Unless handled correctly, the inevitable decentralisation of talent could cause more harm than good, writes Luke Smith, CEO of digital marketing agency Croud
The spate of localised lockdowns in October flared up the age-old London vs rest of the UK debate, something very familiar in this industry. As lockdown 2.0 gets into full swing, the days of commuting and London hubs are increasingly seeming like things of the past.
It all sparks the question – do we need to decentralise? The simple answer is yes. Is this all down to coronavirus? Again, simple answer – no.
While remote working and the pandemic have played a big role in fuelling the fire beneath this debate, it is one that had been going on long before the pandemic took over our lives.
We launched Croud in 2011 with a network of freelance remote digital specialists – or the Croudie Network as we call them. Our Croudies can be based anywhere in the world (we’re operational in 120 different markets), respond to briefs 24/7, and can be scaled up and down according to demand.
The thinking behind this decision was all about diversifying talent pools, accepting that not all things strategic or creative need to happen in London or New York. There are hubs and centres of excellence in other cities or towns that attract different types of talent.
In the current climate, the need to be diverse has never been greater – sticking to the status quo has never moved anything forward.
Launching in the US has further cemented this way of thinking for us as an agency. In the US, a recent trend is an ‘America anywhere’ recruitment policy – which you see a lot of in job ads, and means hiring regardless of location and offering the flexibility of 100% working from home.
The vast geographical nature of the US lends itself to this model, but it is one that allows for more flexibility and freedom when it comes to meeting clients’ needs.
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The UK can learn a lot from this way of thinking, and I believe a redistribution of talent and location agnosticism will stop becoming a talking point and start to become an inevitability over the next year.
But this isn’t sustainable without infrastructure, and although the move is inevitable, it won’t necessarily be a positive thing unless it’s handled correctly. Any form of redistribution has to be by design, properly managed, and not overnight.
Some of the current measures taken by agencies to redress the balance are reckless, such as removing 50% or more of roles in London. All this does is remove top talent because of an arbitrary decision. Often without consideration for what you are losing.
What if you can’t find that talent in the other cities? I shouldn’t really complain – Croud has picked up serious talent as a result of these wholesale London redundancies.
Although London still has a critical mass of talent for now, and this needs to be factored into decision making, the capital is under a lot of strain.
Recent research by Serpico by Croud has revealed that half of UK digital marketers lost in-house digital talent in some capacity due to coronavirus. Additionally, economic and social factors are increasing the barrier of entry to London to replenish those roles. The knock-on effect will cause other areas to flourish, but the move will be gradual.
I’ve learned a fair few things about processes from building Croud and managing an increasingly remote working during the pandemic.
Firstly and crucially, get the talent right, regardless of location. We’ve done this via the Croudie Network – where we identify talent, user by user, and plug their skills into our operation.
Secondly, get the right infrastructure in place to support the talent – through technology and process. Croud has been building and refining Croud Control, our proprietary tech platform, since our inception. It’s the operating system for our business. It’s been the difference between success and failure. It has ensured we find the right job for the right person at the right time.
Finally, ensure you have the internal infrastructure to support a diverse talent pool, as Croud has done with everyone from developers to the people whose sole responsibility it is to ensure the smooth engagement and running of the Croudie network.
The shift towards decentralisation is coming. If, as an industry, we can become more agnostic to where talent is and lean into technology and process to engage talent user by user, then success will follow.
