CEOs, vice presidents, HR directors, and managers of any sort: pay attention. Millennials now represent the majority of the American workforce. And just what does that mean? What the new majority of American workers want in their work life is changing about as quickly as a Google search result is returned. And if you aren’t paying attention and responding to this workforce dynamic at play, your talent strategy — and ultimately your business performance — will suffer.
As Sara Horowitz points out in her recent Fast Company article, “Why Millennials Understand the Future of Work Better than Anyone Else,” millennials want meaning in their work-life balance as well as a new form of flexibility and are embracing a freelance, independent contractor style of work faster than any previous generation of American workers.
Eckel & Vaughan embraced this reality the day we opened our doors for business. We realized that due to various macro pressures — economic conditions, downsizing, technological advances — many companies built on business models of the past were struggling to survive, especially in the advertising industry.
We saw firsthand in our own market how exceptional senior level creative talent was choosing to leave the bureaucracy of agency life. They set up shop at home. In coffee shops. Online. At the beach. In the mountains. In public spaces. Still delivering smart and strategic work but doing it in their own way. On their own terms.
So what’d we do? We embraced this new workplace reality, built a large network of relationships, and brought this senior talent to bear in our client work, guiding and shaping communications plans with our own talented team of employed strategists. And the result? Remarkable agency growth during one of the most difficult economies in our nation’s history — especially in the advertising industry. Matter of fact, we’re so bullish about our model we actively recruit new freelancers and specialty firms to join our network.
So get with the program. Unshackle your work expectations. Embrace the new work reality. And if you need perspective on how this can work for your company, call us.
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