Page 13 - ADNews magazine March-April 2022

We are also, according to Austrian author and neurologist Viktor Frankl, intrinsically motivated by a fundamental search for meaning.
“This shift to remote working also has an impact on setting and main- taining agreed service standards, customer or client experience and quality. How does this happen consistently in an environment with no feedback, on the job mentoring or coaching, where you have no oppor- tunity to watch and observe ‘how things are done around here’?
“Certainly, at the start of the pandemic, the focus for most organisa- tions was to keep things on track. Now there is a renewed focus on pro- ductivity, creativity, quality standards and innovation. Internally, the focus also appears to include diversity and wellness. The cynic in me believes the diversity point links to creativity and wellness to quality, retention of talent etc.
“Personally, I think it is interesting to observe that we are more isolated now than ever yet one of the taglines that emerged early in the pandemic was ‘we are in this together’. It does invite questions around messages, intent and the role of leadership in the ‘new for now’ normal.”
Pauly Grant, chief talent officer, Publicis Groupe ANZ: “We had already introduced a flexible working framework prior to the pandemic, so for us it was more an evolution than a complete change.
“Working exclusively from your bedroom or lounge can feel quite isolating .” Claire Monteilh, UM
“That being said, we have had our offices closed on and off over the past couple of years, so there have been long periods where people didn’t have access. We are fortunate that we work in an industry where work can be suc- cessfully done remotely.
“As an industry, prior to COVID our employee value proposition (EVP) was based around social connection, strong teamwork and culture. With remote working, this is the area of working and connec- tion that has gone through signifi- cant change. It is something that used to be the glue to our cultures and teams. It is critical that agen- cies evolve or reinvent how they create this stickiness and commit- ment in the new world – how we begin to use the office when we return, and how we create a Life Experience (LX) as opposed to an Employee Experience (EX).”
Grant doesn’t see the Great resignation in Australia at the scale of other countries. “But there’s no doubt that last year, our industries and others experienced a lot of movement,” she says. “In the advertising industry, we’ve seen a ridiculous hike in salaries being offered in a smaller than ever tal- ent pool.”
At Publicis Groupe, Grant says this is starting to settle. Borders are finally opening and agencies are recruiting internationally again. The mobility program at Publicis also offers opportunities for a new career in a different agency or a different craft. Last year, 11% of roles were filled internally.
Creating a “well” organisation. Grant: “Over the past couple of years we have done a lot of work across Publicis Groupe and our agencies to ensure we are provid- ing wellbeing support for our peo- ple. We have implemented the Mentally Health standards, and rather than just rolling them out, each agency conducted a deep dive change management pro- cess. This meant there was a real impact and change in our agency cultures and approach.”
Kristy Camarillo, head of peo- ple & culture, The Royals: “Any previous hesitation by employers about the practicalities of flexibil- ity, face-to-face meetings and
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