How agencies are approaching diversity and inclusion, remote workforces and more

Whether it's remote work or diversity and inclusion, the future of work is complicated for agencies. We've recently unpacked some of the ways companies are approaching these challenges and moving forward.

This week, marketing editor Kristina Monllos and brands editor Seb Joseph looked at how more action is needed from agencies when it comes to big ideas for diversity. It’s not to say change isn’t afoot at these agencies, but this isn’t the first time stakeholders have shown an interest in diversity.

We also recently explored how companies are managing employees’ requests to move to different states. As the timeframe for the return to offices continues to shift and the likelihood of long-term remote work for the foreseeable future increases, agencies across the country are fielding requests from employees to move to different states.

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‘Power dynamics’: Why the return to offices is more nuanced than it seems for agencies and their employees​

As some holding company agencies have started to open their offices, or announced plans to do so soon, employee anxiety about return policies is starting to build.

Employees are being told that going back to offices is on their terms and that doing so is on a volunteer basis with limited capacity. In late July, for example, Omnicom opened offices for employees who wanted to have a place to work and returning was “totally optional,” according to the holding company. This week, in a memo announcing plans to open offices across the U.S. in September, McCann told employees that they shouldn’t feel “pressure to return to the office” and that they can “continue to work from afar” but that the offices would open for those who wanted to access them.

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‘You can’t just cut a little bit’: Why this moment could force agencies to accelerate necessary changes to their business models

If you’ve spent any time talking to agency founders or industry leaders you’ve likely heard that the agency business model is broken. Of course, this isn’t a new realization brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, as agency leaders have long bemoaned the fee-based payment model that agencies still use today.

The problem is that those same leaders haven’t figured out or implemented a different business model to replace the fee-based one. At least, not en masse. In recent years, as clients have pushed out payment windows and switched to more project work over agency of record arrangements, the problems of the fee-based model have become clearer. And now, the coronavirus crisis — as it has done with most preexisting problems — has accelerated and exacerbated these issues.

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