Agencies, chasing new business, with a workforce with more to do and less time to do it in, are also trying to deal with significant change in the world of work.
Virginia Scully, formerly managing partner, people, at independent media agency Hatched, has launched her own consultancy, Human Kind Collective.
“It feels like it's the right time,” she told AdNews.
“People that are passionate about mental health and gender equity are leading the charge for positive change in our industry.”
Scully has created a culture health check for agencies that points them in the direction of easy-to-apply services. Those needing more help can engage Human Kind Collective to develop and action programs, systems and training.
Agencies face increasing pressures of having to chase new business and often not being able to recruit at the same time to help with increased workload.
“We’re seeing a tired workforce post COVID,” she says.
“There's a whole lot that's changed in the world of work.
“And then we've got these additional revenue pressures and trying to be competitively different.”
Almost half (46%) of the industry displays mild to severe anxiety and depression, according to the 2202 mentally healthy survey.
Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report showed thirds of the workforce passively disengaged and 13% actively disengaged, taking actions that directly harm the organisation and its goals. Just one in five reported they were engaged and thriving at work.
Scully thinks independents are in a slightly more privileged position to be able to make calls around clients that might be unhealthy when it comes to cultural behaviours and expectations of the business.
“I think they can move more quickly when it comes to just deciding to hire ahead of the game versus waiting for that to be approved from a global head office somewhere else in the world,” she said.
“And what they're trying to do is also hire more experienced people and can manage the biggest challenges that agencies face around the way they are structured.
“The old hierarchical model model is cumbersome. It can also limit employees opportunities for development, having to follow that old traditional path.
“Indies can challenge some of those things, flatten the structures, make braver and faster calls to address the challenges.”
She has designed Human Kind Collective for the dynamic media and communications industry.
“The world of work has dramatically changed and, in many respects, isn't actually ‘working’,” Scully said
“We need to leave the practices of treating humans as resources in the past. To do that, a collective of HR revolutionaries is required. So we created one.”
One challenges agencies face include women over 30 leaving the industry in droves, managing multigenerational workforces and a concerning level of mentally unhealthy employees.
The collective has already joined forces with its first agency partner, Media Republic.
Media Republic founder Steve Fagan said many independent agencies don’t have the headcount to justify in-housing a full suite of people and culture functions.
“But without them, we’re flying by the seat of our pants,” said Fagan.
“We’ve been waiting for something like Human Kind Collective to come along. Virginia has hugely impressive creds and working with her simply makes sense.”
Human Kind Collective will be partnering with select agencies and offering members of the Independent Media Agencies Association (IMAA) complimentary access to the culture health check in addition to receiving a discount on a range of Human Kind Collective services.
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