Dave Cyphers, President and founder, discussed the The Cyphers Agency’s past, present, and future in an interview for Authority Magazine’s Thought Leadership Series, “How to Create a Fantastic Work Culture.”
The article included a look at Dave’s childhood entrepreneurship, his thoughts on the evolution of marketing, and references to some of the agency’s most recent work. Its biggest focus, however, was on what Dave has done to create a fantastic work culture for his employees.
It highlighted the following five efforts:
Hire Great People — To help ensure new hires will fit seamlessly into the agency’s close-knit team, candidates must come in for a shadow day to get to know and interact with their potential peers before a final offer is made. Employee impressions are taken very seriously and every voice is heard in hiring decisions. Frankly it took us years to get good at this, but these days we almost always select people who are a good fit for their position and for our culture.
Communicate Constantly with Your People — Going far beyond an annual “state of the agency,” I not only maintain a true open-door policy but also schedule regular all-agency meetings. I also try to attend each morning’s trending social media topics meeting so that I can guarantee face time with every employee each day.
Make Time to Celebrate — I’ve made it a policy to celebrate each employee’s birthday and work anniversary in a personal way, from a murder mystery party to breakfast in PJs, and to also give them the freedom to celebrate holidays together however they choose, from holiday decorating to a Halloween costume contest. Our office even participated in a version of “Winter Olympics.” Doing so not only shows your employees that you care, but also creates an opportunity for staff who rarely interact to do so in a fun environment.
Let Your People Pick Their Perks — Over the years, I’ve realized that each employee cares more or less about what are now standard office perks, from snacks to personal desk decorations. Because of this, I strongly believe that keeping your people happy by saying yes to whatever type of Keurig cup, crazy creamer flavor, toilet paper, or desk plant an employee asks for is well worth the price.
Create an Office Space Your People Love — While liking your coworkers is essential, I think that liking the physical space where you spend eight hours of your day is almost as important. So, when we moved to our new office a year ago, I gave each employee a budget to personalize their workspace and had the whole staff work together to develop themed breakout rooms with bright colors and fun furniture. One employee was lamenting the lack of natural light in his space, so I cut and framed an opening in the wall one weekend to give him access to direct sunlight. A relaxing and interesting work environment is an important part of maintaining positive morale and fostering creativity, which is obviously particularly important for an ad agency.
