Cast your net into the talent pool and what do you find – succulent salmon or flimsy fry? More than a quarter of agencies find attracting and retaining staff a significant challenge, according to this year’s Agencies Benchmarking survey.
Expectations of what an employer should offer candidates have changed, the market has broadened and agencies are struggling to find both specialists and generalists. So where has the pressure come from?
Pull don’t push
Agencies have always been fast moving, and naturally under pressure to hire those who will deliver great creativity. But for many the competition seems stronger than ever. “We’re seeing a massive arms race,” explains Jonathon Palmer, global head of strategy and UX at Omobono.
The pressure has caused agencies to offer more and more to employees, and this continuous improvement is beginning to leave those who don’t have a solid employee brand strategy scrambling. Turning the heat up further is the competition agencies are facing from their own clients.
“The biggest threat we see is client-side,” affirms Kirsty Gilchrist, MD at Twogether. “Clients are seeing the talent that’s in agencies and realising they have a broad spectrum of experiences with various clients.” Individuals with a strong CV can take their pick of roles on either side of the agency/client divide, meaning recruiters have to move.
“It’s hard to poach happy people,” says Tim Lines, associate director at Nelson Bostock Unlimited. “When people move, often something’s gone wrong or their situation is not ideal. They’ve got more of a push factor.” For agencies to attract the best talent, they need to create a greater pull factor. This means putting in the work on a competitive employee brand strategy – a common pitfall. “Agencies often under-invest in their employee brand,” explains Jonathon. “You’ve got agencies out there that have an amazing customer experience but an employee experience that leaves a lot to be desired.” Becoming more resourceful with sourcing talent
Most agencies will be accustomed to traditional recruitment routes such as headhunting, recruitment agencies and employee referral programmes. But the rising competition has given leading agencies the impetus to look at more unique methods of sourcing talent from within and outside of their organisation.
Nelson Bostock’s parent company, Unlimited Group, has a next generation programme under which top young talent from its agencies compete in a The Apprentice-style competition for a week, pitching, briefing and winning prizes. Externally it also supports the Taylor Bennett Foundation. “They run quarterly programmes where they take people from very diverse backgrounds and place them within an agency, arrange briefs, tours and meetings with other agencies in the group,” explains Tim.
Unlimited aren’t alone in tapping into the talent early. Jonathon says he took part in judging a competition at an event run by one of the recruitment companies Omobono works with. “They organise a Dragons’ Den event where they select students to come and pitch creative briefs,” he says. “The level of talent that showed up was impressive, and many of them have since been hired by the agency judges in the room.” Twogether has also done graduate shows, but isn’t shy to take on school-leavers too. “One of our youngest developers came out of school and joined us at 18 and he’s phenomenal,” says Kirsty.
The interview
The consensus for interviewing candidates for an agency role is usually two interviews and a short test. Anything less and you may not know the person that you’re hiring well enough, and likewise they may not be fully bought into your agency. Don’t let frustration or desperation to fill a role quickly get the better of you. Tim believes it’s important not to make the interview process too easy. “You want them to feel like they’ve earned something and they’ve been put under pressure,” he explains.
It’s a good idea to outline what characteristics you’re looking for as well as skills. For most it’s passion that can give an applicant a winning edge, even if they don’t meet the full technical requirements. “The attitude is important,” asserts Tracey Lord, head of client services at Torpedo. “It might be that they write a regular blog or have built a website, something that shows their initiative and a proactive approach. You can teach skills but you can’t teach attitude.” Kirsty says personality is the most important thing across all the roles at Twogether. She says her people are hungry, have drive and are enthusiastic. “That’s important for us because culture at Twogether is immense,” she explains.
Promoting a happy and healthy environment
We’ve been encouraged to be selfish about our wellbeing, and many agencies have adjusted to meet this. For example, working from home and flexible working has become a staple benefit.
Tracey believes it’s the little things like creating a happy environment and encouraging work/life balance that can swing a decision when attracting talent. “Life can be quite busy and we want to make sure we look after the team. We do this through flexible working, providing fruit and snacks to get them through the day, and having fun with social and charity events,” she explains.
Aside from creating ease and improving mental health, Torpedo also encourages an active lifestyle. Employees have access to a swimming pool and tennis court on site, as well as the option to join the agency’s football or netball team. “The team also nominate a charity to support for the year, and we do charity events like Tough Mudders and Rough Runners,” she adds.
Harvard takes a similar approach. The agency offers two mornings a week of free yoga and pilates for staff, on top of access to a wellbeing app, an invitation to take part in a walking challenge, and private medical care.
CEO Louie St Claire says they also track the happiness of staff to assess culture and benefits to remain aligned to what they’re trying to achieve for their employees. “We do a staff survey once a year, where we ask about benefits, health, training, happiness, support and management. We feed response back into our programme,” he says.
Get social to collaborate
The goal is always to work without siloes, but galvanising that collaboration and positive working relationships doesn’t necessarily start at people’s desks. “Culture is the one thing not owned by management, it’s owned by everyone,” explains Louie.
At Harvard the foundations to a good culture start by organising a social calendar. “We have a ‘Harvard hug’ every Friday, where we all get together and one team hosts themed drinks. We also have a monthly social where it will be a film night or bowling or something like that,” says Louie. The company even arranged and paid for a trip to Paris to celebrate Christmas and the team’s success over the year.
Kirsty agrees with the importance of such events, which solidify relationships within the team. “Like most agencies we work hard and we play hard,” she says. “We make sure staff are rewarded with very good summer parties. This year we took them all to a festival. The year before we hired out a cave and had a 90s rave.”
The opportunity to develop
No one appreciates stagnation and a primary reason for changing company is often for career progression. But as an agency you should be open to offering the opportunity to develop in-house. Tim says building someone into a role can actually be better than finding someone pre-made. “We much prefer to spot talent than bring it in. You need to challenge people with the right level of support. If you get the balance just right they’ll be committed and see their future there.” Tracey agrees the learning piece of an agency is vital for the retention of staff. “We always want to set out how people can progress within the business.” Torpedo runs knowledge sessions every Tuesday where the team shares live projects; best practice and new tech. It’s also keen to support staff who want a change in trajectory. “We’ve had some people decide to move in a different direction in their career and we’ve been supportive of that.”
Tips for talent
- “Consider the importance of attitude. Have an open-mind, consider all the opportunities and where they could sit in your organisation.”
Tim Lines, Nelson Bostock Unlimited. Headcount increase from 40 to 62.
- “It comes down to reputation. People are attracted to innovation, culture, stability – and if they see this the talent will come to you.”
Kirsty Gilchrist, Twogether. Headcount increase from 82 to 105.
- “Create a well thought-through strategy for talent acquisition. If you want to get this right you need to look at the entire employer brand and candidate experience.
Jonathon Palmer, Omobono. Headcount increase from 97 to 120.
- “Be clear with where you’re going and what you’re trying to achieve. If you can articulate that well to the people you’re trying to attract it becomes a lot easier.”
Louie St Claire, Harvard. Headcount increase from 54 to 65.
- “A competitive salary and the usual benefits are hygiene factors in recruitment. Focus on the culture and the opportunity to develop.”
Tracey Lord, Torpedo. Headcount increase from 68 to 84.
*This feature was originally printed in The B2B Marketing UK Agencies Benchmarking Report 2019
