Employees of GroupM media agency MEC across the country will work from home or other remote locations tomorrow as the company shuts its offices for a day to promote flexible workplace conditions.
MEC is the first GroupM company to carry out ‘The Floor is Closed’ initiative tomorrow, with Maxus following suit on 27 April. GroupM, Plista, Xaxis, AgencyM, Mindshare and MediaCom will do the same in the next four to six weeks.
The initiative, announced by Chairman & CEO John Steedman last month, was created by GroupM’s NCo committee of employees aged under 30 and is part of a broader program of changes aimed at promoting diversity and work / life balance.
Check out some of the other initiatives posed here.
‘The Floor is Closed’ addresses the misconception that people who work flexibly or remotely don’t produce the same level of output as those who work 100% of their working hours in the office.
To help employees realise their potential and ability to work remotely, GroupM is closing the floor of all its companies in a symbolic gesture to demonstrate the group’s commitment to removing this perception and creating more flexible workplace conditions.
Armed with GroupM’s wealth of remote working tools, employees will work remotely on the specified days, proving that they can deliver just as much output as they would in the office.
Steedman said: “We work in a fast-paced, dynamic industry in which the ability for flexible working can contribute to innovative thinking and positive staff morale, while helping our employees achieve a better work / life balance. We have the technology and the tools to close the floor, and I believe it will be a great way to remind people how much they can achieve when working remotely.”
