1-Year On: Leaving Our Office Lives Behind

Things have dramatically changed over the last 12 months, for us, competing agencies and businesses across the world. Like many others, we took numerous steps to prepare for what many thought to be a 2 to 3 week period of working from home. Well, here we are exactly a year later, still WFH. At first, we didn’t like the idea of remote working and even more so that we didn’t have a choice. Here’s why.

March 23rd Marks Our Last Day in the Office

March 23rd was our last day in the office and little did we know that it would be the last time we would see our staff in an office environment. As of the start of this year, we’re now completely office-less. We felt completely vulnerable working from home during the initial stages of Covid-19. We thought that everything we had worked so incredibly hard for was going to be taken away from us over night and, to be completely honest, I thought that was going to be the end of Absolute Digital Media.

We knew that, in order to make it work, making working from home and success and to ultimately ensure that the businesses survived, we needed to implement new measures to support us, our staff and our clients at what was a critical time for many.

We’ve Become More Resourceful

We’ve implemented several new measures since the start of 2020 – all for the good of the agency. To name a few, each manager has created their own “handbook” which is shared across the team to remind them of processes and everything in between to ensure everyone in the agency is working towards the same goal. We’ve also bought new resources into the agency including cloud-based software to make sure all our work can be accessed anytime, anywhere and better tools to provide greater efficiency across the board.

We’ve Restructured Our Teams

We’ve also restructured the agency as part of our expansion to meet the new, increased demand to allow us to grow even more. This has been supported by our internal growth strategy, which sets out where we currently at, to where we want to be. Doing so has provided us with an even more competitive edge as we’ve recruited some of the industry’s top talent to help drive us forward at an even faster pace.

We’ve Become A Fully Remote Agency

By becoming a fully remove agency, we’ve found that we now have access to a bigger talent pool than before. Previously we were limited to recruiting talent within Essex, with many wanting to head to London instead due to its close proximity to Chelmsford. Now, we’re able to hire candidates from varied backgrounds and experiences, helping to take the agency to new heights.

We’ve Introduced Quarterly Team Meetings

March 2020 was a scary time for us and, at many stages, we didn’t know where the agency would go. With this thought creeping towards to forefront of our minds, we knew that we needed to become more transparent with our staff and honest in terms of how the agency was performance and where we were at financially. To get this message across, we introduced quarterly company-wide meetings to discuss where we are as a company and where we’re headed. We’ve had some great feedback on this, with many staff members telling us that they appreciate the honestly and transparency we have bought to them in recent months.

We’ve Increased Our Social Interaction

We all loved heading to the pub after work, particularly on a Friday, but this was stripped away from us following the first lockdown. Despite working from computers and laptops at home, our social interaction has massively increased. We now hold a “feel good” meeting each Friday and have a calendar of team events which includes cocktail / mocktail master classes, virtual horse racing and online escape rooms. We also have a social “water” cooler chat for the whole company which allows everyone to share their highs, successes, jokes and to generally have fun and build conversation.

We’ve Remained Strong On Culture

 We know it’s not all about clinking and drinking, which is why we’ve also began to focus more on our staff’s well-being with a weekly exercise class which takes place every Wednesday between 9:30am and 10:00am. We’ve also introduced a new “payday Friday” early finish whereby all teams can unwind for the weekend from 3pm and created our very own bank holiday on 22nd June to allow everyone to celebrate the end of lockdown how they wish.

We’ve Started To Work With External Consultants

 On top of this, we’ve also started working with external consultations to keep the team motivated, inspired and up to date with all the technical changes within the industry. We’ve also encouraged teams to take part in their own outside learning to ensure they’re able to continue advising our clients as the experts.

We’ve Celebrated Personal Achievements 

We’re always hot on celebrating the achievements of our staff whether that’s directly related to the agency and the work we carry out at Absolute Digital Media or those achieved outside of work on a personal level. From smashing targets, learning and doing something new, to just doing a brilliant job, we want to exercise our gratitude as best we can.

We’ve Regularly Sent Out Care Packages

 Lockdown left many of us needing a bit of TLC so, to make sure our staff knew that we were there for them, we’ve regularly sent out care packages containing all kinds of goods to uplift their mood. To name a few, we’ve also sent an awards night pack, Christmas pack, Valentine’s pack and Employee Appreciation Day gift to all our staff. 

We’ve Made All New Hires Feel Included

We want to make sure all new hires feel included in the team from the get-go. Alongside our care packages, we’ve sent all our branded merchandise to new hire to help with this, alongside some treats to keep them fuelled throughout the day. Each new hire also receives an induction document containing information on the agency, what they can expect from us as employers, a personalised training plan and an introduction to each team member so that they can put a face to a name even before they’ve been introduced.

We’ve Invested In Our Staff Training

Our staff are at the core of the agency, which is why we’ve invested in training more than ever before in 2020 and 2021. We’ve also provided our teams with the opportunity to attend some the industry’s leading marketing events including the SEJ eSummit, WTS Fest and Brighton SEO and the chance to sign up to a handful of extended courses on Udemy.

We’ve Sponsored Industry-Leading Events

 We’ve also become proud sponsors of Brighton SEO and the WTS Newsletter, with some of our teams even arranging and participating in talks of their own – something we are incredibly proud of and really encourage of staff to do if they are comfortable in doing so! And it’s not just industry events we’ve been supporting. We’ve been carrying out a lot of charity work since the start of the Pandemic with our teams raising money for women’s refuges across the UK and Cancer Research UK.

We’ve Given Staff More Freedom

 As part of our bid to balance work and life, we’ve updated our working hours, allowing our staff to select working hours that suit them. Our teams have the choice to work either 8am-5pm or 9am-6pm, helping to accommodate childcare and other interests that they may be facing when working remotely.

We’ve Introduced Mental Health Days 

As part of our ongoing efforts to look out for our staff, their health and wellbeing, we’ve introduced 3 mental health days per year. We understand that times can get tough and want to reduce the pressure on our staff by providing this opportunity to take a step away from the screen for up to three days guilt free.

What Have We Got From All This?

We implemented all the above for a reason, because we knew that by taking matters into our own hands and taking action, we would be able to secure the longevity of the agency and get to where we want to be. This year, we’re striving to become the best independent full-service marketing agency.

• Results are at our heart
• Improved productivity
• A close knit team
• More social engagement
• An expanding team
• Increased turnover
• A better work / life balance
• Enhanced efficiency through utilising automation
• The freedom to be inspired
• The chance to be more creative through working in environments of our choice
• Less sickness

The Key Message? 

After all of this, the key message for us is to do what makes your business a success. What we’re doing at Absolute Digital Media is allowing us to become the agency we’ve always wanted to be.