5y
Thank you for sharing your truth with us. There are a few specific concerns shared in your review so please allow me to address them all individually below.
The pandemic affected every business differently but on the whole, it was very challenging and presented companies with a variety of difficult decisions to make in order to protect their people, yes, and also the future of the business which is paramount. As you’ve shared, we did ask the team if they were able to take a pay cut in-line with a short-term deficit of incoming work. As we serve the charity sector, the pandemic hit our client base harder than most. Any resulting, short-term pay cuts were agreed on a case-by-case basis and varied based on what was affordable, if at all, for each individual. We believe many companies at our scale made similar, difficult requests of their team and if there was any other way we could have continued without such a call, we absolutely would have done so. The alternative may have been job losses which we did not want to make unless absolutely necessary.
It may interest you to know that the two members of staff that were promoted into Director roles at the same time took some of the biggest voluntary pay cuts and did not received their original wage until a number of months later, after other team members. They took on additional responsibility without a pay rise. As such, your assumption is not factual.
Although we admit we have had historical communicative challenges as a leadership team, we have had a transformative year in this sense and having expanded from a team of 2 to 4 has ushered in a new era of cohesion, transparency, passion and energy. Looking after the mental health, wellbeing and professional satisfaction of our team has always been paramount but never more so than today.
As for actively encouraging the promotion of Studio Republic and its work through professional channels, we don’t believe this to be an unusual request. Every project is the work of the team, not one individual. Taking pride in such teamwork isn’t expected by any means, but is certainly our hope for every member of the team. However, no member of the team is forced to do this.
Our team offer pro bono time to a number of worthwhile projects, most notably The 2.6 Challenge which - during the first nationwide lockdown - gave many of our team members a meaningful focus as much of the world depended into chaos around us. Through an enormous amount of self-volunteered time, members of our team helped to raise £11 million for UK charities when they needed it most. These opportunities are offered to team members because we are all very aligned in wanting to create a meaningful difference. However, no team members are ever forced to give their time out of hours. With regards to ‘judgement’ of those who do not choose to volunteer, that is absolutely not the case. Everyone is motivated by different things. Some members of our team are motivated by one cause or another, for example, and we only seek to provide the team with opportunities to have an impact. The rest is up to the individual.
Finally, we have changed enormously as an organisation in 17 years, let alone the last two. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admitting that we have made mistakes and learned a lot along our hiring journey. We have seen potential in junior team members but not had the time to support their increasing need for input in order to grow in the past. We have hired people who we have later discovered were not a cultural fit or motivated by purpose whatsoever.
However, your statement is not factually correct. No-one has ever been ‘gotten rid of’ within their probation (although this is the purpose of a probation, to establish if either party are dissatisfied with their experience to-date). Only four members of the team were made redundant which was a direct result of the pandemic. There has been one historical instance where a case was taken to tribunal which for ethical reasons shouldn't be publicly discussed.
Studio Republic is not only a very secure company but a brilliant place to work too.
Our leadership style, business strategy, new business strategy, client portfolio and delivery team is the strongest it has been in our 17 year history. We are responsibly run with an equal focus on commerciality and impact & team happiness. We are actively working to improve our inclusiveness and the diversity of our team to maximise our effectiveness as creatives and support talented people with the opportunities they deserve. We have won more awards this year than in our history, thanks to our pro bono approach. We have some incredible business allies, an incredible new brand and website that’s in the pipeline and most importantly of all, a passionate team that is excited to work towards one united vision and mission for the future. We have made our mistakes like any company but we are the greatest agency we have ever been and the possibilities available to every member of our team are uncapped.
If you would like to continue a conversation about any of the above offline, you’re very welcome to email me directly.
Fleurie
