According to a study published by Deloitte, companies with inclusive, supportive cultures are 22% more profitable and have 27% greater capacity to lead change.
However, a strong company culture can’t just be implemented using a simple formula or by ticking boxes – it takes time and genuine effort from any business owner to make the right decisions and communicate in the right way to really ensure the best working environment for their employees.
**Terence Rodia, founder and director of global talent agency, [YOU Management](https://www.you-management.com/),** discusses what a strong company culture looks like and how this can be created and maintained, as well as the company culture within his own business.
1. **How would you define a ‘strong company culture’?**
I believe a strong company culture starts with having a good team and creating an environment where people want to work hard – this is the most important thing I look for when interviewing and hiring new employees. At YOU Management, our brand ethos is based around the client, so having a team of people who get along and care for each other is only going to make them work hard and enjoy their job, whilst caring for the brand and the clients even more.
1. **What are the core elements that make a company’s culture successful?**
We all have an ego and insecurities, but what I always say to anyone that joins the agency is that we need to try and leave these at the door. Every one of us has different strengths and wants to grow and the easiest way to do that is to learn from each other. At YOU Management, we have an open door policy – if someone makes a mistake, we would rather them bring it to our attention and be honest and open about it, otherwise how do we learn? Honesty, communication and efficiency are the three key elements that I believe are super super important in any company.
1. **What unique challenges do high-pressure industries like entertainment face in maintaining a positive culture?**
The main challenge in the entertainment industry is having to work 24/7, 365 days a year – but the bigger challenge is being able to look after yourself as well as excelling in your job. As agents, we look after people, but it’s important to look after ourselves too. If we don’t look after ourselves then how are we going to be able to look after our clients? I strongly believe in the saying: “You’ve got to love yourself first before you learn how to love someone else”.
At YOU Management, we have something called “after hours” meaning that if any clients contact us after 7pm during the week, or at any time over the weekend, we take it in turns to respond. By doing this, we achieve maximum efficiency – it ensures nothing gets missed and every one of our clients is looked after, whilst also allowing employees to switch off at the same time.
I think it’s so important to be able to turn your work phone off at the weekend and not worry about missing something because you know there’s someone else on call who’s going to be able to take care of it and ensure clients are happy.
1. **How can businesses such as talent agencies balance the demand for results while fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment?**
At YOU Management, we’re very lucky that we are such a big team and are able to support one another. Our agents work in pairs, so if one agent is off sick or on holiday then another agent will be familiar with that book of clients and would be able to look after them. We do this to ensure that our clients are always looked after, as this is our number one priority.
When agencies are young and only have a couple of employees, it makes it a little harder, but if you can find that balance it works. As an employee, you have to look after yourself and make sure that when you’re off you’re off and almost let clients know that if they try to contact you when you’re not on call, you may not respond, but someone else will.
1. **As the founder of YOU Management, how do you address burnout or stress among employees while preserving the integrity of the company culture?**
I’ve always been very open about mental health and what we should all be doing to look after ourselves, so I’m happy to talk about this topic as it’s very close to home. Towards the end of 2024, I was so close to burning out that there were multiple occasions where I experienced the worst panic attacks I’ve ever had – one was so bad that I genuinely thought I was having a stroke.
When you’re the founder or CEO of a company, you work so hard and do whatever you have to do to keep your business going. However, it’s about finding that balance and making sure you look after yourself too. Because of my own experiences last year, I’m taking a five week sabbatical later this month and going to Australia and the Philippines. I work hard and I love what I do, but I’ve realised I need to look after myself first.
Over the years, I’ve also had agents who have been very close to burning out, so it’s important to make sure that employees are looking after themselves. When someone is new to the company, it’s understandable that they might be working more hours as there’s so much to learn and get on top of – it takes time to grasp the ins and outs of any job, no matter what you do. However, if someone is still working late after being in the job for a year or so, we like to address this and come up with ideas to improve efficiency and therefore ensure employees are not working later/more than they should be.
1. **How can companies effectively communicate their culture and values to new hires and existing employees?**
I think how we communicate to new hires and existing employees is leading by example. For me, if someone’s new to the agency, I’m very vocal about how we work and how you should look after yourself. It is a balance, because you want your employees to be eager and stay on top of their work and want to progress, but it’s a case of leading by example. If you’re a lazy boss or CEO, then your employees are going to be lazy. But if you’re hands-on and you can guide your team effectively, it makes all the difference.
1. **As we move into 2025, what trends do you foresee influencing company culture in industries like entertainment?**
I don’t know how if this will ever happen, but I would love to see the entertainment industry working five – or even four – days a week (Monday to Thursday), because right now it’s a seven day week.
One issue we’ve addressed with the help of the Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG) and the Personal Managers’ Association (PMA) is the fact we receive self-tapes on a Friday evening which are then due on Monday morning, and this isn’t easy to maintain. When you look at why this is happening, it starts with the company which then trickles down to the producer, the casting director, the agent and the actor, so all of these different departments within the industry then have to work out of hours or over the weekend which is not OK.
Saying that, we have seen some positive changes in the industry, especially when you look at musical theatre. When it comes to self-tapes, they will give you plenty of time, but I think there is still more that needs to change. We need to remember that actors still have a life – they may have children or a family, so the weekend is when they should be able to switch off from work and take some time for themselves and their loved ones.
I think it’s important to remember that no matter what job we do, we’re all human and we have a life outside of work, and that should also be valued too. I love being an agent, just as an actor loves being an actor and a casting director loves being a casting director, but it’s remembering that there’s so much more to a person than just their job.