By Mimi Granell:
In an ideal world, everything we say and do would match. However, that’s not often the case.
Within the workplace, this disparity is known as the “Value Gap”, which describes the disconnect between values set out by an organisation and the lived experiences of their employees.
Typically, this discrepancy is created by failing to understand what individuals within an organisation need, an obsession with embedding buzzwords in branding and a growth-at-all-costs approach.
Thankfully, our values are a shared project, which we contribute towards and review regularly. These checkpoints mean we’re able to discuss whether the agency’s living up to its principles and assess if they still enrich our experience.
With that in mind, here’s five times we lived by our values in 2023:
1. Believe in simple - because no one ever says “I want things to be more complex”
From clients and media relations to content, strategies and socials, keeping things simple is the key ingredient in everything we do.
In 2023, we stripped everything that came our way back to its essentials. Back to the core message. This included curating award-winning entries that ditched the waffle, industry reports that made complex data into digestible reads and press releases that abstained from sharing chapter and verse with media.
Beyond this, we looked at our own communication, which resulted in refined pitches, the creation of our own best practice guidelines and succinct policies that everyone could understand.
2. Have fun – because otherwise, what’s the point?
No, I’m not having you on! Going to work doesn’t need to fill you with dread. Whether it’s catching up over a tasty treat and a group activity, or a symphony of eyerolls in response to one of Pat’s abysmal jokes, we’ve blended having fun into our everyday.
In 2023, we stuck to this with a whole host of absurd morning chats, delicious meals, summer shenanigans in London and Christmas celebrations in Dublin. This year’s festive trip gave us a chance to see the sights, convert to Guinness lovers and take a step back to acknowledge everything we’ve done over the last 12 months.
3. Get stuff done
None of which would’ve been possible without getting some work done.
In line with this value, I’ll keep my point short and sweet as we’re not fans of beating around the bush. Instead of twiddling our thumbs, we do what needs to be done, which gives us the thinking space to continually look at how we can push our clients’ progress further.
But don’t just take my word for it, the proof’s in the pudding. As a result of cracking on with it, this year we’ve won four new clients and hired four new team members.
4. Be honest
As an agency, we’re consistently transparent about the decisions we make, both with clients and one another.
With clients, by showing the thinking behind the actions we choose to take or not, we’re able to provide open frank consultancy, which always takes into consideration their overall business objectives and media interests. In doing so, they know we’ll always tell the truth.
This honesty means our clients can have peace of mind that every strategy, release, byline, comment, report or case study we write has their aims in mind. And isn’t just done for the sake of meeting a SOW.
For us, we saw this value memorably in action at a co-working day in November. This included talking about the agency’s growth plan, recruitment news, individual challenges and turning off after work. Through this, it was a relief to see that, irrespective of your role, there will always be things you’ll find difficult. But with the right people around you, it doesn’t need to remain a challenge. Besides this, it was refreshing to see that the expectation of perfection is well and truly outdated.
5. Be nice – because it’ll get you everywhere
People won’t always remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. In 2023, at one time or another, the team has rallied around to help individuals weather difficult personal storms. And, whilst we’re not wishing for the same next year, it’s safe to say the team will continue to be there for each other.
Roll on 2024! Here’s to another year of simplicity.