To celebrate Global Company Culture Day (18^th September), Telum spoke with agency leaders to find out how their company is fostering positive work environments to enhance employee satisfaction.

Danny Tan, Managing Director, Grayling (Singapore)
At the start of August, Grayling began trialling a 4.5-day workweek in Singapore. Employees who have served for more than a year are able to take Friday afternoons off. This allows them to enjoy a longer weekend while maintaining the same level of productivity and efficiency.

At the heart of the initiative is a simple idea: we want to be able to help our employees bring their best selves to work, because that is when they are going to produce their best work.

The only way they can do that consistently is if they are also living as their best selves outside of work. That means that they are healthy, they can be present for their families, they are free to pursue interests outside their job description, and so on.

The 4.5-day work week is an attempt to give some time back to our employees to work on the other things in their lives, so that when they show up for work, they are at their absolute best.

Frank Zhang, Deputy General Manager, Hoffman China
The Hoffman Agency has made several changes aimed at enhancing employee productivity and wellbeing because we believe positive company culture is essential for a successful business. We have continued to focus on working truly collaboratively, which our single P&L makes possible, as well as recognising the different needs of individual employees.

At The Hoffman Agency, we define ourselves as "Geeks at Heart", encouraging everyone to be their authentic selves. We offer responsible employees the flexibility to work remotely on agreed-upon days. This not only boosts concentration on tasks like writing but also enables a healthier work-life balance. Our commitment to technology ensures seamless communication, and we uphold a flat organisational structure with an open-door policy. This accessibility applies to team members at all levels, whether they are working remotely or in-person during standard working hours.

Our physical office spaces, including those in Mainland China, are designed to bring people together, with spacious communal areas that can transform into content creation studios. Additionally, we’ve implemented "No-meeting Fridays", introduced half-days on the last Friday of each month, and established a paid four-week sabbatical programme that recurs every four years.

These initiatives bolster productivity, achievement, and overall employee wellbeing, and are reflected in our retention rates and business growth

Kate Alexander and Dwayne Alexander, Alexander PR (New Zealand)
On top of our existing flexible working arrangements, this year Alexander PR has extended our work-and-play balance further by setting an informal goal of finishing our work week at lunchtime on Fridays - with the understanding that we’re available for clients, urgent media enquiries and issues and crises 24/7. It is a lofty goal as we often call this day "Freaky Friday" as issues tend to occur on Fridays! Our team does not assign to presenteeism and are not clock-watchers - results are paramount and that is in our DNA.
 
We are regularly the first port-of-call for companies and Boards when a crisis hits, often wearing the hat of a confidant and counsellor, on top of being strategic communications advisors, so wellbeing is critical. 
 
Our values, and the longevity of our team and clients (some 16+ years), is an important part of our culture and helps sets us apart. This is further reflected in the initiatives we establish to support our team’s wellbeing and productivity. Alexander PR has long championed flexible working, and within its hybrid working schedule (the full team is in the office twice a week, and works from home the rest of the time), encourages the team to prioritise their wellbeing, for example by going to the gym in the middle of the day if that suits their productivity levels.