One of the initiatives that caught the judge’s attention was Sealord’s support for its Burmese employees during the Myanmar military coup in 2021.

“We knew our Burmese people were fearful for their home country, and while we could offer sympathy and support, we needed to look at other meaningful action,” Paulin says.

After meeting with workers to hear their ideas, he wrote to the Prime Minster outlining concerns and raised $7000 from company and staff contributions towards care for Burmese refugees in Thailand.

Other examples that helped contribute to Sealord’s win include its focus on two-way company communication including half-yearly ‘town hall’ staff meetings where the CEO discusses topics of interest and staff ask questions, CEO vlogs and new digital screens. Employees who prefer a less direct way to share can use the Sealord intranet to comment on stories and photos, and share information, opinions and experiences.

“We know that managers don’t always have the answers, which is why we encourage staff input and take the time to listen and then put actions in place,” Paulin says.

“Most recently, we have developed a new vision statement for the company that involved significant staff feedback via a steering group, numerous rounds of workshops, and team engagement via online surveys.”