Raising the bar of employment benefits and support, on the journey to becoming a destination agency.
The past twelve months have seen a seismic shift in the industry, and with that, the competition to recruit and retain talent has become fierce. Our company’s promise to ‘impact lives beyond the day job’, has forever framed our approach to nurturing and supporting our team of Indispensables.  In our striving to be a destination agency, we appreciate that every individual journey is shaped by the opportunities we provide, so we’ve completely upped our game. Â
Our evolved offering embodies everything we stand for as a destination agency.
The four Gs.
Gain – What staff gain beyond a typical monthly salary
Growth – The investment in their personal development
Good Times – Nurturing their sense of value as a member of the team
Giving Back – What we give back to the wider community
Last year, we reached our tenth birthday, and now with four offices and a diverse and disparate team of fifty marketing professionals, we have completely embraced the need to facilitate healthy work/life balances in a fast-paced industry. In addition, we have significantly increased access to well-being and mental health support to ensure everyone realises their potential.
Feedback from the whole team has been instrumental in identifying what we do well, and what we could do better, and we conduct regular anonymous surveys to objectively assess a range of criteria that have a direct impact on well-being, happiness and progress. Despite scores remaining high, we decided to completely reinvent our work benefits and schemes in our continued efforts to provide an exceptional working environment for our team of Indispensables.
New ways of working
In 2023, we implemented hybrid working across the agency, enabling everyone to decide whether to work remotely, some, or all of the time. Over half of our team still choose to come into the office, as we have created a vibrant and collaborative space. However, for those who would find it more convenient to work remotely, we have heavily invested in a range of initiatives and tools to bring everyone together, wherever they are based.
We have structured the working week to include regular 1-2-1s, daily team scrums, and larger ‘standups’, and every Friday we come together as an agency to share good news, updates, and best practices – celebrating successes and addressing challenges together.
Our biannual Strategy Conference brings the whole team offsite for two days, gives everyone a dedicated and safe space to reflect on the months gone by, and refocus and recharge for the next quarter.
Support around the clock
We understand that everyone has the potential to experience challenging times both in and out of work. Our partnership with Help@Hand provides everyone with 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support, unlimited 24/7 remote GP appointments, plus physiotherapy and medical second opinions.
In addition, we have undergone Leadership training with Suffolk Mind to recognise burnout and provide mental health first aid, in the event that someone should need it.
Family matters
Our revised staff benefits now include enhanced maternal and paternal pay and leave, to enable our team, when the time comes, to focus on what really matters. Remote and hybrid working opportunities also enable staff with families to balance the demands of their jobs with commitments at home.
Taking a well-earned break
We want everyone to be able to pursue professional and personal ventures without compromising on their career at StrategiQ, which is why we offer generous, without prejudice, sabbatical options to enable staff to explore and venture into new territories, knowing that their job is safe.
Staff are also now enjoying 30 days’ annual leave, as standard, with a day off for their birthday, and the option of salary sacrifice in the event they would like to take a longer break. We also now have discretionary paid sick leave, to support everyone in the event they should fall ill.
Impact beyond the day job
We love to be award-winning, we love to deliver world-class marketing and be known for our impact on businesses, but we feel it’s equally important to be recognised for the efforts we make to give back to the wider community and impact positive change. To support our team in participating in charity and community ventures, we now provide a paid volunteering allocation.
Each year, charity initiatives galvanise our team around important causes. These events and initiatives bring the team together with a purpose, creating a sense of community and giving back.
In November alone last year, our team raised over £1900 for Macmillian Cancer Support, for a 100 a day, push-up challenge.
Investment In growth
We recognise that professional development and progression is a key driver of staff retention, but more importantly, training and pathways to promotions ensure that our agency is growing together, in the quality of services it offers, and the credentials of its team.
In 2023, our team undertook 3785 total training hours, with 127 certificates achieved. More than half of our workforce were awarded at least one pay rise, thanks to a consistent training and development framework, housed in our custom-built operating system. Even more impressive, 38 people achieved a promotion, making tangible strides in their career with us and moving forward.
Everyone is allocated a generous training budget, in addition to a stringent coaching programme, with quarterly PDPs determining goals and targets aligned with their job description. These sessions help line managers provide the right level of support and resources to keep everyone on track.
Just rewards
Our monthly MVP and annual awards recognise those who go above and beyond, voted for by their peers, and in 10 years, we have never missed a month. The winner gets a meal out for two on the company card and a day off.
Our annual awards are announced at our Strategy Conference to celebrate career progression, excellence, commitment, and creativity.
Employees who achieve or exceed their goals and objectives are eligible for bonuses which may be awarded on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. The bonus amount may be a fixed amount or a percentage of the employee’s base salary.
We have also decided to operate completely transparently when it comes to the salary bracket for each role and specialism to provide complete visibility over what everyone’s financial opportunities are as their career progresses and their role evolves within the company.
In addition, company loyalty is so important to our culture, which is why each year, employees receive a £200 loyalty bonus to recognise their ongoing commitment.
A great place to do great workÂ
We’ve redefined what it means to be a great place to work, offering a range of benefits and rewards to recognise and celebrate our team’s hard work and dedication. From enhanced maternal and paternal leave to generous training budgets and transparent salary brackets, we’re committed to supporting our team’s personal and professional growth every step of the way. We’ve made sure help is always on hand, even out of hours, and want our team to be happy and feel truly valued because they are.
So, if you’re ready to take your career to the next level and become one of our Indispensables, explore our current vacancies or get in touch!