BARKER to proactively bonus employees to help meet the demands of inflation

December 17, 2021

New York City independent advertising agency BARKER, known for innovative and creative approaches to employee relations and retention, has announced a unique program to proactively bonus employees to help meet the demands of the suddenly steepening rate of inflation. “While this may be a surprise to some of our newer team members, it’s really very much within the tradition and purposeful trajectory of BARKER’s agency culture,” said agency Founder and CEO, John Barker. “Our executive team is very focused on the reality that we need to remain diligent, creative and thoughtful to retain and attract the best talent. It’s been our mission to be there for them, to understand the everyday realities they are dealing with and help secure their passion for working here.”

The program gives employees a “year-forward” bonus of 4.3% of their compensation to offset rising expenses due to inflation. The bonus is in addition to other benefits and year-end performance rewards.

“It’s tremendously important to us that we’re in tune with our talent and managing proactively rather than reactively,” said EVP and Managing Director, Mary Beth Weil. “No one asked for this. But we knew it was an unexpected challenge for our team members. Despite rising salaries, higher expenses are a real burden for all of us, particularly in the New York City metro area. Everyday staples and expenses like milk, produce, gas, utilities, rent — all of these things are suddenly far more expensive, and it’s a shock to any household budget. This Year-Forward Bonus will help.”

The average rate of inflation has been approximately 1.7% for more than a decade. Regular inflation is typically addressed by salary. The additional 4.3% bonus seeks to close the gap to the current rate, which of course is a moving target. The agency will re-evaluate the bonus quarterly and respond with more funding if the rate climbs higher.

“The motivation here is both empathetic and strategic,” said Sandi Harari, partner and executive creative director at BARKER. “The passion, dedication, and enthusiasm of our team is the most important asset we have. From the beginning, we have always strived to make BARKER a place where people genuinely want to show up every day, feel a sense of comradery, and a sense of belonging. Particularly after two years of mostly remote work, we need to assure our team that we’re always thinking about them and have their back.”

The agency sees their innovative and empathetic initiative not only as a retention strategy but a recruiting strategy as well. “This is a tough environment for everyone,” added Kim Tracy, the agency’s head of account management. “People feel isolated and exhausted. And with so few candidates available, recruiters have become even more aggressive. So, we have numerous programs designed to keep our team connected and engaged, and this inflation bonus is an important overlay to that. We also think that it can become a recruiting point for adding new talent as the agency continues to grow.”

BARKER has added three new clients (RANDOLPH ENGINEERING, STRIDE, BIOGEN) and eleven new employees in the past six months. “We worked hard to win great clients and to find the best talent out there,” shared Barker. “Our dedicated team is what has elevated us to where we are. We’re working hard to make sure we keep them.”