I was asked in a meeting this morning how I’d define a Springer, and what we do to instill Springiness.

As a starting point Springers tend to be warm, engaged and bright people who are naturally curious about the world around them, prepared to challenge the status quo and with flexible minds. These are all a great basis for any role in a company like ours, since whether you are an account handler or a creative, a planner or a production manager, everyone’s expected to have more than a passing interest in the agency’s work as a whole.

Here are just three of the ways that we actively support the Springers to build on their intrinsic skills.

Location.

It’s our firm belief that people, like plants, respond to their environment. Place someone in a dark office on the third floor of a towerblock at the intersection of dusty traffic filled streets buried amidst urban sprawl and it’s going to be hard for them to let their minds run free and maintain clarity of purpose. We surround Springers with light, space and clean air – and just enough urbanity to sharpen the instincts.

Our head office, a light-filled ex print works in the heart of the UK’s most appealing seaside town, Southwold, nourishes the Springers. We encourage them to use their location, too; when we first set the studio up we installed showers so people could swim, run and cycle into work or at lunchtime – and I’m delighted to say that they do.

(They even show enthusiasm for Friday lunchtime training, an hour’s exercise class which has replaced Friday fish n chips as Spring’s celebration of another week – that’s dedication!)

Inspiration.

It’s easy to sink into habit, even at an agency with a good range of clients and activities. So we run a creative expansion programme which includes three key activities:

1. Reading Group – we have invested heavily in recommended industry books and magazines, and encourage Springers to read them via the formation of a reading group. This (voluntary but popular!) group meets once a month to discuss the book of choice for the month, allowing Springers to share their learnings with one another, apply them to real life – and relax with a glass of wine.
2. Mind Expanding Weekends – Spring pays for Springers and their partners to go to London not once but twice a year, provided whilst they are there they visit an exhibition, concert or gallery and present back to the rest of the team at the next production meeting. This allows them to pick up influences from a wide range of sources, which shows in their approach to client projects.
3. Spring Heros – we approach people we admire from all walks of life to share their experiences and insights with us once a month. Ranging from fashion PR experts to the heads of other agencies, from brand owners to industry figureheads, this has an extraordinary impact on the team.

Excellence.

Our insistence on quality of vision and delivery means that Springers are constantly developing as individuals as well as within the agency, and that each and every Springer has immense pride in their work.

We invest considerable time and money into training, both sending Springers on formal professional training programmes and commissioning training for niche skills. The time out of the office is more than made up for by the additional skills they return with.

These and other things we set in place to keep the Springers springy are fundamentally important to the agency’s creed, since they instill good morale, loyalty and the pursuit of excellence.

Blog Post written by Erika Clegg