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Walk the walk All of the agencies took this said opportunity and began to work internally . At the time of the Great Resignation , Low tells me it was the perfect time to review “ who and what ” OrangeDoor was . “ We wanted to address , people and planet as much as profit – the best framework for this was B Corp ,” he says .
This journey started by doing a complete overhaul of the agency ’ s brand , its values , mission , vision and purpose . “ Thankfully our values of professionalism , integrity and creativity didn ’ t change , but we did add truth , because we wanted people to be true to themselves .
“ We put our money where our mouth is , and we connected our values to action . We had designed the company around what we wanted it to be , and as it turns out , other people wanted to be part of that as well ,” adds Low .
Over at TRO , the team reviewed where job opportunities were published and promoted . “ Traditionally , we used to rely quite heavily on LinkedIn and Indeed . But now , we ’ re moving away from this ,” she reveals . “ We use Be Applied , a platform where you don ’ t have to submit your CV , it ’ s all based on skills . We don ’ t know anything
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about the individual , it ’ s all blind ,” adds Bullen . The agency also works with Handshake , an app for university leavers who are looking for career options – to help the next generation of eventprofs break into events .
When considering candidates , “ they don ’ t necessarily have to come from an agency background ,” says Bullen . Briggs agrees and says it sometimes comes down to “ personal things ”, like what they enjoy doing in their free time .
“ Sometimes a project may need someone ’ s passion , rather than experience . I think people are often quick to say experience is the ‘ be all and end all ’. Experience does have a place , but I think if someone is driven and determined – we need to give them an opportunity ,” adds Briggs .
All of the agencies also looked at what initiatives and strategies they could implement to not only appear more attractive to potential employees , but also retain their current workforce .
From recognition and rewards like OrangeDoor ’ s ‘ Outstanding Contribution ’ and ‘ Massive Thank Yous ’, to learning and development opportunities like TRO ’ s School of Experience as well as focusing on well-being like Eventure ’ s four-day
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“ An employer ’ s reputation and branding is the only thing that retains and attracts talent .”
– Edward Low
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Edward Low
working week . “ At Eventure , we ’ re also developing events for our freelancers . We want to give them a sense of belonging , even though they ’ re not a permanent employee , they ’ re just as valued ,” says Briggs .
“ All of these aspects are as important as salary now ,” concludes Bullen . “ People don ’ t buy brands , they buy into brands ,”
Low reminds us . “ When people come to interviews at OrangeDoor , they always refer to the phrase that is on our website . ‘ I ’ d rather be a pirate than join the Navy ’. That ’ s an attitude . I put that up because it reflects our brand , and people are buying into attitude .
“ An employer ’ s reputation and branding is the only thing that retains and attracts talent , and it ’ s important to remember that going forwards .” CN
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