IN THE PRESS
July 13, 2021
It’s been a weird year in work. And it’s been weirder, more stressful and less comfortable if you’re at the beginning of your career. Junior staff were likelier to be furloughed or let go during the pandemic – and less likely to have access to an exquisite home office.
With a competitive talent market emerging as economies restart, many younger agency workers are reconsidering their chosen careers, or at least their current berths. What if the promise of Cannes visits and some bonus pay down the line isn’t worth sticking around for?
We asked readers of The Drum what managers, senior staff and agency bosses should be doing to make their agencies career destinations – and how their businesses are giving younger staff decent reasons to stay.
How do you solve a problem like... junior agency staff getting itchy feet?
Leigh Ober, global chief people officer, Rapp
Given the way the pandemic forever changed our industry landscape and ways of working, we’ve had to pivot our traditional assumptions about success, work commitment and career ownership to meet our employees’ needs – and that’s an ongoing process. We’re learning as each day evolves, and working to adapt to what our people need and want in this emerging world. It’s a stressful time and people are craving recognition, influence and growth – and they deserve to get it.
As managers/employers, it’s up to us to take more responsibility for individual fulfillment. Firstly, find out what fills their bucket and motivates them – then create opportunities so they can get that experience. Secondly seek out, and be open to, their ideas, advice and feedback to improve our own teams, leadership and agency. Finally, enable them to move to new roles, even if it’s painful for you to lose that talent on your team.
See what other ad execs had to say with The Drum.
