It’s time to pause Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ classic and cue Dirty Heads’ ‘Vacation’ song. If you haven’t heard it yet, I suggest you blast it through your speakers as this song is what every business should strive to have all of their employees sing.

“A-a-aye, I’m on vacation, every single day ’cause I love my occupation. A-a-aye, I’m on vacation, if you don’t like your life, then you should go and change it.”

Advocating a healthy team culture is what Concoction excels in. It’s what keeps our creative ideas flowing. It’s the bread and butter of our small but mighty agency. How do we achieve this, you may ask? Here are five ways to create a culture that recognises hard work whilst also maintaining a healthy dose of leisure – where everyone comes out on top (including our clients).

Out with the old, in with the new

A number of countries are adopting an alternative to the 9-to-5 working week: the four-day working week. There have been noticeable studies carried out where this approach improves workers’ positivity and productivity. This can eliminate burnout and reduce staff members from dreading their jobs and constantly looking forward to the weekend. It’s 2022, and times are changing! At Concoction, we do things a little different here. We choose the hours that work for us and when we’re most productive – whether it’s coming to the office earlier or working later, we know when our creativity is best utilised. Our team choose to be here and as long as the job is getting done, it’s a win-win.

Building a team of creative warriors

As a small agency, we have the ability to include everyone in different client projects. Whether your main responsibility is account management, copywriting or video editing, each team member is included in the creative ideation process where there are no bad ideas, just different ones. We all work toward a collective goal of producing the best creative work possible for our clients. At our Monday WIP meeting, after we converse in some friendly banter about our weekend, we share what everyone is working on to create a sense of communion and engagement so we’re constantly in the know of what we’re doing for our clients – incorporating ideas and suggestions from the whole team. As the saying goes: teamwork makes the dream work, and you can be sure that’s the standard we live by.

Creating a space where everyone feels valued and supported

Our team was carefully selected to complement each other, marrying quirky differences with like-minded values. But one thing that is evident is the way in which our team respects and supports one another. A lot of our team are well versed in different areas of creativity so if one person is sporting a heavy workload, another member can step up to the plate. An extension of this is a good managerial framework that supports six-monthly reviews to check in with our personal goals and areas in which we want to excel. We also support a flat hierarchy where we’re all leaders in our own areas of expertise. There are no micro-management tendencies looming – the bane of any worker’s existence (been there, done that, never again). The support that we receive from each other boosts our focus and engagement and gives us the confidence to create the exciting, passionate work that we produce for our clients.

The work hard, play hard mentality

Mental well-being is an important element of our agency’s heartbeat. We strive to maintain a healthy balance of work and play to encourage positivity and team morale. Whether it’s going out to lunch as a team or choosing an activity to bond over, this is what keeps our team culture alive and strong. Our team is full of fitness junkies in one way or another – whether it’s boxing, running, golf or footy, we love keeping active outside of the office. Fitness is a part of our connectedness, and because of this, we created a work fitness group called ‘Trail Mix’ which focuses on physical and mental well-being and overall camaraderie. I believe, without a doubt, that this creates highly engaged and motivated workers.

The importance of continuous learning

You’ve heard the saying, ‘you learn something new every day’ – a phrase that is important because learning continues to stimulate the brain, expands creativity and promotes open-mindedness. It also channels self-awareness which helps you to develop personal and professional goals with newly refined clarity. At Concoction, we are always encouraged to upskill, attend courses and gain new experiences that not only help us professionally but personally as well. The skills that we learn are then applied to create better campaigns, content and design assets for our clients. Professional learning and development benefits everyone!

Good workplaces prioritise the well-being of their staff, advocating a healthy team culture. Yes, there’s always work that needs to be done and there’s always going to be pressing deadlines, but that’s why having a talented, motivated and solid team that has each other’s backs and enjoys their job is the icing and the whole entire cake.