Among the many social discrepancies laid bare by the Covid pandemic over the past year, the gender pay gap represents a challenge that had already been reaching concerning levels before 2020. Advertising and marketing agencies weren’t immune to the issue. In fact, a 2019 analysis by global marketing authority The Drum demonstrated that the median gender pay gap had already worsened at a majority of agencies in the U.K. over the course of the previous year.
With a renewed spotlight on the issue, many firms have pledged to do better. But what does that look like? How are marketing agencies stepping up to help women tackle the unique challenges of the lockdown to ensure a generation of female talent isn’t lost? How are leaders actively engaging in initiatives to improve the gender pay gap, and are those efforts translating into results?
With a renewed spotlight on the issue, many firms have pledged to do better. But what does that look like?
With the input of senior-level women across the spectrum of leadership, Jellyfish has committed to a multi-level approach that works to not only target the gender pay gap but to proactively support women in the areas of personal motivation, career development, and self-advocacy.
“Women tend to gravitate toward middle management roles, which are the true hives of productivity. Yet we also tend to be more critical of ourselves,” says Geisla de Souza, EVP Paid Media, Jellyfish. “The challenges of Covid have further impacted how women perceive themselves, given that they are more likely to be the person within a household juggling work, childcare, and other commitments.”
To shift personal perceptions, Jellyfish participates in #IamRemarkable, a Google initiative created to empower women and underrepresented groups to speak openly about their accomplishments. The company also has a robust mentoring program.
“I have a mentor who supported me through my own journey at Jellyfish. Moving to an EVP position during a pandemic, being a mum who needed to homeschool and doing all of it through a period of huge growth has been a new level of challenge,” de Souza says. “Having a mentor really helps me through my own growth and periods of doubt.”
Managing Director of Nordics Bine Johanson says the cultural focus in her region is more on the well-being of the individual regardless of gender, while federally funded childcare enables men and women to progress similarly. With the added impact of Covid, however, she says new programs have grown from the opportunity to think creatively about how to be and work together.
“They ranged from weekly virtual check-ins on the well-being of the individuals and team to virtual social channels created specifically to focus on subjects like parenting and general wellness,” she says, adding that in-person collaboration continued in the form of socially distanced ‘walk and talks.’ “Walking around your colleague’s neighborhood, seeing their kids’ school or their favorite takeaway place, opened up an opportunity to see a different side of them than you normally would.”
While working parents at Jellyfish already had the flexibility to shape work schedules around family obligations, Ana Salinas, managing director in Mexico, says that more than ever, it’s understood that having children shouldn’t be a disadvantage at work.
“Now, parents have to help their children every hour, to help with school streaming or to just have quality time with them,” she says. “It really makes a difference when schedules are respected, and no one has to miss an opportunity because they’re a mom.”
Salinas also says that creating connections between mothers has helped forge an understanding of the challenges we all face.
“We have ‘only us’ moments, meetings where women share their struggles, laugh, complain or share a virtual glass of wine,” she says. “It helps to realize that no matter our age, position, seniority or team, we all have so many things in common, from the difficulties to the funny situations.”
Along with emotional and peer support, operational initiatives geared toward ensuring equality for women have also had a positive impact at Jellyfish. Staff requests for salary increases have been anonymized so that advancement is based solely on performance rather than gender, age, or other exterior factors. An objective and rotating panel within the company reviews those requests to ensure that the results of the process are fair and free of bias.
Staff requests for salary increases have been anonymized so that advancement is based solely on performance rather than gender, age, or other exterior factors.
“Our business case process has been a game-changer in terms of equality,” says de Souza. “Regardless of position, an employee can submit a case for a grade increase or title change, knowing that decisions will be based on the evidence presented regarding the value they have brought to their role and to the business. There is no gender bias or historical line management connection influencing the outcome.”
By putting deliberate, actionable programs in place, Jellyfish has demonstrated how companies and the tech marketing industry as a whole can make strides toward not only an equally compensated workforce but also a personally and professionally motivated one for whom anything is possible.
