|
The world of work is changing
fast. It's no longer the case that we should see work
as a daily chore we have to put up with so we've got
the cash to buy music, tellies, videos, booze and all
of life's other material sweeteners. Work is becoming
cool!
White-collar work is where the
change is really happening, so much so that 'white collar'
is, increasingly, an inaccurate description of the attire
being sported in office environments. From 'dress down'
Fridays to completely deformalised dress codes, working
environments all over the UK are becoming more relaxed.
Take the work ethos at the central
London advertising agency St. Luke's for example. Established
in 1995, St. Luke's has been a pioneer in innovative
working methodology. It employs many progressive working
practices, in particular, hot-desking (people sit at
the desk that's available rather than 'owning' one),
which promotes flexibility in your approach to work.
A look at their subsidised and
extremely tasty canteen, with a menu that would put
a few restaurants to shame, goes to show just how committed
St. Luke's are to providing the right circumstances
in which to function effectively. Such splendid provision
will be news to anyone who has spent any time doing
a job that they hated!
St Luke's have co-ordinated
some of the highest profile ad campaigns of recent years,
for the likes of IKEA, HSBC, Radio One, Eurostar and
even the government's New Deal employment programme.
The genuinely distinctive element
in the St. Luke's ethos is employee ownership. Everyone
(including the cleaners) who works there is a shareholder
and, as a result, there is no explicit internal hierarchy.
With everybody on an equal footing, this environment
prevents feelings of inferiority and the casual abuses
of power that are the norm in some offices and will
hopefully become extinct over time.
The catalyst at St. Luke's
is an across-the-board awareness of the need to remain
fluid, innovative and at the forefront of change, both
in their industry and their in-house commitments.
Such an inclusive methodology
inevitably led to some cynical judgements from other
companies in the advertising industry. The continued
success of St. Luke's truly integrated approach is confirmed
by their steadily rising profits.
- Dan Crimes
|
