NEWS & OPINIONS

Business Unusual #1: new business strategy during Covid-19 If there’s a single secret to winning new-business, it’s empathy. And now’s the perfect time to be more client-centric and do the right thing. Without downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 crisis, keeping spirits up is important. So I was heartened by some reassuringly British piss-taking on the socials; a friend sarcastically praised the heavens for finally finding that ‘guide to working from home’ that we’ve all been sorely lacking. In fairness, the agency that produced it was probably well-meaning, if a little late to the party. It’s certainly way more defensible than idiots failing to switch off their automated spam sequences (‘Hi Robin, I know you’ve ignored my first five emails, but who at Co:definery is responsible for sock purchase and sock repair?’). And of course the COVID-crassness award must be reserved for any tone-deaf bellends trying to self-servingly newsjack the horror. No, I don’t want to read ‘why a pandemic is the perfect time to invest in branded pens’. Anyway, all this highlights an important question for agencies - how should you be doing new-business right now? A risky time to sell There’s a fine line between welcome help and unsavoury opportunism. And given that we’re all a bit frazzled, if even slightly badly expressed, a genuine motive can easily be misconstrued. So the stakes are high, with plenty of jeopardy. Looking like an arse is one thing, but it’s far worse to add yet more stress to another human being. That’s why my best advice is to pause and reflect. Ask yourself if you’re truly helping. Do you have genuine permission and authority to offer this? Would you welcome your approach if you were in your prospect’s shoes? Measure twice, cut once. Have permission to help The easy win here is relevance. Stuck at home, we’re all doubly dependent on Ocado, Amazon, Netflix etc. And it’s the same in business - unprecedented times are creating acute demands. So if you have authority to help, then do it - just choose your words carefully. Good examples I’ve seen include leadership mentoring, free resources for performance coaching and guidance on making complex decisions. This movie matchmaking service is another empathetic idea that meets simple human needs - be that combating loneliness or just entertaining your kids. Another practical tip is to start with your current clients. It’s a great opportunity - not just to be useful, but also to learn how to be useful. They already trust you, there’s rapport in place and you know their priorities. So as well as being at less risk of being misinterpreted, you can also offer softer support. But don’t email - give them a ring. Running a remote pitch Another question I’m being asked is how to run a pitch when the world’s in lockdown. If you’re lucky and demand remains, then this is a great problem to have. Firstly, remember that the principles of mobilising, briefing and rehearsing your team haven’t changed. Your existing process, milestones and performance indicators still apply. Of course you’ll need to make nuanced changes. Developing your response and, in particular, discussing subjective feedback will take longer when you’re not face to face. Lacking so much body language means you should check and double-check that your precise intention has come across. As George Bernard Shaw said, ‘the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place’. Presenting in unfamiliar conditions When it comes to pitch day, there are obvious challenges. For example, reading the room is way trickier via video conference. Even knowing who’s speaking can be a challenge, depending on the software in play - especially if you’re suddenly having to use the client’s platform (pro-tip: don’t). So the old cliché of ‘failing to prepare means preparing to fail’ has never been more true. You’d like to think the client would forgive some clunkiness, but anticipate and prepare like never before. Case in point, rehearse like mad. Do a dry run with a remote audience. Think about stage management. Who’s handling client questions? How will you avoid multiple voices weighing in and a cacophony of ‘no-sorry-after-yous’? Appoint someone to lead on the new playing conditions. It’s their job to learn how remote presentation experts do it. Adopting a few novel gestures and conventions could differentiate your pitch, remove awkwardness and help you perform well. How to NOT pitch remotely Beyond the practicalities of running a WFH pitch process, don’t forget that it’s still one big diagnostic. The client’s weighing you up and you’re assessing them too - not least to infer your chances of success. For example, walking away when you’re not going to win is something few agencies find easy. We’ve all heard the immortal line ‘I know we won’t win, but we’ve come this far…’. Now is the perfect time to develop this skill. Yes, a win would be doubly valuable right now. But there’s also more risk. From protecting fragile morale, to the unique opportunity cost of wasting this relatively free time, think extra hard about whether the client is serious - about the process, but particularly about your agency. Ring them. Will they take your call? Are they definitely going ahead with the work? How clearly can they articulate your potential fit? Are they willing to discuss adaptations to the process, like extending deadlines or adopting different formats? This kind of probing should already be second nature, but if you’re ever going to raise your threshold for agreeing to competitive pitching, then do it now. Use your time well I mentioned time - all of a sudden, it’s at far less of a premium. Many of us haven't been this unburdened by deadlines since…. ever. It’s a massive opportunity to invest in your future, nurture your soul and do some good. What’s that article you’ve been meaning to write? Maybe finish reading that business book? Perhaps finally plan that thought leadership initiative? Can you support your local pub like Lucky Generals? Maybe set-up a WhatsApp group to tell your neighbours when Sainsbury’s have got eggs in. It sounds trite, but get a hobby. Don’t sit hunched over your screen fretting 24/7 - I’ve just started drawing again for the first time in 30 years (am no better, sadly). Help your fellow agency leaders too. The likes of Agency Hackers, MAAG, BIMA and Agency Collective are facilitating free-of-charge spaces where agency communities can talk, joke, commiserate, learn and share. None of this is rocket science, but it’s all productive. And more importantly, it will help you adapt to the new normal when we get past the immediate crisis. Selling is helping For now, obviously the most important thing is everyone’s health. And hopefully the Government’s measures will help us all weather the economic storm. But at the same time, despite these unprecedented (definitely word of the year) events, you can keep the sales and marketing engine running - as long as you proceed with caution. By picking up the phone, carefully testing your offer and maintaining a complete focus on your audience’s needs, you can - and should - keep on ‘selling’. And once this crisis passes, perhaps agencies will realise two things - firstly, in difficult times, selling is helping. And secondly, it always was. Of course being compelling and persuasive is important, but fundamentally you’re just helping get clients from A to B. And that is built on empathy. So good luck for now. And if you want to stick the kettle on and call for a natter, just shout. I’ve got a brilliant guide to remote working that I can share. Robin Bonn is the founder of Co:definery - a management consultancy for agencies - and a columnist for Marketing Week. You can also find him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Scanning Twitter last night, I came across a tweet from Richard Shotton (@rshotton) about eye-tracking. Whilst this research refers to Direct Mail, I felt that much of it is translatable to CV writing. “Detailed text is often overlooked” Research shows that on average a CV is read for around 7 seconds. Chapter and verse about every campaign you’ve worked on is really not necessary. Nor is a half-page long personal statement. In fact, probably the hardest CVs to read (and therefore the most like to be overlooked) are the ones which appear to be just a block of text. Break it up with white space and remember that… “People generally focus on headers” Take the opportunity to use each role as a header and make it clear what role you had and where. By and large in agencies, careers are somewhat linear (junior, midweight, senior, Director or AE, AM, AD, BD, CSD) so just your job title gives the reader an expectation of the responsibilities you have had. “Front pages receive far more attention than back pages” Nearly two and half times as much. So put the most pertinent information on the first page. Typically this will be your most recent role but not always. We recently worked with a candidate who was looking to change careers yet the relevant study they had undertaken was halfway down the second page. Simply moving this information higher up the CV helped to secure an interview. There is however, one piece of advice we don’t think applies to CVs. Boxes and images Like it or not, most recruiters and in-house talent teams will use some form of recruitment software to manage and share applications. Nothing screws up the formatting of a beautifully laid-out CV like uploading it into one of these systems. Text boxes and tables in particular can be magically transported to another part of the document making your CV practically illegible. A professional-looking headshot is fine but not mandatory. Most recruiters will be keen to connect on social media and will see what you look like there anyway. The logos of every agency you have worked for (and/or every brand you have worked on) add colour to the page but can make your CV a busier document. Brand “You” A CV is about marketing you. It’s a brand you should know really well so bring it to life. However, as with any marketing remember that the objective is to grab attention and to drive action. Make it easy for the reader to see why you’d be brilliant for the role and how to contact you. For an idea of a CV that is more likely to work, you can do worse than have a look at the advice from The Ladders. Good luck!

"I’m on the cusp of promotion but have been told I’m ‘not quite there yet’. My boss says my work is excellent but has suggested that I need to work on my self-promotion internally. I’m not really sure how to do this as I’m not a natural show off. To be honest, it also really frustrates me that I’m being overlooked over other people who seem to play the game better. The work should speak for itself! What would you advise?" M/w from top 10 advertising agency This is something we hear all the time! We asked Marc Caulfield, advertising industry expert and CEO of mental health consultancy, Demolish The Wall, to weigh-in. Here's his take on the situation: I feel your frustration! This is often used as a financial trick to appease the FD or should I say CFO nowadays. However, I suspect the underlying issue here is your boss and their position in the business. If your boss truly feels your work is excellent but your promotion is being blocked, I suspect their boss doesn’t rate you as highly as your boss does. The unfortunate thing in the ad game is perception and ensuring the right people see you doing the right things. Don’t forget most people’s perception is their reality. Agency leaders are not always the best at the craft skills; indeed, generally aren’t. However, they can be brilliant businesspeople, brilliant leaders, brilliant commercially etc etc. Certain agencies or positions in agencies do require more ‘front’. Your situation maybe because your client would be upset if you came off their business or weren’t so involved. This is why sometimes brilliant client people don’t make the most senior positions. If you are prepared to give this a go, the way to do it is to decide who is blocking your promotion and who needs to be more impressed by your work. Find reasons to show them; ask to do an all agency show and tell; run a lunch and learn etc. However, ask yourself is this sustainable for you as an individual? Does it fly in the face of your work ethic and belief system? My advice is don’t pretend you are something you aren’t, it never works long term and can be detrimental to your mental health. If they won’t give you the recognition you deserve then maybe you need to offer your skills elsewhere. I would also be concerned for your boss, they clearly don’t have the clout or respect of their boss.

"I am a business director leading a very busy account. I love my clients and the work is superb, but the hours are pretty challenging and, to be honest, I’m feeling pretty stressed. This year we have regularly been pushing 60-, 70- and even 80-hour weeks. I dread my team asking "can I grab you for five minutes" because that usually involves being given (yet another) resignation letter. How can I make things a bit better for everyone? I can’t hire extra resource, dish out promotions or give pay rises due to a freeze in place across the network." Marc's view: This unfortunately is all too common in the industry, particularly in the large groups. If resource truly can’t be gained, the team needs to decide whether all the work in progress is really necessary. Often ‘work’ is asked for by senior internal people, who just fancy having it but don’t NEED it. Times like these really do require an analysis of NEED vs. WANT. What is the objective? What do we NEED to do to get there? What is a ‘nice to have’? In these scenarios the most senior agency people must talk to the client to iron out these situations. If as a business director of their agency you can’t tell a client you are stretched and need to prioritise, whilst still achieving the objective, you are in more trouble than this column talks about. Ask yourself, is everyone in the team at full capacity; are the right people doing the right thing? Can efficiencies be gained by moving the work around i.e. is someone naturally better / quicker at certain tasks etc. This situation is really about survival and not necessarily being perfect, a tough ask for most agency folk. The management need to decide what is in their power to soften the blow – an extra day’s holiday here and there, take your friends or partner out for a dinner, spa day, etc etc. Being shown the agency cares, even though they can’t hire is important. Can the seniors take a step back and roll their sleeves up more? This can be hugely powerful. If they want to ride out this storm they need to step up to the plate – they will gain massive respect from the team. If / when people start falling over, they will be in a whole world of pain – morally, ethically, legally, financially and reputationally. None of this will help retain, or importantly when the storm passes, hire the best talent. People aren’t super-human and remember putting your hand up and asking for help is not weak, it is strong, brave and shows you care for the output of the agency. After 28 years in Adland, Marc Caulfield is now CEO of Demolish The Wall, one of the country's leading mental health in the workplace consultancies. They're helping demolish the wall of silence around mental health in the workplace, brick by brick.

Graduating soon? Get advice to help you stand out for your dream job from recruitment experts David Love at The Great & The Good and Ross Brander of Brandgaard Recruitment. As we approach the summer holiday season, university students are completing exams and looking ahead at what to do next. For most final year students this inevitably involves entering the world of work. And it’s no surprise that at this time of year we recruiters are often contacted by recent graduates eager to take their first steps into a career in marketing. Far too often, however, we see junior candidates falling into careers that neither match their expectations nor play to their strengths. Typically, this comes down to a lack of knowledge of the marketing world and the breadth of roles on offer. Brandgaard and The Great & The Good recently teamed up with St Mary’s University in Twickenham to give students advice on how to break into (and build a career in) marketing. Joined by representatives from Virgin and Karmarama, we were able to bring real life examples of how people had launched themselves into the industry and built successful careers. What we found, however, was that much of the advice was equally relevant no matter what stage of your career you’re at: 1. Know the market Probably the biggest mistake we see is people who start out in the wrong role and then have difficulty changing at a later date. Are you better suited to in-house or agency roles (or in-house agencies)? Business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C)? Campaign management or strategy? Creative or media? Adaptation or origination? Production or creation? An understanding of the kind of work you want to be doing can help to make progression as smooth as possible. Whilst no move is impossible, an understanding of the kind of work you want to be doing (and what a common career path looks like) can help to make progression as smooth as possible. However, what was also clear from the panel was the sheer breadth of marketing careers. Whether it is in-house or in an agency, the variety of different roles available (often with similar titles) means that knowing which path would best suit you can be incredibly tricky. Adding in the constant addition of new skillsets plus the evolution of the client/agency relationship can lead to a nigh-on impossible task of judging what even the next five years looks like. Get out there and experience life in a marketing role before you embark on a career. The panel agreed, therefore, that the best way to get to know the industry is to work in it. For an audience of students, the overwhelming advice was to get out there and experience life in a marketing role before you embark on a career. Even a couple of weeks during university holidays or after exams have finished can give you exposure to the breadth of marketing roles and therefore the beginnings of an idea of what your ideal job may be. Just as importantly, this time can also show you the jobs you don’t want. If you’ve already come to the end of your studies (or haven’t taken the university route), the next best alternative is to look for a generalist role as your first position. Whether this is a wide-reaching in-house role or a position in a new-breed agency with broad capabilities, this wide exposure should prevent too many doors from being harder to open further down the line. 2. Your CV Despite the rise of LinkedIn, at present your CV is typically still the first chance you have to advertise yourself to a recruiter, HR or a hiring manager. Not only do you have the chance to show off your experience but also to exhibit some of your personality. For many roles (especially generalist positions at an entry level), literally hundreds of applications are typically received. Perhaps it is unsurprising therefore that research shows that the average time taken to read a CV is around six seconds. The purpose of a CV is not to get you the job; just to get you to the next round of the application process. In this (very short amount of) time, you need to ensure that the reader is interested enough to take your application to the next stage. The purpose of a CV is not to get you the job; just to get you to the next round of the application process. It is crucial that you know what a typical CV looks like for the roles you are applying for. The whole question of CV length, photos, what information to include and so forth varies from industry to industry and even role to role. For example, compare the CVs of a creative from an agency with one from an in-house role. What is consistent, however, is that your CV should be clear, concise and easy to understand. In those six seconds, you need to grab the reader’s attention for the right reasons and not because your CV is made up of long blocks of grey text with multiple typos. 3. Social media Whilst the CV has not yet been replaced by social media, digital channels have become an important way to both find new roles and to be found. Job applicants should therefore definitely have an online presence. A 2017 study of US HR professionals found that the biggest turnoff was not being able to find the candidate on social media, leaving them wondering if they’re hiding or just have nothing to say? Just as bad, however, is being overly controversial or political. Whilst the level of professionalism varies between social media channels, perhaps keep the photos of your big nights out and your views on Brexit to private WhatsApp groups. Using social media as a job hunting tool is increasingly popular – whether to find roles or to gain insights into the companies or brands that interest you. But don’t just follow the brands (and any key people within them) - engage with them as well. When it comes to LinkedIn specifically, there are a few tips which anybody applying for a role should definitely follow: Make sure your LinkedIn profile and CV match: This is one of hiring managers’ biggest bugbears. At best, differing dates or job titles suggest a lack of attention to detail. However, they can also hint that the profile or CV has been doctored to hide something. Nobody wants their first impression to be that they are not being completely honest. Use a professional-looking photo: No need for an expensive headshot but also not one of you doing shots. Make sure you make it very clear that you are looking for a new role: Definitely activate the ‘open to opportunities’ functionality (it brings you higher up the rankings when recruiters are searching for candidates) but also change your LinkedIn headline (the bit that appears under your name) to show what you are looking for. It helps with keyword searches. 4. Interviews To let you into an unspoken secret, you probably won’t get the first job you interview for but practise does make you a lot better. Whilst the concept of interviews can be unnerving, the best are a relaxed conversation with both sides finding out more about the other. So how do you make sure you ace it? Put simply, prepare, prepare and prepare some more. The more prepared you are, the more relaxed you’ll be and the more the conversation will flow. Know your CV inside out and back to front then practise interviewing with somebody more experienced to identify trickier questions. Use social media to check out the company’s recent news but also have a look on Glassdoor as there are often interview pointers added by previous candidates. And make sure you have connected with the interviewer on social media so you know their career. Remember, the interviewer wants to hire somebody just as much as you want the role. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions beforehand. A good recruiter should be able to tell you if the office is hard to find or the interviewer likes people to send a thank you email but it’s better to double check the dress code than it is to turn up over- or under-dressed. Most importantly, remember the interviewer wants to hire somebody just as much as you want the role. What is it that appeals about the company and the job? What will you bring to the team that makes you stand out? Armed with this advice, we hope that you’ll quickly get your feet on the marketing career ladder. It can be a tough process but always remember that there are lots of people who want to help you, everyone starts somewhere and with tenacity you will make it. This article is adapted from https://t.co/gD9wUbIMuL.

This is a photo of an empty lecture hall, a few minutes before the doors opened to our first ever university lecture. Ready to mould young minds, alongside some friends of mine. Behind the camera is me. Bricking it. But I did it. It was fine. Rather good, actually. The positive feedback we received afterwards from the uni – if I’m honest - was humbling. When we were first asked to run this lecture, my immediate thought was to say no. Mainly because we’d not done one before (read: I was worried I might be a bit shit) but it turned out to be really enjoyable; certainly something I'll be making a habit of. So my point is this. Sometimes it's best to go against your gut and say "yes, alright, I’ll give that a go". Throw yourself in. Send the lift back down, if you can. All that good stuff. You never know where it might take you. And even if you help just one person, then it's worth it for that alone. :o)

Ask a room of recruiters if there’s a talent drain of women in the industry and they might shake their heads in absolute disbelief. You’ll probably hear someone pipe up “but there are so many women in recruitment”. There are. But it would seem that they’re not necessarily hanging around. The gist of it goes like this: women enter the recruitment agency world, see some success and may get to senior management (high five!) but then jump ship before they bag a board level position (ooft). So what’s going on? I went to an event a few months ago where this was discussed. The general thinking was that a lot of women simply don’t take their agency career seriously as a long term career option. Or can’t see a way of making it work when they have family commitments; making alternative career plans well in advance. Maybe they go in-house, perhaps they set up on their own or maybe leave recruitment completely. Pretty much every recruitment agency boss will lament how difficult it is to hire ‘good consultants’. So this all seems a bit careless, doesn’t it? To lose some of our most deeply networked, experienced and valuable individuals. Particularly in an industry that already suffers high attrition rates. But they’re right there, you silly sausage! They are right there in front of you. Ah, no. Sorry. Not anymore. They’ve gone I’m afraid. Put off by inflexible working practices, silly KPIs and a lack of real benefits. The recruitment agencies who are getting it right play by grown up rules: they enable people to manage their own time; provide the right technology so their employees can work flexibly if they need; they empower a focus on results, not spray and pray KPIs; provide proper benefits and parental leave policies that are clear and fair; they pay and promote on Moneyball merit not on loudest voice. They look outwards, constantly, to their clients and job seekers with respect and the absolute understanding that jobs transform lives. These are the recruitment businesses that will retain women as they reach their 30s and beyond. It’s these businesses that will welcome mums back after maternity leave, are supportive of working fathers too, and won’t roll their eyes about the F word or the C word (flexibility, childcare). It’s these businesses that will ultimately retain and attract really good people. And it’s these businesses that will, in turn – and this is absolutely crucial - present more balanced shortlists to their clients. Leaders in these businesses do not behave appallingly: they don’t give pornography to their employees at Christmas; they don’t bully or sexually harass their staff; they don’t think air honking boobs is a good way of saying hello; they don’t hire female employees based on how presentable they are; they don’t constantly ask ‘so when are you planning on having a family’; they don’t rely on getting everyone smashed as their main incentive. And unlike the views of one influential industry figure, they don’t suggest that “It’s just a bit of banter. Just ignore it and be better than the guys”.

Campaign50: The future of advertising careers As part of Campaign's 50th birthday celebrations, our Founding Partner, Emma Love, was asked to predict how the industry will change in the next 50 years, and how we will keep up... This article was originally published in Campaign. 50 years ago, as Campaign was going to press for the first time, my parents were planning their wedding. Things were rather different back then. Once married, my mother gave up work and – like many of her friends – never really returned. Of course, mum had the full time (and totally unpaid) role of raising children and absolutely supporting dad’s career for almost 40 years. In truth, my father’s profession defined us as a family. That was the ‘60s. The time of industry legends like Ogilvy and Bernbach; the ‘golden era’ of advertising, fuelled by the rise of mass consumerism, youth culture and disposable income. A decade that brought with it incredible societal changes that are impacting our lives today: important reform around abortion, divorce and homosexuality; the pill was introduced; 850 women in Dagenham went on strike for equal pay. The decade came to an epic close, with the world watching the first steps on the moon. Even with all of that excitement of the 1960s, nobody could have predicted how far society would have moved on today. We live in a world of constant change. Turn on the news and it’s easy to be pretty baffled – frightened, even - about the outlook: the environment, Brexit, house prices, Trump. Advertising and creativity is completely dead of course. And the robots will take all our jobs. Run. Run for the hills! Calm down, dear. Creative thinking is hardwired into our DNA and will remain as important as it was 50 years ago. The same with technology. And automation. In 50 years’ time there will still be goods, products and services that need selling. Meh, maybe we’ll call it advertising, maybe we won’t (we will). There will still be jobs. Some will be the same. Many will be new. I find it heartening to remember that Britain’s creative industry (including advertising), plays a crucial part of the future economy and is something we should be very proud of. It employs 2 million people, is worth over £90 billion and the industry is growing twice as fast as the economy as a whole. The Creative Industries Sector Deal announced in March this year is a strong statement of intent that focuses on investment across innovation, STEM education and cutting-edge tech. So what of the future? "We cannot underestimate how much the creative agency landscape has changed over the past five years" darkly whispered a big dawg CSO I work with. And it’s true. The production model, in-house model, business transformation consultancies and brand hubs have all been happily (*buzz word alert*) disrupting the status quo haven’t they. Well, good! We can’t just stand still, can we? Let’s crack on and see where it leads us. And the future of careers? Well, when it comes to this, we’re really talking about life. My life. Your life. Whilst there’s really no crystal ball here, we can consider a few current themes and mull over what they might mean. Brexit Might as well get this one over and done with first . So far, Danny Dyer is seemingly the only person in Britain able to cut through the Brexit bluster, Jaguar Land Rover has threatened to leave the UK (I’ll call that Jexit), Theresa May is suddenly our dancing queen and the government is less coherent than my toddler. What we do know is that Brexit - AKA whatthefuckisgoingon - is driving business uncertainty, which in turn affects the job market from the top down. That said, we’ve got over significant bumps in the road before: whatever happens, we will get over this one. My mum tells me "life goes on" whenever things don’t go to plan. She’s right. What about diversity? Current entry routes into the industry are tight, particularly given the current economic climate. Snowflakes? Are you kidding? Icicles trying to climb a mountain, more like. Give them a break! It’s up to all of us to shape the industry we want in the future and we must all consider - today - how we are sending the lift down, how often and to whom. Assuming we want a best-in-class industry that reflects our society, we must be more inclusive and work harder to welcome a richer spread of individuals to the fold. What is your company doing to nurture an inclusive culture? In 50 years’ time, if we get entry routes into the industry right, it will be more inclusive throughout and pay gaps should be less stark than they are now. And working parents? Whilst there is a pretty robust male:female ratio overall, there is still a clear talent drain of working mums, and worrying inflexibility towards working dads. For an industry that has spent decades appealing so heavily to youth audiences and parent pockets, isn’t it just so odd that many company cultures have been so unwelcoming of people who actually have children? Thankfully, whilst there is work to be done, we are going in the right direction as flexible hours are becoming normalised – for dads, as well as mums (and indeed for anyone who is a carer). Companies will need to continuously think about their corporate culture, and what community they are building. Does your company, for example, have clear parental leave policies in place (or is it still something negotiated on the dreaded ‘case by case’ basis)? Are parents in your company able to go to school sports day and Christmas concerts without taking a whole day’s leave? Can they easily work from home when a dependent is unwell without colleagues rolling their eyes? This is not special treatment; it’s a positive way society can behave, and a mature way of building employer / employee trust. If your company is doing this already, great. If not, why on earth not? We’ll be working longer, right? Absolutely. In 50 years’ time there will be way more over 50s than there are children in the UK. This is a massive societal shift. Do you want to be doing what you’re doing now, forever? Hell no? Non-linear career paths and career switches will become more normal. But, for now, think about how you perceive age. When you look at a CV, do you instantly scroll to the back page to ascertain the applicant’s age? Are you instantly disregarding people based on their abundance of experience? Do hiring managers in your company only ever hire people younger than themselves? And think about this: with fewer young people entering the workforce, companies will need to develop stronger L&D strategies to help their existing employees keep up with the pace of change. Hopefully scrapheaping will be a thing of the past. Of course, keeping up with the new is a challenge for us all – personal and corporate. Every day is a school day: keep learning. And for gawdsake don’t put off your retirement planning. Will we move jobs all the time? That’s up to you. People are indeed moving jobs faster than ever before and our relationship with our employers is changing. The term ‘gig economy’ can make it sound like career nirvana is just around the corner: you can choose your hours, earn bags of money, skip from one gig to another and be totally #winning the life/career merry-go-round. The point is to stick to your path and – if you are choosing to move jobs – do so when it is right for you, not because ‘everyone says’ you should move companies every 12-18 months. Employers highly value attributes such as adaptability, pragmatism and resilience: the more senior you get, the more they will seek out those qualities. In return, you should expect a decent suite of grown-up benefits and play by grown-up rules. And we’ll all work remotely from the beach, yes? Tech will continue to enable us to work effectively away from the office. It can (quite literally) be a breath of fresh air and we can only predict this gathering pace. That said, I doubt we’ll all completely forgo working in an office environment. Businesses are a community of people, after all. The happier the individuals are, the better the community works as a whole. Being together will continue to be part of that...just not necessarily parked at a desk for nine hours a day with a hellish peak time commute either side. With that said, do try to switch off. Put your phone down. Stop checking your emails late into the night. Unless of course you are actually on the beach and working to a different time zone. So where will we be in 2068? I’d hope: looking at a diverse pool of talented people working in the vibrant, globally respected creative industry that I have adored since I was a teenager. Mainly though, I hope we will all have followed our own path in life and remembered the most important things: family, friends and community. As that’s probably all I’ll remember when I’m 90. In the meantime, we’ll raise a glass to say Happy 50th, Campaign. And happy golden anniversary, Elizabeth and John. Love you guys.

Emma meets She's Back founders, Liz and Deb, at their brilliant event, held at Mother's glorious office and in celebration of International Women's Day. She's Back helps organisations access the potential of women at all levels, support women who want to return and campaigns on behalf of women. You can get involved with this brilliant bunch at www.shesback.co.uk.

As part of our Talent Expert series, we have been speaking with David Regan, Senior Associate at Squire Patton Boggs. For Mental Health Awareness Week (8th-14th May 2017), David explains how best to support an employee who may be experiencing mental health problems. One of my employees has become withdrawn and irritable; the quality of their work has also dropped. I am worried that they may be stressed and/or depressed – what do I do? First, the most important thing is do not avoid the issue! Often, regardless of the situation, employees may want or need help, but they just either don’t know how to ask for it or are scared that if they do ask for it then the "stigma" having asked for it will follow them around, possibly impacting their career prospects. Employees should feel able to approach their managers or HR to discuss their problems – a failure to do so can, over time, lead to difficulties in the relationship between the employee and their manager/the business. If you are nAdobeStock 107129665ot sure how to open the conversation with your employee, speak to HR and ask them to help you speak to the employee. Most HR staff will have dealt with similar situations and many have had training on mental health issues (or know someone who has). Asking employees how they are doing is not about you, or indeed the business, looking to 'fix' the situation, it is about helping the employee understand that you and the business are willing to listen and, where appropriate, will try to find them help – this can come in many forms, from mentoring, engaging an employee assistance programme ("EAP"), or in more serious cases, an asking an occupation health specialist to make recommendations to help an employee. One important question which may arise is whether or not the employee is "disabled" for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 ("EA") – this will depend on the facts of a specific case. Where an employee is disabled for EA purposes, there can be additional obligations on an employer – for example in certain circumstances employers should consider whether they need to make 'reasonable adjustments'. This is often a difficult exercise, as it means balancing an employee's needs with the resources and demands of the business, as well as ensuring that other members of the team aren't overloaded. David Regan is a Senior Associate at law firm Squire Patton Boggs. A specialist in media and advertising, David deals exclusively in labour and employment law.