If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Brogan & Partners may be a great advertising agency, but I sure am not going to try to sell you a $2,288 manicure.  Nor did I ever pay that for one.  But I am going to tell you why manicures are worth that to me.   I am talking employee turnover.  Something we work hard at managing. 

So what do manicures have to do with this?  And why $2,288?  One can calculate the cost of employee turnover using some handy dandy calculation tools available on the Internet - www.uxex.edu/CES/cced/economies/turn.cfm - is one.  Adding up the costs associated with turnover can add up in the thousands. A sample calculation shows the cost of one departed employee is $2,288.  Some writers will even say that the cost of turnover is 150% of the employee’s salary… averaging $75,000!  Can something like a company-paid weekly manicure impact this cost?  You bet it can!

Believe me, workers are not so naive as to accept a paid manicure in lieu of superior benefits and competitive pay.  They are, however, keenly attuned to a workplace that respects and appreciates their time.  It ain’t the $15 we pay for an on-site manicure, it’s the fact that we are giving our valued staff (men and women!) the gift of time.   It is more than the simple act of paying for a manicure, it is a signal to everyone that the agency truly practices what it preaches— “Creativity At Work” — that’s our themeline and it goes beyond being a creative organization and creating smart and effective marketing and advertising.  We are creative in our workplace, in our perks and in our expressions of appreciation. 

Our creative perks all work in concert to keep our employee turnover well below 5%— against a national average of  over 12%.  On-site manicures, company-paid out of town weekend mystery trips, paid lunches and other creative perks all let workers know they are valued and respected.   And most important, workers know they are in a supportive organization.  

So the manicure may cost $15 but can be worth $2,288 to our bottomline.  Because an award-winning creative advertising agency runs on the talent, time, creativity and passion of its workers.  And that’s priceless.

Share This