The poaching game - how can we keep hold of our agency talent?

It’s inevitable that eventually, your staff will want to move on.

It may not suit you, as the employer, but as is human nature, there comes a time when our talent is no longer a mutual fit, is looking for progression, leaving the area or simply fancies a change of scenery.

In the much talked about ‘great resignation’ alongside a communications industry talent shortage in the region - there also comes a time when an employee's head is turned.

Promises of a bigger agency, more prestigious clients, and usually a high salary.

When the big guys swoop - what can smaller/independent agencies do to counteract this widespread poaching by those too big to fight?

It’s perfectly understandable that your employees would be tempted?- and mostly, it’s the offer of a higher salary and tangible benefits that does it. A typical cat and mouse ensues, but at the end of the day many smaller agencies simply cannot compete with higher grade salaries offered by multinational groups.

Is this something we just have to accept?

As an independent agency owner, of course I have a biased view. However, I have also been in business long enough to know that very often the grass is not always greener for the employee. So, is it possible to change minds when you cannot offer them the dirhams that the big guns can?

Of course, it feels unfair. I speak regularly about the challenges in hiring and firing employees – and an even bigger job is retaining them. When you have deliberately nurtured a great, flexible, generous working culture - and long before it became fashionable, it’s hard not to take it personally when someone chooses to leave who you would like to keep on staff.

It’s also hard not to take it personally if the poachers are fellow professionals or agencies that you know. As a practice it’s not illegal, but it’s not exactly best practice to do it to your peers, especially if it’s an opaque process. It’s similar to soliciting clients, and we see that happen industry wide too.

So, what can agencies do to mitigate the poaching practice?

Again, company culture is key. If your workplace culture is so good - people will always think twice before leaving, especially for low hanging fruit. An agency where they feel respected, rewarded fairly and enjoy working in, beats a lot of promises. So many times, people leave for a higher salary, but a toxic work environment makes them realise they had it better before - even minus the extra dirhams - some things just aren’t worth it.

Transparency is key - we are all human and we all have needs and financial obligations. A large jump in salary can be just what someone is looking for and cannot find elsewhere. Sometimes, we can reward a loyal employee accordingly with appropriate, incremental raises to retain them or to validate their fair contribution. As a business however, crazy salary matching practices are just not feasible, for many reasons.

It’s hard to know your competitors are hovering over your best employees. I can sleep easily knowing the value that I put on my team as an employer, and as a business the salaries and benefits that we offer. I’m comfortable with the culture we have created at TishTash and again, have seen all too often, when the vultures hover, and an employee leaves, that they wish they hadn’t. Over the ten years of my business I have hired and nurtured junior employees who have gone on to become solid, senior talent. This is my investment, when a salary match is not feasible.

If you are worried about your talent being poached by agencies offering more money and ‘benefits’ you need to make sure you have your own company culture right. Money is not the only deciding factor in a career move. Freedom and flexibility are more important than ever in 2022, and not just as buzzwords to brag about on social media. Communications agencies are not an assembly line - work is varied and so are necessities - productivity has nothing to do with how long someone is tied to a chair all day. Treat people like the multi-faceted humans that they are. ?Tangible incentives, hybrid working options, clear development and training goals and a mutual loyalty is key to a happy workforce.

Poaching can be inevitable and is part of agency life - you might find yourself wanting to do it at some point too when needing a specific skill set or client fit. Manners cost nothing and are more important than ever - it’s all in the communication. If this has happened to you, can you really look at your business and say you are doing enough to retain your loyal staff, ?truly?