As the corona situation stabilized, global communications and PR network IPREX was able to organize its long-awaited annual face-to-face Emerging Leaders’ Conference, which brought together 12 IPREX network consultants and partners from around the world. Manifesto had the honour of hosting the event which addressed themes such as the changes caused by teleworking in communications agencies.
The IPREX Emerging Leaders Conference was held in Helsinki during 24–25 March 2022. It was the first major IPREX meeting for a couple of years that could be held face-to-face. Manifesto was in a position to play host to communications professionals from the Netherlands, the UK, the US and Poland. Manifesto joined the IPREX Finland network in 2010.
The conference briefly addressed the war in Ukraine and its implications, particularly for Poland and Finland. Two topics were highlighted in the workshops: how to ensure a high standard of quality in the context of hybrid work and how to achieve empathic and effective communications, a theme that we will return to at a later date.
Hybrid work calls for adaption in terms of the work and the workers
With the Covid-19 pandemic, communications agency work is facing new challenges, one of which is teleworking and managing a hybrid work environment. Among the key topics highlighted at the conference was the question of how to look after employees and ensure the quality of the service offered to customers.
Is it possible to provide effective induction to new employees if they are working remotely? How will they learn to do ‘old stuff’ like organising media events and reporter trips? How to enable creative brainstorming and cooperation in a hybrid context?
It was interesting to learn how agencies in other countries perceive teleworking. For the United States, this was something completely new. Now agencies are struggling with “the great resignation”, which refers to employees switching jobs in search of more flexibility. For the Netherlands, teleworking is also something of a novelty, whereas for Manisfesto it has been commonplace for quite some time, with a number of employees even living elsewhere. A common policy in many countries is to work in the office once or twice a week.
Among the factors contributing to solid performance and a smooth flow of work, the participants highlighted transparency, clear guidelines and processes supportive of the job description, recognition of employee needs, as well as active reporting on successful projects. After all, it is all about people and how they perform at work – regardless of location.