“THE BIG QUIT” is here for the foreseeable future. Here’s how to prevent it from hurting your agency (Part 2).

This is the second of our two thought pieces on the tectonic shift that’s occurring right now throughout the American workplace.

The pressures and uncertainties created by COVID-19 are causing millions of people to reevaluate the role of work in their lives. They’re searching for something better (or at least different), they want it now and they’re leaving their jobs to find it.

“The Big Quit” is real and it’s here. In November, 2021, more than 4,500,000 employees quit their jobs – the most in a single month since this became a statistic in 2000.

In our first piece on this critically important subject, we recommended that agency owners and leaders fight back against this troubling trend by:

1.     Understanding that “The Big Quit” is a fundamental change in how people think and that isn’t going away any time soon.

2.     Aligning your firm’s purpose more closely with your employees’ personal goals and values.

3.     Being more flexible. Become more thoughtful, creative and agile in providing your people with what they want most.

4.     Focusing on employee well-being.

5.     Also focusing on your own well-being.

6.     Talking less and listening more. In particular, learning to listen more effectively.

7.     Finally, dialing up the empathy throughout your agency. From management to staff. From each person to others. From you personally to everyone.

Our first piece covered points 1-2 above in detail. Today, we’re diving into points 3-7.

Be more flexible. Giving your people what they want will only make your agency stronger.

Like it or not, the rules have changed.

After almost two years of COVID, perhaps it’s no surprise that so many employees want the option to work remotely. Per Marketing Brew, it’s literally 100%... and 40% also say they want more flexible hours.

It’s a common misconception that the more hours people work, the more productive they are. That has most likely never been the case at any time. Today, it’s a flat-out mistaken and self-defeating view for any employer to hold.

According to Stephanie Sweet, Vice President at leading recruitment firm Robert Half, 49% of employees want a hybrid work engagement and 34% will look for a new job if required to return to the office full-time.

Many if not most of them also want to work for companies with a clear and compelling purpose… companies whose business purpose and culture align with their employees’ personal purpose and reasons for working.

As an agency owner, if you do nothing else, understand and listen to team members’ points-of-view regarding why, when, where and how they work for your firm. You may not be able to meet all of their needs but you must know what they are.

Doing so will help create and sustain a culture based on supporting your employees instead of dictating to them.

Employees’ well-being is well worth the effort.

Research consistently shows that happy, well-adjusted and healthy employees are more engaged and productive. So doesn’t it make sense, especially now, for agency owners to focus on leadership strategies that enhance your employees’ well-being?

It’s important to understand that “well-being” isn’t just a feeling. It’s more substantial and multi-faceted than that. True wellness is determined by four indicators: Emotional, Physical, Social and Financial. The most effective wellness programs (and the smartest agencies) know this and act on it.

In order to identify some specific examples of best practices, we looked at Weber Shandwick, consistently ranked at the top of “Best Agency” lists. This highly respected global firm takes employee well-being very seriously. They clearly understand that improving wellness requires management commitment, consistency and time… not just when you feel like it. Some of the innovative things they do include:

-       The creation of Juice, an employee mental and physical wellness program.

-       A hybrid back-to-work model.

-       Discounts for activities to counter stress such as yoga and fitness classes.

-       Monthly cash reimbursements for mental, physical, cultural and lifestyle activities.

-       Time and money for staff members to pursue their passions with time-off, travel and remote work options.

While your agency might not be as big as Weber Shandwick, leaders of agencies of all sizes can benefit from reviewing the above and customizing it to what will work best for you.

Here are four more ideas for implementing well-being throughout your agency:

1.     Start by getting an objective second opinion (so you’re not relying solely on your own). Hire an external expert to survey your staff.

2.     Then retain a proven leadership coach to help you follow up as effectively (and quickly) as possible on the findings from the survey.

3.     Offer more creative rewards that transcend financial compensation.

4.     Integrate those rewards into a dual approach that recognizes both performance and longevity.

Helping your employees to be well and stay well is important and achievable. Don’t wait.

Don’t forget about YOU.

As the agency’s owner and key decision-maker, your personal well-being is at least as important if not more so than anyone else’s. This isn’t selfishness. It’s smart business.

Here are a few of the tools and best practices recommended by McKinsey & Co. for fostering your own well-being in this era of constant change, challenges and pressures.

For your body:

-       Get at least seven hours of sleep at the same time each day.

-       Maintain or increase weekly exercise goals.

-       Start with a small nutritional goal and build your way up.

For your mind:

-       Commit to a habit of daily meditation.

-       Tune into yourself. Hone your ability to not be distracted and to disconnect (including from the technology which now surrounds all of us).

-       Reframe negative or unhelpful mindsets to ones that serve you better.

For your spirit:

-       Regularly reflect on your work contributions and how they connect to your purpose (especially in moments of low energy).

-       Place yourself deliberately in joyful situations and activities with no attachment to outcomes.

-       Spend quality time daily with at least one person who is important to you.

Make it a priority to regularly take the time to rest, relax, refresh and recharge. You and your agency will benefit.

Now’s the time for speaking less and listening more.

Effective leaders do more listening than talking. And it has never been more important to be listening to your employees than now. 

Consider this. Leaders with a preference for listening are rated as significantly more effective than those who spend the majority of their time holding forth. (Forbes, 2017 Zenger/Folkman research study)

According to the Association for Talent Development, effective listening is one of the key traits of being an effective leader because it:

1.     Provides access to a diversity of ideas and potential solutions.

2.     Expands perspectives and enables you to proactively address potential issues.

3.     Strengthens relationships, trust, teamwork and credibility.

4.     Broadens our understanding and makes a positive impact on culture.

5.     Increases loyalty and shows employees that you care.

The bottom line? Listen better to your teams. Communicate better with them. And always do as you say.

Dial up your empathy.

Let’s first define what we’re talking about here.

Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand and share the thoughts and feelings of another person. It’s being able to imagine what the other person is going through.

Most people (especially those under 40) no longer respond to simply being told what to do (the  “ Because I’m your boss” approach that so often characterized old-school management). They need to feel understood, appreciated and listened to. As a leader, being empathetic helps you do that more effectively.

Employees who feel better supported and understood by management are more likely to take risks and collaborate. They’re also more receptive to the concerns of others within their team or department.  (Essential Personnel)

Through empathy, you show compassion, demonstrate that you’re willing to help employees on a deeper level and are interested in their wants and needs. (Give and Take)

Beyond being an empathetic CEO or president, you can build an agency-wide culture of empathy by having an agency of empathetic leaders, managers and team members. This offers at least six benefits for today and tomorrow including:

-       Closer working relationships

-       Better spirit of collaboration

-       Increased employee engagement

-       Improved work performance

-       Greater employee satisfaction

-       Higher retention rates

(Give and Take, Essential Personnel)

Oh… and it will simply make you feel better too.

In closing…

The Big Quit is posing a serious problem for all employers, even more so for the owners of marketing communications agencies whose primary asset is their people.

Prosper Group’s leadership coach can help empower you to be a more effective (and more empathetic) leader in order to navigate successfully through these challenging times. Shouldn’t we talk?

We’re here to help you succeed.

Prosper Group exists to help the owners of independent marketing communications agencies achieve their ambitions and maximize the value of their life's work.  

Our team of former agency leaders and owners focus their deep experience on implementing proven proprietary methodologies across our three practices of agency performance (including leadership coaching), owner exit planning and M&A transactions in order to drive owner and agency success.