Why Publicis Media UK is starting an industrial revolution in the workplace
The world is changing. The world of business is changing. Disruption is widespread across all industry and business sectors, driven largely by the rapid acceleration and breakthrough of new technologies, new ways of thinking and an effervescent entrepreneurial spirit, the likes of which I have never witnessed before. (In the time it has taken me to write this paragraph I’d wager at least one startup has launched here in the UK).
Publicis Media’s new home at white city
We are quite clearly in the foothills of the fourth industrial revolution. In the UK we are a hotbed of creativity and ideas and we have a big part to play on the world stage (despite the chaos of politics swirling about us). The future is full of fantastic opportunity and challenges too.
How ironic then that the universally accepted way we all go about our business is still trapped in the antiquated 9am-5pm working structure of yesteryear. Sorry Dolly but this is no way to make a living anymore. Technology has changed that for good, and if we get it right, for the good of all employees and businesses. Our laptops, mobiles and tablets enable us to check in on our work long before we get to the office, and long after we have left for the evening. That is the reality – we now have a “technological-umbilical chord” to the job, yet presenteeism and that rigid 9am-5pm structure still persist for the majority. But not for much longer, it can’t go on like this – there has to be an industrial-sized revolution in the workplace.
As a society, we have to change the way we go about business, for the success of the business and importantly for the success, welfare and productivity of our talent. This couldn’t ring more true than for the advertising industry.
By its very nature the advertising industry always pioneers and leads, we help to change and inspire social and cultural norms. In essence, we challenge, solve and craft the new, new. It is crucial therefore that we must be at the head of this workplace revolution and not allow it to pass us by.
I decided to put this challenge to my Next Generation Board (a cross-agency/practice group of future leaders) with the following brief: “How do we introduce a flexible working environment that meets our business needs but gives our people the flexibility they need in the 21st century?”
The team took up the brief with gusto and spent two months devising a progressive plan including research into new ways of working, and conducted a staff survey which revealed an overwhelming 93% of Publicis Media backed the move towards greater flexibility. Tellingly, the survey also received the most responses we have ever had to an internal survey, and all inside 24 hours.
At the end of the summer, when the team presented their proposal to me my jaw dropped, I broke out into a cold sweat and I laughed nervously to myself. What they had devised was so amazing, radical and a departure from the past that I thought my own board, and bosses, would never agree to this.
How wrong I was.
From April next year when we move to our shiny new offices at Television Centre we are also moving to the new Publicis Media way of working, or #PMWOW as the next Generation Board has named it.
We will operate the business around six key behaviours that are founded on the principles of ‘trust, empowerment and outputs” as opposed to ‘presenteeism’ and the standardised ‘9am-5pm’ working day.
In a nutshell, for all 2,500 employees we are moving to a flexible, smarter and modern working model, whereby we don’t need to ‘clock in and out’ of the office anymore, but work more flexibly and remotely as and when we need to.
While the office will still be our base, there will always be times when we can be more productive elsewhere. And these practices will be actively encouraged across our agencies and practices as I am convinced this will help us to attract and retain the right talent, lead to happier healthier employees, promote greater diversity and ultimately bring greater business success.
Flexibility is the only way forward. Join the revolution.
Publicis Media’s New way of working is founded on six key behaviours:
FOCUS ON OUTPUTS - Focus on the work done for clients – clearly measured and appraised - rather than on presenteeism.
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY – Communicate consistently and effectively (whether in person, Skype, email etc) with teams and clients regardless of location.
USE GEOGRAPHY AND TECH - Work wherever it makes the most sense for the task in hand – client offices, White City, home or other location – and use tech provided for workplace fluidity.
SET BOUNDARIES - Flexibility works both ways: employees need to be in the office or at a client meeting if required. Equally, employees should not feel a need to be ‘always on’ as a trade-off to flexible arrangements.
RECOGNISE WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT – Outside of business hours, respect how other people make it work. Just because it suits one person to email at 11pm it doesn’t mean other people will be able to respond straight away.
TRUST EACH OTHER - All managers and employees need to buy into flexibility: it’s not optional. Trust people to do the right thing by themselves and their family, as well as the company.
Sue Frogley is the chief executive of Publicis Media UK.