Two Cents: Tell me I'm beautiful

It's been one of those days, it's late and you have the shits something chronic with your team. They have abandoned you, left you high and dry with a whole bunch of stuff that isn't even your responsibility. But you do it anyway, why? Because you are young, ambitious and this is what its all about. They have left you in the trenches with nothing to defend yourself with but a butter knife and branded stress ball.

For a lot of young people starting out, this is all too familiar, stressful late nights in what can often feel like unfair circumstances. You sit there, imagining what it would be like telling your boss where to go shove his or her material instructions and enjoying the thought of how screwed they would be if you just up and left.

For a lot of us, our frame of mind when it comes to the aforementioned situation is that "It's part and parcel with the industry" and I guess you can say to a degree that it is. But does anyone see the link here with the ridiculous 57% churn rate that is also "part and parcel" with the industry?

Recognition is often the hardest thing for companies to manage as in reality; reward comes down to a manager's individual style. Agencies can put recognition initiatives in place but more often than not, acknowledgement of plain 'day in day out' hard work slips through the cracks. And so the vicious cycle begins, being smothered in work and feeling unappreciated while those who have the capacity are rewarded for using their initiative.

For the record I'm not talking about high fiving your assistant for getting all their pee in the bowl. I'm talking about acknowledging that while you as a manager may demand a lot, the business is aware of how hard you're working, appreciates it and shows you are contributing to a greater good. Nothing is more gratifying and easy as an email from your manager saying thank you for great work. Recognition does not affect the profit and loss... I know... I checked!

New comers to the industry are ambitious, savvy and hungry to succeed. They work hard, play hard and have a genuine desire to be proactive. Agencies work hard to create a culture that allows this to flourish but it's up to managers and directors to not kill it. Feedback and encouragement feeds enthusiasm, when that goes, people break.

Purists will say that in their day, working like a dog was just plain expected, while that may be the case, times have changed and that management style has led to a ridiculous industry retention rate.

We've spoken before about the importance of putting yourself out there and how hard work is encouraged when you start. That still rings true but appreciation is a whole other kettle of fish. People managers need to give themselves a sense check and in some instance an uppercut and address this issue because as I see it, Agencies can only do so much. We fall down at the last hurdle and forget, it's free for f*** sake!