How these agencies are helping their employees recharge this summer

Agencies are often required to work crazy hours for their clients, including rolling up their sleeves on weekends and holidays. So many shops take advantage of the slower summer season, adopting policies and implementing initiatives that allow employees to recreate and recharge. Some shops set specific timeframes when employees are offline, while others allow staffers to travel the globe and work remotely for a few months. Some treat employees to extravagant celebrations, while others whisk them away for company retreats. Below, Ad Age lists 9 agencies that are giving staffers some fun perks this summer (and one that saves its perks for the winter). Ad Age Leading Women Luncheon Join us Aug. 7 in New York as we recognize this year’s honorees Buy your ticket today Gus Creative strategy company Gus has an annual policy called AuGUSt, where it closes down the business during the last two weeks of August and gives its team a paid vacation. (The policy does not cut into employees’ individual paid time off.) “Besides being a great chance for everyone to disconnect and recharge, honestly, it’s been so much easier as a business,” said Graham Douglas, co-founder and creative director at New York-based Gus, in a statement. “Our clients know it’s coming well in advance, we don’t charge them a dime and we plan everything around it. It’s possible, people!” Proof Advertising The “office” has taken on many shapes and sizes for agencies since COVID-19. For Texas-based Proof Advertising, that includes a “Liberation Lakehouse” on Lake Austin, complete with paddleboards and a wakesurfing boat, the latter of which employees can use all summer. Staffers can also take their families out by paying one of the boat captains the agency has on call. The Many Los Angeles-based shop The Many gives employees the chance to work from anywhere during July and the stretch between Thanksgiving and the New Year. One of The Many’s prompt engineers, Swan Chen, is currently working out of Chichibu, Japan, a small mountain town north of Tokyo, as seen below. When she isn’t building an AI-powered meeting app for the agency, Chen can be found training with a “flame artist,” Kiwamu Miyakubo. (Several other agencies have a similar policy to The Many, including Publicis Groupe, which introduced “Work Your World” as a retention tool in 2021.) Connelly Partners Connelly Partners’ CP Abroad program allows staffers to work in its Boston, Dublin and Vancouver offices for 30 to 60 days, with round-trip flights and accommodations paid for by the agency. During the summer, the agency tweaks CP Abroad to allow for more travelers at the same time. “This way more of our people with kids on school vacation can experience life in another country,” said Steve Connelly, president and copywriter at Connelly Partners, in a statement. “It’s been a great way for our people to connect with different cultures, employees in other offices and reconnect with their families.” In June, Group Strategy Director Mary McMahon, who is based out of the shop’s Dublin office, traveled to Boston, where she and her family explored Salem, Massasschusetts. Hunterblu Media Hunterblu Media, a remote agency based in Miami Beach, Florida, pulls out all the stops for its annual summer retreat, taking all of its employees and their plus-ones on a four-day trip. This June, the agency brought its 25 staffers to Key West, Florida. “We are a fully remote agency, so our in-person time is incredibly valuable and happens twice a year—the other occasion is in December,” said Jessica Blumberg, co-founder at Hunterblu, in an email. “It gives our employees a chance to form stronger bonds with their teammates, and get to know people in a way that is hard to do through a screen, and in our opinion is way more fun than spending money on an office.” During the retreat, Hunterblu goes through the state of the business and shares its results from the previous six months, as well as its upcoming goals and what’s next for the agency. The shop has also started an Agency Awards series to recognize employees in various categories, including Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Agency MVP. Empire Entertainment During the summer, Empire Entertainment’s year-round, weekly happy hours are accompanied by themes and what it describes as “Refreshers,” presentations hosted by a rotation of team members to encourage growth over drinks and snacks provided by the New York agency. Empire also hosts an employee wellness day at the end of the summer, including a 15-min massage therapist session, detox-shots and breakfast provided by the full-service agency’s catering partner, wellness snacks and a healthy team lunch away from desks. Preacher Each summer, Preacher partakes in an annual tradition called Preacher Family Revival, a retreat that sees employees take to the different parts of Texas outside of Austin, where it’s based, from river lodges to former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s old ranch. This year, Preacher is heading to the new Hotel Lucine in Galveston, which the agency named and branded in 2023. “Beyond an itinerary of activities that bring us closer—like night swimmin’, fire pittin,’ spirit raisin’— it provides a boost of clarity, energy and revelry that sets us up for the second half of the year,” said Rob Baird, co-founder and chief creative officer, in a statement. Luquire Lots of agencies implement summer Fridays, but some shops are adding an interesting twist to the tried-and-true formula. Charlotte, North Carolina-based agency Luquire has implemented a weekly photo challenge, where employees who submit pictures of their Friday activities are entered into a random draw for a $25 gift card of their choice. The goal is to increase camaraderie and provide a glimpse into employees’ diverse interests. Exverus Media Sometimes the summer simply calls for a big celebration. Los Angeles shop Exverus Media, which has 40 staffers working remotely across the U.S., flies everyone to the same place for a company party during summer. Last year, the indie agency brought its employees to a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, where it hosted a pool party, catered dinner and murder mystery game. Fortnight Collective Not all agencies prefer flexible summer schedules. Boulder, Colorado-based shop Fortnight Collective adopted winter Fridays, closing its office at 1 p.m. from January to March to allow employees to explore the region’s mountains and pristine ski resorts.

How these agencies are helping their employees recharge this summer

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