What makes a good boss?

New Zealand’s a small place and word gets around about the places you just don’t want to work; and those you’d love to get a job offer from. We all know the places where everyone talks about working conditions, strength or lack of leadership, workplace culture and staff turnover.

This whole soup of the good, bad and ugly of your businesses’ reputation has a name. It’s your ‘‘employee value proposition’’ – or EVP – and it’s more important today than ever.

Why? Because employees – and future employee – just won’t take anything for granted these days.

Once people were grateful for a job and a pay packet. Now, they want to enjoy going to work, expect to feel valued and have a sense they are doing more than just turning up working for ‘‘the man’’.

Being able to attract the right people, with the right skills, can make the difference between success and expansion, and staying still. We all know this actually means going backwards, according to those in the office with MBAs.

It would be great if it was easy to sort. You know, put some primary-coloured bean bags in an ‘‘ideation room’’; provide flexible working hours; buy a fuss-ball table for the tastefully decorated, pale grey relaxation area; and encourage staff to enjoy the Nespresso machine and free fruit bowl. Not that easy, I’m afraid.

Even the things that gave businesses that special allure a few years ago don’t have the same sparkle these days. Flexible working, the latest technology, good salary and benefits, and career progression and training are all pretty much givens these days, according to this year’s Employer Brand Index research from HR Services company Randstad.

These days employees increasingly want companies with a great reputation, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and clear evidence that the company is actively giving back to society. The other aspects are still important, but are almost a check-box exercise. Employees are evaluating: ‘‘Can I work there for the money, the work/life balance, the security?’’. If the answer’s ‘‘yes’’, then they start thinking about whether they actually want to work there.

Sounds like a load of new-age nonsense? Well, it’s not. Recruiting new people is expensive and it takes time. Time to shortlist, interview and reference check. Time to get people fully up to speed. Apparently, it can also literally cost money: companies with a bad reputation pay up to 10 per cent more to attract staff who might still be B-team quality. And you still have to work hard to retain the good ones you’ve got.

So, which companies are doing a good job with their EVPs?

Air New Zealand topped the charts for the fifth year as New Zealand’s most attractive employer brand; recognised for its financial stability, focus on technology and strong reputation.

In the public sector, the Department of Conservation was ranked second-most attractive employer for the second year in a row, valued for giving back to society, providing interesting job content and reputation. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment took out the third spot – valued for being financially healthy, job security and career progression.

So, I’ve been thinking about what I’d find particularly appealing in an employer and I think I’ve cracked it. Frankly, it’s so simple, it’s genius.

They pay me and I’m under no obligation to turn up or actually do anything. And if I do turn up, my employer will be totally delighted to see me and offer me chocolate and back rubs. OK, maybe it won’t catch on, but a girl can dream. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. Peter 3:7