Claire Quansah, founder of Quansah Consulting, is a veteran with nearly two decades of experience in PR and communications agencies, recently shared her insights on effective people management strategies.
In today’s competitive agency landscape, managing your people effectively is crucial for sustainable growth. With 39% of professionals likely to look for a new role in the next 12 months and only 18% reporting they’re extremely satisfied with their current positions, agency leaders must prioritise talent management.
The Changing Landscape of Talent Management
The agency sector is evolving, and so are the expectations of employees. Key statistics highlight some pressing challenges:
- 39% of employees are likely to seek a new role within 12 months.
- 2 in 5 employees leave due to poor management.
- Only 18% of employees report being highly satisfied in their roles.
With these figures in mind, agencies must take proactive steps to create environments where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to stay.
Talent Attraction: Finding the Right People
Growing an agency means bringing in the right people, but recruitment is more than just filling a role—it’s about strategically attracting talent that aligns with your vision.
Understanding Talent Pools
- Active Candidates – Individuals actively seeking jobs, engaging with job boards, and networking.
- Passive Candidates – Those who aren’t currently looking but may be persuaded with the right opportunity.
Building Inclusive and Effective Job Descriptions
- Define the role clearly – Specify requirements, expectations, and how the role contributes to business goals.
- Consider salary and benefits – Ensure you have sufficient revenue to sustain new hires.
- Understand potential challenges – Identify difficulties someone might face in the role.
- Use inclusive language – Avoid gendered language and unnecessary jargon that might deter diverse candidates.
- Focus on specific skills rather than years of experience – Describe what you actually need rather than using arbitrary requirements.
- Show salary ranges – Be transparent about compensation to save everyone time.
- Be clear about the interview process – Explain all stages upfront.
- Diversify where you advertise – Look beyond LinkedIn to reach wider talent pools.
Beyond LinkedIn: Alternative Hiring Strategies
- Utilise diverse job boards to reach underrepresented talent.
- Train hiring managers on unconscious bias to ensure fair evaluations.
- Consider structured interviews with standardised questions to maintain consistency.
Talent Retention: Keeping Your Best People Engaged
Recruitment is just the first step—retaining top talent is where agencies truly build long-term success. Claire shared a framework for effective employee retention:
Clarity
- Effective onboarding – A structured process significantly impacts retention.
- Clear role definitions – Distinguish between responsibilities and accountabilities.
- Consistent expectations – Everyone should understand what success looks like.
Connection
- Understand team dynamics – Use personality assessments like DISC or Myers-Briggs to improve team interactions.
- Implement effective line management – Provide clear points of contact for development and support.
- Recognise different backgrounds – Acknowledge diverse experiences and provide appropriate support.
Communication
- Regular feedback loops – Implement consistent feedback mechanisms.
- 360-degree reviews – Gather perspectives from all directions.
- Transparent business updates – Share appropriate information about company direction and performance.
Commitment
- Talent mapping – Regularly assess your team’s skills and potential.
- Clear career paths – Define progression opportunities.
- Training and development – Identify individual and group needs.
- Recognition and rewards – Create consistent criteria aligned with company values.
Understanding and Engaging Gen Z Talent
A truly successful agency prioritises inclusivity at every stage—from hiring to culture-building. Claire emphasised the importance of avoiding unintended exclusion through:
- Rethinking “cultural fit” and instead hiring for cultural add.
- Ensuring clear promotion criteria to prevent bias.
- Making networking and social events accessible to all employees.
- Avoiding inconsistent pay practices and ensuring salary transparency.
- Being mindful of generational differences, particularly Gen Z’s emphasis on diversity and work-life balance.
Key Takeaways
- Recruitment is continuous – Treat talent attraction as an ongoing process.
- Clarity is essential – Define roles, expectations, and career paths clearly.
- Different generations have different expectations – Understand that ambition looks different for everyone.
- Inclusivity matters – Young professionals particularly value diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Investment in people pays off – Thoughtful people management leads to better retention and performance.
Final Thoughts: Creating an Always-On People Strategy
The most successful agencies don’t treat people management as a one-time effort but as an ongoing, evolving process. By continually refining recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies, agencies can build engaged, high-performing teams that drive long-term business success.
With insights from experts like Claire Quansah, agencies can strengthen their people-first approach—creating environments where employees thrive, and businesses flourish.
What is the Better Agency Programme?
The Growth Programme provides crucial peer support alongside expert talks, events, and networking designed for agency leaders who want to take their agency to the next level, whatever that means for you.
Key features include:
- 45-minute expert sessions with a 15-minute Q&A.
- Optional 60-minute group discussions after each module.
- Unified learning through video calls, with accountability groups based on agency size.
Find out more about the Better Agency Programme here.
Want to hear more from Claire?
Become an Agency Collective Grow+ member to access all the Better Agency Programme sessions. To explore membership, book a call with Rob or join a Find Out More session.
