Why did your agency pursue Accreditation when it wasn’t mandatory?
We felt our clients would value knowing that we hold ourselves to a higher standard and that when they work with Rare, they’re getting quality not just in the work we produce, but in how we operate as an agency.
It was also a really good opportunity for us to evaluate our people practices, and how we compared to the rest of the industry and what modern workplaces expect.
Describe one moment from the past year when your investment in your people’s wellbeing actually mattered.
Mental Health First Aid is probably a good example.
It’s something the Accreditation emphasises, and that our industry often struggles with. But even wider than that – we’re all human, and we’ve come to realise that everyone is struggling with something, to varying degrees. So having people at Rare who are trained to recognise when someone might need support, check in with them and help them get the right support has genuinely mattered, even if it’s just a bit more flexibility with working hours, or an understanding when someone isn’t on the ‘top of their game’.
It’s one of those things that might look like a requirement on paper, but when you actually need it, you realise why it’s important.
What would you want someone reading a job ad from your agency to understand about what Accreditation signals about how you run the place?
That we actually care about making Rare an amazing place to work.
We invest significant time and effort in our people, whether through flexibility, wellbeing, development, or simply creating an environment where people enjoy coming to work. Hopefully the Accreditation gives job seekers confidence that there is real substance behind that – it means we have demonstrated our practices and had them independently assessed.
What would you say to an agency that hasn’t applied yet?
I’d say go for it.
The more agencies that get behind Accreditation, the stronger our industry becomes.
Agency life can be demanding and mental health is a real issue, so anything that helps us look after our people better, raise the bar and build an industry that people genuinely want to be part of is a good thing.
