Be Better: A Path To A Cultural Reawakening
We’ve always prided ourselves on having a strong culture within Rogerwilco and have acknowledged the role it plays in retaining staff and clients. But as we emerged from Covid, our culture began to fragment.
The pressure of lockdown created a separation between us as teammates. A side effect of the ease of digital communication and WFH policies meant that European and US employers spotted the amazing talent we have in South Africa and their lucrative salary offers coupled to the weakened bonds of a strong company culture meant that, for the first time in the agency’s existence, our staff attrition rate escalated to an uncomfortable level.
We’d been hit by the great resignation. With each departure, institutional knowledge seeped out of the building. This didn’t only create instability on the production floor, it also caused frustration with clients as new faces were placed on their accounts with pressure to get up to speed.
It was a far from optimal working environment for everyone.
We knew we needed to recalibrate. And central to that process was the need for a reboot that would ensure that everyone we connect with - be they team members, clients, suppliers or our local communities - had reasons to believe in the agency.
I adhere to the belief, shared by many, that a healthy workplace culture can’t be imposed. It must grow organically. And in most instances, it emerges from a clear sense of organisational purpose.
So we redefined our purpose in two simple words: Be BetterTM. At its heart this is a belief that suggests there’s always a better way to do something. A better solution. A better idea.
To better ourselves, we made a commitment to always try, always develop, always explore. And ultimately to allow self improvement to be the defining personality of the agency by rewarding a way of thinking rather than a final thought and by encouraging an always-on approach to problem solving. It’s a journey that should result in ideas that are better, decisions that are better, systems that are better, interactions that are better.
But words come easy and sometimes they need external validation to be truly believable. In late 2023 we embarked on a journey to achieve this by securing B Corp certification and, in so doing, to demonstrate that we really were walking our talk.
If you don't know what B Corp is, you can check out some basics here. In essence, it's similar to an ISO certification in its rigour and it reviews a company's governance structures; its approach to staff welfare and development; how it interacts with its communities; what it's doing to lessen its environmental impact and ensure there's a world for our children; and which type of organisations it chooses to work with (we have committed to not taking on clients in destructive industries like mining, oil and gambling).
In September 2024 we were welcomed into a global community of purpose driven businesses which are recognised for the contribution they make to their people, their communities and the planet.
I’m thrilled to say that we're the largest B Corp marketing agency in Africa (there are some 700+ in the advertising and media industry worldwide) and our score of 106.8 places Rogerwilco in the top 10% of B Corps globally.
The certification journey was daunting for the team who helped me amass the evidence required by our verification analysts, but it was astonishing how quickly it, coupled to our Be BetterTM mantra, started to create a sense of togetherness and belonging.
It’s early days, but my feel is that everyone inside the agency has found something in the B Corp assessment that resonates with their personal values - for some this is derived from a recognition that the company really does care about their wellbeing and personal development; others may take comfort in working for a well governed business; it could be an acknowledgement of the newfound respect we have for our environmental footprint; many appreciate our micro community CSR initiatives; while others like the fact that we will no longer work for organisations whose business practices don’t align with their personal principles. All of us, I believe, respect the fact that we’re trying to be a better corporate citizen.
What’s more, the numbers are fairly compelling. Staff attrition has dropped sharply and there’s a buzz on the production floor that I have felt in years. Clients, by and large, seem far happier. And, in keeping with data from B Labs’ own research into its members’ performance, profits are up.
It’s a positive trifecta and it’s one that underscores the reality that organisations with an authentic purpose can seed the organic growth of a powerful, unifying culture.
The purpose of business is to solve human problems by being conscious, creative, committed and true. While there’s no silver bullet, there is a playbook and, in Rogerwilco’s experience, B Corp has the potential to become a transformational component of it.
