of the staff are part of it not 90% of the
12:59 staff? How do we how do we ensure that we recognize the challenges that staff
13:06 are having? How do we recognize their diversities? How do we celebrate with them? And how do we connect with them?
13:14 How do we ensure that it's not a, you know, it's not an imposed order. It's a it's a genuine connectivity. We have um
13:23 we've had some staff with issues, you know, health issues and um we've delivered meals to their homes
13:31 uh to help them through the you know, really trying times. They had families and you know, and it's been impossible
13:38 for them to make a meal and and um and we've done that out of our main kitchen um very happily, very easily, and it
13:45 hasn't been a problem. And uh it's been received with a lot of gratitude and sincerity and and uh you know and and
13:53 that's what I keep saying you know and for for Mark and I I think for any advice to for any organization with the
14:00 you know you want your staff you want the people that work for you um to feel respected. Okay, that's a really big
14:07 thing to feel respected, to feel seen, to feel heard and that creates a place
14:14 where they genuinely want to come to work every day like they they're happy. Yeah.
14:20 And you know, one small sort of practice that we do is we walk as a bet said we don't have an office. We we live amongst
14:29 the staff. We live in terms of we work amongst the staff that we are our colleagues. So, so you see so much by
14:37 actually being actively there on rather than again I suppose intellectualizing what might be going on or hearing snippets of elements. You can
14:46 actually be there for each other, be there for staff members, be there for the people that are part of our our business as well. So, so this is we're
14:53 really proud uh we're really we this award to us is something that we are so
15:00 celebratory of without staff and community. So, it couldn't be more important to us. Um it's the highest
15:08 honor as far as we're concerned with say probably in the country because in terms of the workplace environment because
15:15 it's all about the workplace environment. It's all about people. It's all about heart and it's all about some vision interlaid or interlay
15:24 and we couldn't bring our vision to what we do every day without our beautiful stuff. You know they we couldn't do it.
15:32 We need them to be on we all need to be on the same page and we cannot do it if we aren't. So, you know, cuz it is we
15:39 are in the business of humanity and um kindness and compassion and uh you know,
15:46 they're all very key words that you know and sincerity, you know, and respect, respect, respect, respect. I cannot emphasize that word enough.
15:55 Lovely. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Mark and I. And huge congratulations once again.
16:03 Thank you so much. Thank you. It's a It's an honor, a privilege. Such an honor. Thank you.
16:10 And thank you, of course, to our viewers for watching the latest episode of HRDTV. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
