Businesses across sectors are grappling with the fact that employees are taking a hard look at their careers and where they want to work.

Zulu Alpha Kilo hasn’t had to massively rethink its approach to recruitment or retention – largely because making employees feel valued has long been its focus.

“We’ve been a values-driven company from the beginning, so if people are examining their values, that’s a benefit for us,” says president and CEO Mike Sutton.

For a while now, Zulu has offered an “Employeeship”, which gives recent advertising and design grads full-time jobs instead of internships. Staff can take sabbaticals ever five years, with an established process for checking in about career development and the company’s own goals. Even Zulu’s policy of never participating in spec work has “saved people their lives and their weekends,” says founder, CCO Zak Mroueh.

“Every agency loses people, they leave eventually,” he adds. “What’s interesting is that there have been people who got offers but decided to stay. [They] realize that, yes, they can work for a great network shop, but they like working for Zulu because they know where they stand with their career plan and how their values align.”

The new 20Doors Scholarship Fund – which offers 20 students tuition to complete a year-long undergraduate course in copywriting or art direction over the next five years – is a newer example of where the agency’s values lie. While the scholarship was started to remove hurdles for BIPOC entering the industry, Mroueh says it also shows people who are on the path to other creative fields that advertising is an option, and it has further strengthened the talent pipeline to Zulu.