AMV BBDO is introducing a new program for permanent, half-time roles at the agency.
The agency says the initiative is an attempt to appeal to those who are looking to return to the ad industry after taking time off and boost the number of female creatives at the agency.
“The research clearly points to motherhood being a significant ‘off-ramp’ for women in business careers because there are a dearth of properly designed ‘on-ramps’ to help mothers return in a form that truly balances their professional commitments with their family ones,” AMV BBDO CEO Ian Pearman said in a statement. “There are plenty of ‘returnships’ run by agencies, which let women returning from a career break gain invaluable experience, but they don’t go far enough in changing the fundamentals. The point of this programme is to give parents and care givers permanent positions within our creative department with flexibility built in at a contractual level.”
Men in primary caregiver roles looking to return to work are also eligible to apply for the program.
AMV BBDO is currently looking to fill between 8 and 10 of the half-time roles. Employees in the positions will work around half of a normal work day (approximately 3.5 hours, with the employee given the option of what part of the day to fill these hours) and can opt whether to work from home or from AMV BBDO’s offices. They can also choose to work on their own, partner with another part-time creative or be assigned to projects with full-time employees.
“Parents and primary carers who have taken a career break often struggle to come back to the workplace on terms that work for them, which means the industry loses out on seeing the full potential of what these highly skilled creatives have to offer,” AMVO BBDO HR director Kelly Knight said in a statement. “We’re pleased that our new programme could help turn this issue on its head and demonstrate that there is an untapped pool of talent currently outside of the industry just waiting.”
“On top of diversifying our team through this programme, it’s important that junior creatives in our company – particularly female creatives – know there is corporate and cultural support in place for returning to work after a break, whenever they may need to take one,” added AMV BBDO joint executive creative director Adrian Rossi.