Impressive was recognised by Great Place to Work on Certification Nation Day, a national celebration of outstanding workplaces on May 17. The Melbourne-based independent agency was one of many businesses across the country that celebrated being certified.
CEO Robert Tadros spoke to Mediaweek about what the agency did to be recognised, what it means to be certified, as well as how other executives can also create and sustain an employee-first culture.
Tadros founded Impressive in March 2016 with the vision to define the future of performance marketing. Today, the agency has expanded globally with a presence in the US and is looking to the UK.
The CEO explained that the independent agency adopted a people-first mindset from its inception.
“Our belief, as an agency, is very simple. Take care of your people who will take care of your clients; consequently, you’ll have very happy people and very happy clients.
“We’re a service-based business. Don’t take care of your people, and you’ll have no business in a very short time. Being recognised solidifies that we are on the right track, and we are doing the right things, and we are taking care of our talent.”
The Impressive team
How Impressive became certified
Tadros revealed that Impressive underwent a rigorous process to be certified. This process involved all their employees – here and overseas – being surveyed with questions about feeling pride in their work, alignment with the company’s values, a fairly treated workplace, etc.
Following the surveys was the interview stage for Tadros himself and a range of people from different levels and sides of the company, including people and culture, business, and team members.
“You can’t fake it. You have to jump through a number of hoops to get certified,” the CEO added of his team: “It’s a testament to the guys out there and a testament to the team for the curriculum that we’ve built around our training.”
Tadros shared that an implementation they have that has helped achieve the certification is Impressive Academy. He described it as a world-class platform, which the company built, that provides training to anyone that wants to learn a discipline within digital marketing.
“We’re always looking for different ways to innovate and make this the best place to work. We want to be recognised as the best agency on a global scale,” the CEO added.
Impressive and people-focused implementations
Tadros noted that Impressive is well known in the industry for their culture, particularly their internal training and upskilling. He revealed that the agency is “in the process of partnering up with RMIT on building a digital-first, agency-first curriculum.”
The CEO said he believes his staff appreciate the people-focused implementations made. “I would like to think, based on the surveys and feedback that I received quite regularly, that this is one of the best agencies that a lot have ever worked at. It’s not because of what everyone defines as a fun culture, but more the amount they learned. We have people that come in here, and two years later, they’re absolute digital weapons.”
“It’s a risk for us because obviously there’s a lot of companies out there that try and poach them, but we also have a very little retention effort as far as employee turnover. Once you work for the best, it’s very hard to leave.”
How executives can create and sustain employee-first cultures
For executives looking at becoming Great Place to Work certified, Tadros shared that it all comes down to mindset and purpose.
“As an executive, I always ask myself this one question – why do I do what I do? For us, it’s about developing people. It all comes back to the purpose and why we come to work on it on a day-to-day basis.
“If it’s to make money or generate revenue and profits, you’re sort of in it for the wrong reasons. Don’t get me wrong – as a business, yes, of course, one of the objectives is to grow something substantial and to make money, but at the same time, you need to take care of your people,” he said.
The CEO noted that employees are why businesses exist, particularly in the service space. “We hire and fire based on our values. Every decision that is made in this business is based on our values,” he said.
He continued: “Naturally, when you’ve got a group of people aligned around the same core values – a people-first approach – you breed this culture around individuals, rather than financials or metrics that don’t necessarily align with the people-first approach.”
Tadros said that he was proud of Impressive being recognised with a Great Place to Work certification. He said: “Being recognised as a great place to work solidifies our beliefs. Most importantly, it’s a reflection of people’s commitment and support.
Looking to the agency’s future, Tadros said: “We will continue to innovate in the space, recognise our people and ensure that they are being challenged, they’re being trained, and we are breeding the best in the digital landscape.”
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Top image: Robert Tadros