OneAgency – why our workplace has a Wellbeing Committee

Phones are ringing, creatives are debating colour palettes and font weights, copywriters are coming up with snappy taglines and arguing over the Oxford comma, and digital marketers are crunching PPC data while shooting TikToks in the middle of client services.

Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but agency life is fast-paced. Because of that, there’s perhaps more reason for marketing agencies to cultivate, promote, and protect a culture of wellbeing – not least because a happy and supported workforce makes for a more creative, innovative, and collaborative workforce. And that means better results for clients.

According to MHFA England, over half of all long-term sick leave is taken because of stress, depression, and anxiety. Yet by investing in employee wellbeing, employers and businesses, including ours, can expect a reduction in work-related ill mental health. In turn, that means fewer costs associated with absenteeism and, as a result, increased productivity. So, investing in wellbeing isn’t just good for employees, it’s good for business, too!

At OneAgency, we think we’ve found the sweet spot with a dedicated Wellbeing Committee. Comprised of wellbeing heroes from different departments throughout the agency, they plan and coordinate a comprehensive calendar of socials, initiatives, and fundraising events, each reflecting our three core pillars of wellbeing:

Social wellbeing

A sense of community and belonging is vital in all aspects of life – so why not at work? We’re an integrated agency for a reason. We work together and we work as one; and we reflect that collaborative ethos in our culture to guarantee every person feels supported and connected.

Physical wellbeing

Getting active is one of the easiest ways to give your overall wellbeing a boost, so whenever we’re planning a social event or fundraising activity, we’ll always look to include some form of physical exercise – from lunchtime badminton and yoga sessions to 96-mile bike rides for charity.

Emotional and mental wellbeing

We want OneAgency to be a happy and positive place to work. That’s not to say we won’t have days where it doesn’t always feel that way – because that’s life. But when those days do inevitably occur, we’ll have already created the emotional support network needed to ease the burden, turning someone’s bad day into one that’s, well, not so bad. Because we’re in this together.

The Wellbeing Committee’s goal is to make sure each and every one of our 50-strong team of marketeers feel supported, valued, and motivated. Here are a few examples of how we do just that:

Flexible working arrangements for a better work-life balance

We operate a flexible, hybrid working model, meaning our team can split their time between the office and home – or their favourite café, anywhere that works best for them and helps to bring out their best self.

Not only is flexible working conducive to our line of work, one that rests upon innovative and creative ideas and their elegant execution, but it also acts as recognition of our team’s diverse needs.

Around two-thirds, for instance, are working mums, and they’re able to mould work around life outside of OneAgency. Because childcare and family commitments shouldn’t have to impinge upon someone’s desire to work in our brilliant industry.

Powering up by powering down

We’re a client-focused and results-driven agency. Therefore, to create bold and brilliant work that delivers strong ROI for our clients, we know our team has to be performing at its best – and to perform at its best, our team needs to be energised and motivated.

We strive to beat the burnout with 25 days of paid annual leave, plus bank holidays, as well as a roster of wellbeing activities and lunchtime sport events.

Celebrating our successes

In the same vein, we also take time to celebrate our successes. We create both inspired and inspiring work for our clients; and we’re proud of the reputation we’ve built as an agency over the last three decades. 

Appreciation and recognition are paramount to our wellbeing culture; our Slack-based peer recognition system, for example, allows team members to shout out those who go above and beyond.

Quarterly social events, culminating in a wonderful end-of-year Christmas party, give us time for social interaction and team bonding, but also provide the perfect opportunity to reflect on all the incredible projects we’ve worked on together that year.

Giving back with local fundraising

Though our offices are split between two cities, we’re proud to call Norwich our home. Every year, we choose a local charity to be our agency’s charity of the year.

And every year, our Wellbeing Committee plans and arranges various charitable initiatives – from bake sales to sponsored runs – to raise much-needed funds for those in need. Not only does this benefit the community, it also instils a sense of purpose, fulfilment, and pride in our team.

By investing in our employees’ wellbeing, we’re building a stronger, more resilient agency – one that our clients like doing business with. As long as we’re working on websites, building brilliant brands, crafting compelling ad campaigns, and shooting catchy content for socials, we’ll also be investing in our team. Because their success is our success.

Alexander Caesari, Wellbeing Committee