JACOB BAILEY ETHICAL WORKING

Jacob Bailey’s founder and Managing Director Shaun Bailey is a member of the Direct Marketing Association’s Agencies Council and is currently heading up their Ethical Agency working party.

The working party exists to explore the needs of DMA members in formulating best practice guidelines for ethical working practices in agencies across all channels and disciplines within the direct response sector.

Issues and concerns relating to staff turnover levels and burnout, push the thinking of the workgroup beyond green policy and ethical advertising. Although very important in their own right, the latter are often the sole considerations when addressing ethical working practices.

There are clearly lifestyle associations within the marketing and creative industries which positively attract a specific staff demographic but the danger of staff exploitation in relation to pressure, late night and weekend working is a real threat and can earn the industry a destructive reputation.

Shaun Bailey commented, ‘We work in a highly deadline driven environment but we have to question how far this can be used to justify some working practices.’

Jacob Bailey Limited is continually reviewing all its internal processes to raise standards in ethical working practices, including:

• Advising clients on the reduction of waste through more targeted, innovative and sustainable marketing methods

• Environment Management System policy

• Personal and professional development programmes for staff and a healthy working environment

• Developing processes and best practice that reduces the need for long working hours whilst at the same time meeting deadlines

• Offering a ‘Green Day’ in addition to annual leave, encouraging staff to extend environmental considerations beyond the workplace

• Encouraging ethical practices along our supply-chain.