How to not suck as a Creative Agency/Institution in 2023

This is written for the Gulf, but I’m sure you’ll find something in it, even if you live elsewhere.

Not providing a lot of context for this one - One thing I will say is that I write this from my experience as an employee, freelancer and employer. My hope: we begin from a standard that is slightly above ground, with a recognition of our value, and don’t falter as we advocate for ourselves with these spaces (they’re good at making it all seem ‘normal’).

It’s a non-exhaustive list (there’s much more to say) so please feel free to add more bullet points in the comments.

Here’s how to not suck as a Creative Agency/Institution in 2023:

Working with Freelancers

• How do you run the show at a creative institution if you do not see its value enough to pay for it? Free, “resume-building work,” is a thing of the past. “Paying your dues” is archaic. Exhibitions, consultations, talks. Pay up.
• Same vein: Say “honorarium” to me one more time. Go ahead. (Honorariums are often an unspecified amount, paid at the discretion of a cultural institution, and there are appropriate uses for it, but are used too liberally to underpay participants).
• I don’t care how many awards you’ve won, dear agency, you cannot work with freelancers in good faith without agreeing to a fixed rate and a defined scope of work beforehand.
• Pay people on time. Establish a payment timeline in advance and stick to it (especially if your own client is slow to pay). You’ll be saving us months of “just following up” emails that no one likes to send or receive.
• Agree to things in writing.
• Do not assume that everyone works over the weekend. Ask. Some freelancers don’t mind working weekends, while others have them blocked. Just because someone is not employed with you full-time doesn’t mean the basics don’t apply to them.
• Accommodate timelines with freelancers for dependancies. Sometimes clients/collaborators take time to come back to you, we get it, but the time it takes to do the work doesn’t change.
• It’s time to BIN the phrase “We needed it yesterday.” If that’s how it is, call me day before. Don’t you know we stopped glamorising slaving under an unreasonable deadline years ago? Your job: negotiate realistic deadlines with whoever you’re accountable to.
• Service providers exist in tiers and that’s not up for debate. You get to negotiate the price for a project, depending on budget, but you do not get to question someone’s rates. Asking for a breakdown of the cost is fine, insulting and nitpicking is not. When you cross that line, we notice. “Why does research cost so much? Isn’t it just looking stuff up?” Be my guest — Google it. Let’s see if you and I process that information the same way.

Internal — Hiring & Management

• Agencies, it’s time to retire your we-put-a-beanbag-in-our-office-but-we-bleed-our-employees-dry-with-heartrending-comments-and-call-it-work-culture vibe.
• It is unacceptable to get potential employees to work on “tests” and “assessments” and then use that work for your clients (or yourself) without consent or payment. The employment process is not a route to extract free (stolen) labor. If you want to use that work, pay for it.
• If you are testing candidates through assessments, it is your responsibility to provide genuine feedback on their performance, should they opt in for that loop (and I’m not talking “good/bad” feedback).
• If your interviews have multiple questions like “What would you do in this impossible + high-stress situation where you receive no support from the wider team and are held solely responsible?” you’re running a toxic outfit and you need to figure out why your employees are expected to walk through fire.
• When hiring, do not place the first burden of “salary benchmarks” on your candidates. It is your responsibility as someone who is hiring to do your research, find the market rate, and set a reasonable budget range for the work you have in mind. This is not about never asking about expectations, but about the order in which it happens. Come to the table with a number or expect it to get flipped.
• Remember that candidates have a right to refuse you just as much as you have a right to refuse them. Stop assuming you’re the only shop in town — This is a massive market, it’s growing every day, and where will you be if we cut out the middle men?
• I don’t know when “ownership” and “employment” became synonymous in the brains of managers worldwide, but you cannot own your employees’ time — Specifically in the creative sector. You are paying for their art and their commitment. If you expect an employee to both work around the clock and be creative, you clearly do not understand the foundation of creative work.
• BONUS: Work is not just about money. For many, a majority, it is also a primary source of validation in their adult lives. As a manager, do not throw out crumbs. Be generous in your appreciation and feedback — You’ll see how it impacts motivation in a big way. Positive reinforcement always works better.