Career Starts With Heart – And A Pinch Of Generosity

Career Starts With Heart – And A Pinch Of Generosity
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine
SHARE
THIS



With Australian wage rises at record lows, surely it’s time for agency leaders to admit financial rewards for staff are just as important as culture and work-life balance, writes The Possibility Partnership Chairman Tim Parker (pictured below)…

At a time of stagnant wages growth are businesses self-servingly turning up the volume on the importance of their culture and work-life balance?

Tim (1)

We’re told up and coming new graduates are attracted as much by the values of a business as its financial achievements, but surely it’s time for agency leaders to demonstrate that paying people a good wage is just as important as Friday night drinks or free yoga.

Australians are receiving the smallest pay rises since World War II and even the conservative Reserve Bank of Australia chief Philip Lowe has implored politicians and businesses to deliver higher wages to kickstart a slowing economy.

On one of my trips down a Twitter wormhole, I stumbled across an old 2017 article that resonated; probably more than it should have done. A woman had been rejected in the primary stage of a job application because she had the audacity to ask for the wages and benefits the job would bring. Apparently such vulgar, selfish thinking was out of line with the priorities of the company involved.

The company the woman wanted to work at rejoices in the name “Skip The Dishes” – it’s a food delivery service, apparently – and their response made it clear that they believe “in hard work and perseverance” and she shouldn’t have been so concerned with how much she’d be paid. They told her she wouldn’t be a good fit because she asked about her salary too early in the interview process.

Screen Shot 2019-09-18 at 9.42.23 am

This got me thinking that business’s drive to articulate their purpose, values and social conscience – along with rock climbing walls, kombucha taps and meditation spaces – might be missing the rather salient point that people generally work to earn money to live.

Sure, there will be well-funded or boot-strapping start-up founders prepared to sacrifice salary; they are taking a risk, from which they hope to see an eventual reward.

And those C-Suite execs who drive a company’s values messaging are also probably comfortable enough to not pay too much attention to the grubby business of wages. But it’s highly unlikely that the staff they’ll require to deliver against the vision will have this luxury.

For some time we’ve understood that Millennials and increasingly Generation Z want a job that delivers more than mere financial reward; I fear that this is just a very handy excuse for businesses to keep financial rewards out of the conversation.

It’s not new for private enterprise to keep salary costs as low as possible, but at a time when our global economy is destabilising and technology is not only liberating us from mundane entry-level tasks but also threatening equality, surely it’s time to re-frame the conversation.

When I entered the advertising industry, the agency I joined had nine levels of account management; or at least nine progressive titles ranging from Junior Account Exec to Board Group Account Director. That this was a not-so- cunning plan to reward us with apparent advancement and status rather than cash was simply accepted as part of the deal.

But given that financial reward is, clearly, a big motivator for most people, it’s surprisingly often absent from the carefully crafted vision and values statements companies are so proud to write on their walls, websites and company reports.

What’s wrong with taking some pride in the fact that the business is capable of providing the means for people to live with dignity, comfort and, yes, the occasional luxury. It might even ground the values in a reality which could prove more fertile than airy claims to embrace the ambitions and dreams of the individual, whilst treading lightly on the planet.

 

 

Please login with linkedin to comment

The Possibility Partnership

Latest News

Vision6 Launches First-Ever National Brand Campaign “Simply Reliable”
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns

Vision6 Launches First-Ever National Brand Campaign “Simply Reliable”

Australian owned and operated email and SMS marketing software company, Vision6, announced the launch of its first-ever national brand campaign and new brand platform “Simply Reliable”. Founded in 2001, Vision6 was one of the first email marketing software providers in Australia and has since been relied upon by thousands of Aussie businesses and organisations for […]

JCDecaux New Zealand Grows Its Team To Lead Street Furniture Tender
  • Media

JCDecaux New Zealand Grows Its Team To Lead Street Furniture Tender

Out-of-Home media company JCDecaux New Zealand has appointed business growth specialist Adam McGregor in preparation for its bid to win upcoming local government street furniture tenders across the country. With contracts for the provision of street furniture including bus shelters across New Zealand up for renewal from late 2022, they collectively represent the biggest advertising […]

ABC iview Goes Virtual With Fetch TV
  • Media

ABC iview Goes Virtual With Fetch TV

Fetch TV has announced that ABC iview will soon be available as a dedicated Virtual Playlist Channel on the Fetch platform. Virtual Playlist Channels (VPCs) were developed by Fetch to promote content discovery, and to provide a clear bridge between the traditional world of linear TV and the growing availability of on demand content via […]

Jackie Gillies Joins The Acast Creator Network
  • Media

Jackie Gillies Joins The Acast Creator Network

Jackie Gillies, businesswoman, psychic medium and cast member of The Real Housewives of Melbourne is bringing her sassy, inspirational and adventurous spirit to her new podcast Shine It Up, With Jackie Gillies, which launches today via Acast. Hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast, the show will offer listeners inspiration and motivation to […]

Hungry Vax, Jabstar, JAB Hi-Fi: Aussie Designers Give Iconic Logos A Pro-Vax Revamp
  • Media
  • Technology

Hungry Vax, Jabstar, JAB Hi-Fi: Aussie Designers Give Iconic Logos A Pro-Vax Revamp

Crowdsourcing platforms DesignCrowd and BrandCrowd are promoting vaccination efforts in a unique way, launching a logo redesign contest among their networks of designers. The initiative saw iconic Australian brands such as Hungry Jack’s, Jetstar, JB Hi-Fi, and Bunnings undergo a redesign.  “We thought it would be fun to see some other iconic Australian brands back […]

Harper’s Bazaar Australia Appoints Jillian Davison As Editor In Chief
  • Media

Harper’s Bazaar Australia Appoints Jillian Davison As Editor In Chief

Jillian Davison has been named editor-in-chief of the recently relaunched Harper’s BAZAAR Australia. She will oversee all content, development and creative direction across the iconic magazine’s digital and brand platforms. Davison (pictured) succeeds Eugenie Kelly, who recently stepped down to pursue other opportunities. The announcement was made by Maureen Jordan, publisher of Harper’s BAZAAR Australia […]

72andSunny Unveils First Campaign For Plant-Based Drink Brand Australia’s Own
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns

72andSunny Unveils First Campaign For Plant-Based Drink Brand Australia’s Own

Freedom Foods and 72andSunny Sydney have launched the first advertising campaign for Australia’s Own range of plant-based beverages. The campaign introduces a new visual world and identity for the brand and captures the healthy, positive feeling you get when spending time in nature and when consuming Australia’s Own certified-organic, plant-based beverages. As well as featuring […]