Raft of agencies sign up to IPA mental-health pledge for employees

Almost 70 businesses in the advertising industry have signed up to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s People First Promise, which is designed to demonstrate their commitment to their employees’ mental health and wellbeing.

Those that have signed up so far include creative, media and influencer marketing agencies, as well as broadcasters. 

The list has been unveiled at the start of Mental Health Awareness Week.

The companies have to provide evidence of activity that supports their workforce’s mental health, under three categories:

• Empower, which relates to empowering and educating people to help them find their resilience and track their own mental health
   
• Support, which focuses on what the business can do to help their staff, particularly those struggling with mental health problems
   
• Prevent, which spotlights senior leader accountability and involvement by ensuring reliable processes, checks and action plans are in place and regularly monitored.

The People First Promise was launched by IPA president Josh Krichefski in January. It is designed to encourage the businesses that sign up to illustrate their duty of care to employees, future talent and clients. 

The 67 companies that have signed up are: 

• 23red
• Accenture Song
• Adam & Eve/DDB
• AMS Media Group
• Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
• Anything Is Possible
• Bartle Bogle Hegarty
• Bicycle London
• Billion Dollar Boy
• Borne
• Bountiful Cow
• Bray Leino
• Craft Media
• Cream
• Creature
• Different Narrative
• Drum
• Electric Glue
• EssenceMediacom
• EssenceMediacom X
• Fuse International Limited
• Generation Media
• Golley Slater 
• Group M
• Guy & Co 
• Havas
• Hearts & Science
• Hunterlodge
• IMA
• IPA
• IPG Mediabrands
• ITV
• Join The Dots
• JourneyHR
• Landor
• Leith 
• Lucky Generals
• McCann Central
• McCann London
• McCann Manchester
• Medialab
• Manning Gottlieb OMD
• Mindshare
• Mother
• Ogilvy UK
• OMD UK
• Omnicom Media Group UK
• Open Media
• PHD Media Ltd UK
• Propeller Group
• Recipe
• Republic of Media
• St Luke's
• Syneos Health
• T&Pm
• Talon
• The Gate 
• the7stars
• Total Media
• TPA
• TrunkBBI
• Uniform
• VCCP
• Walk-In Media
• Wavemaker
• Wieden & Kennedy
• Wonderhood Studios

This also coincides with the IPA commissioning research from marketing research company Ipsos regarding mental health. 

The study showed less than half (48%) of people who have IPA membership believe the ad industry is doing enough to support staff’s mental health, and 47% of adland overall said the same.

Krichefski said: “Congratulations to all these companies who have successfully gained their People First Promise. These trailblazers have made a public declaration—to their current and future talent, and to clients—that they take active steps to protect, empower and support the mental health and wellbeing of their people.

“This is a fantastic start. And it is just the start. As we’re seeing in this new IPA research, there is more work to be done. By all of us playing our part in this area, not only do we improve individual lives, but we raise the reputation and pull factor of our companies and our industry by making it clear that we invest in creating supportive and inclusive working environments. In short, we all win.”