10 Things I Want To See Workplaces Do Now

A year ago today I posted 10 things I wanted to see marketing departments do sooner than later. Some of those idealistic wants have come true, but many haven’t. While I believe marketing is always going to be a progressive industry that runs on innovation, it’s not always the fastest industry to adopt change.

As I write this today, over 1 million piece have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The state I live in (Georgia) is opening back up and I’m wondering when the second wave will hit (for sure — sooner than later). It’s a scary time and businesses have to adjust. For some, that means remote work. For other, it means getting rid of open floor plans. And for many, it means social distancing teams and utilizing face masks.

In reflection of what I wrote last year, here are 10 things I want to see marketing teams and businesses do as they rebuild into what will be “the new normal.”

Lean into the early aughts nostalgia. 

Marketers are going to tap into the emotions of millennials who remember the early aughts. I imagine we’ll hear Postal Service songs, The Shins, and maybe a comeback of Damien Rice. Why? Millennials have a soft, fuzzy warm spot in their life for the songs that softly played in the background fo their formative years. I don’t know about you but the melody of Death Cab For Cutie’s “Title and Registration” manages to crack open my heart and make me feel 15 again…and that very noise could make me want to buy a brand new car. 

Pop-ups will continue to pop-up.

Glossier recently had a pop up boutique in Atlanta. It smelled like fresh flowers and mid-ranged minimalistic make-up. The retailer workers had on baby pink (or should we call it Glossier pink) painter suits. The experience felt fresh and unlike any other store I’ve walked into within the last year. There was even a selfie booth where I could to pretend I was upside down for the ‘gram. I see more brands utilizing unique spaces to showcase their products in a non-conventual way. Not everything needs to be on a rack or displayed on a shelf. From flower arrangements to the scent of the store, brands have an opportunity to not just market their products but market a lifestyle that goes along with their products. 

Co-working spaces and open floor plans are a thing of the past. 

Covid-19 is shaking shit up, and I certainly hope it’s getting rid of giant open floor plans that you often find in agencies and I hope it gets rids of cowering spaces like Spaces or WeWork. I’m not against the large room, we’re all in this together mentality of an open floor plan, but nothing is better than a quiet, space of your own. Virginia Wolf even wrote a book titled “A Room of One’s Own” and while work spaces are not private islands, they should be some kind of sanctuary where employees can brainstorm, daydream, create, and execute their greatest work. 

There will be faces of social media. 

Instead of one social media behind the camera and in front of the iPhone for a brand story, I expect employees of all positions to get their social media day in the sun. As companies show off culture, more people will (and should) be featured to highlight their jobs, what makes them an asset to the company, and to share what they do when they’re not at work … like garden or buy fancy skin care products. This behind-the-scenes look of a brand makes for unique content while highlighting office morale, corporate culture, and the appreciation for individuality. 

Women will demand pay transparency (as they should).

Women earned just 79 cents for every dollar men made in 2019.

As Taylor Swift sings, “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can/Wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man/And I’m so sick of them coming at me again/‘Cause if I was a man/Then I’d be The Man,” I sigh because … girl, me too. I think one of the biggest trends that we are going to start seeing is women sharing how much they make with each other. First, it will start with individual friends and then it will go to larger friend groups, and I expect this will trickle down to the work place. Women know they are unpaid and talking about it is one of the ways to cause action to bridge the gap. I’m an open with other women when it comes to my salary and many of my friends are too, and I believe this trend will grow because if women are every going to get ahead — we have to start with monetary compensation for equal and fair work. 

10-99 employees that work full time roles for agencies or corporate companies will start to dissipate. 

A lot of companies bring on board contractors and hand them 1099’s yet expect them to work 40 hours a week, give them no vacation options or set vacation parameters, expect them to use their own equipment (like their own personal MacBook), and treat them like full-time employees without any of the benefits. Companies that do this should be punished for not making these employees W2 tax filers. With more and more people researching the gig economy and knowing their rights as a freelancer, I see these mock agencies not drawing in the talent they want because the practice of 1099ing them instead of W-2ing them is illegal. 

Only Britney Spears can make “Toxic” iconic.

In the words of the great Britney Spears, “Don’t ya know that you’re toxic?”

In multiple marketing and communication groups I’m in on LinkedIn and Facebook, the word “toxic” pops up in nearly post. From toxic culture to toxic HR Directors calling the CEO a cock sucker, it feels like decorum has gone out the window. I look forward to marketing teams reclaiming what empowers them in a healthy, stable, and safe way. May the toxic employees be easily identifiable and asked to exit stage left. Teamwork is critical to marketing success and there is no time for reality show drama unless you have been contracted by Bravo to highlight your marketing team in a TV pilot. 

Stock photography is going to (mostly) go away. 

Brands will start investing in photography when it comes to getting the shots they need for their products before handing over money to Shutterstock or Twenty20. With companies all trying to stand out on social media and on their websites, stock imagery is overused and the only way to get away from using something a competitor may used previously is taking the shot yourself. This doesn’t mean brands are going to run for the hills finding fancy schmancy photographers — some of these images can simply be done with an iPhone or a simple light set up. Expect images to go from eh to wow in the next few months as more brands catch on that typing in bizarre keywords into a stock photography program doesn’t cut it. Also, be on the look out for regular pre-sets for brands to nail their aesthetic. 

Oh cool, a ping pong table…but do you match 401(k) or offer unlimited PTO?

Ping-pong tables and beer fridges won’t be enough to lure in millennials when it comes to perks. 

Marketing companies need to start matching 401(k) accounts after a minimum of 3 months of employment, plus they need to offer great healthcare benefits that are affordable. Marketers don’t want Sweetwater 420 on tap, we want to know we are well taken care of if we need bereavement leave or if have to go out for surgery. Random days off are a bonus and unlimited PTO should be the standard. With more companies going to remote work, it is critical for executive teams to take a look at the antiquated benefits and update them to match the world we are living in. 

“This meeting could have been an e-mail” will truly ring true.

Now that everyone is working remotely, it’s pretty clear many of those 30 minute to 1 hour long meetings were never necessary … they could have been an e-mail. Millennials love to say “this meeting could have been an e-mail” and while I hate to gloat, I think we’ve been right all along. In a world where we are confined to our desks at home (or bed — let’s not pretend some of us aren’t working from bed), it’s clear so many simple questions never required 30 minutes meetings with 10 people.