Four-day week puts Equality Media top of AFR workplace rankings
Team Equality Media + Marketing from left: Tora Buchardt, Amy Weatherlake, Marilla Akkermans, Ramona Warden and Connor Park
Independent agency Equality Media + Marketing has retained its number one position in the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work rankings, driven in part by its four-day work week.
The Melbourne-based agency, which has allowed staff to work shorter weeks for full pay since 2022, has taken the gold spot in the Media & Marketing category for the third time in four years. It also won the Best Small Organisation category (20–99 employees).
According to the AFR’s assessment, Equality Media + Marketing is also “generous” with extra leave and has managed to reduce unscheduled leave by 17 per cent while staff retention has almost doubled.
The full-service digital agency, which was founded by Marilla Akkermans in 2018, now has 30 employees working across clients, including Burbank Homes, Carwash Sales and Advisory, and most recently cosmetics brand Bioderma.
Akkermans recently wrote in a piece for Mumbrella that agencies should be willing to turn down work that “delivers the wrong kind of growth” in order to saeguard employee wellbeing and work culture.
“Too many agencies are in survival mode, saying yes at the expense of their people. The short-term revenue is never worth the long-term cost. Growth for growth’s sake is hollow. Good growth is sustainable, aligned, and respectful of the people who make the work possible,” she wrote.
The best Media & Marketing organisations to work at, according to the AFR
Silver in the Media & Marketing category went to Publicis Groupe, while independent digital agency TFM Digital took bronze.
In a statement, Publicis Group ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo said the network brings together “22 distinct agency cultures, connected through trust, shared ambition and care”.
“This focus is reflected in how we support our teams every day, from our inclusive paid leave and diverse employee action groups to our approach to mental health and wellbeing,” he added.
Meanwhile, TFM Digital CEO Taylor Fielding said in a statement that the result was a “real pinch me moment” and one of his proudest with the agency.
“This one really counts a lot as it truly shows we are living our impactful people purpose,” he said.
“We’ve been intentional in how we design engagement, accountability and transparency within the business. Setting the top line objectives, and asking the team to decide how they get there – offering guidance as required. This award is evidence that you don’t need to follow the masses with post-work drinks, ping pong tables, or toxic pizza parties to make a difference in your people’s lives.”
Other finalists in the category Akcelo, iProspect Australia, The Media Store, Yango, AEK Media, Dentsu Queensland, and Media Republic.
