We’ve Entered Newsweek’s Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces 2023, and It’s the Best News Yet

“The companies on this list stand out to their employees. They have open-door policies where employees feel heard, offer flexibility that supports work/life balance, and provide opportunities for professional development, promotion and recognition—to name a few,” to use the words of Nancy Cooper, Newsweek’s Global Editor in Chief. 

This recognition goes to show that our mantra—empathy, transparency and diversity—has paid off, and there’s no doubt that these goals will continue to guide the efforts of our global and local leadership in providing a space for all our people to thrive and feel pride in their work. It’s safe to say that this is one of the greatest moments in my time at Media.Monks, especially as this past year hasn’t been an easy one. 

We’re here to help our people overcome obstacles. 

From a people perspective, our organization—and many others with us—has been met with various unexpected and very difficult social challenges these last couple of years. While strict lockdowns as a result of the pandemic kept several of our teams in Asia-Pacific homebound, our people in Ukraine were suddenly forced to flee or take shelter due to the ongoing war. At the start of this year, we were also deeply saddened by the disastrous impact of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. More than anything, these tragic and unforeseen events have made it abundantly clear that taking care of our people, which means making sure they are safe, satisfied and happy, should and always will be our top priority. 

Meeting our people’s needs and caring for them is not something that can be done in a couple weeks—it must happen in the present. That’s why we practice what we preach every single day, and if I may speak on behalf of our global People team, we are very proud and honored that our efforts to establish a clear vision and direction for the health, wellbeing and happiness of our people hasn’t gone unnoticed. Now, let’s take a closer look at what exactly we do to support our talent. 

Paving the path for our people to thrive. 

Beyond providing the basics such as health insurance, caregiver leave and paid vacation days, I believe that building a workplace where our 8,700+ people worldwide feel at home is about culture, belonging and representation, and making sure this is in line with everyone’s unique needs. 

Before we dive into this, it’s important to highlight that as an organization with presence in every part of the world, we always have to make sure our efforts and initiatives account for the many jurisdictional, regulatory, cultural and demographic differences that constitute our global footprint—what may be a mandatory diversity policy in one country, might be legally prohibited in another. That’s why we not only prioritize data-driven analysis of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion challenges to support more localized approaches, but we also encourage and facilitate employee-led community groups and initiatives in all our offices. 

In establishing a company culture where everyone can flourish, our initiatives are aimed at fostering an environment of DE&I and belonging. From supporting women in tech to taking action to realize diversity, these initiatives include community groups—think of our Melanin.Monks, Pride.Monks or AAPI Community Group—cultural and heritage-based events and celebrations, and local coalitions to support near and dear creators and businesses. 

Besides fostering a safe and inspiring environment, most of the above initiatives facilitate peer-to-peer learning, which is just as important in building a solid company culture. And if we encourage our talent to educate themselves and others, then we should also provide space and opportunities for growth. That’s why we have initiated a range of educational programs, including our Women Leadership Program and the S4Capital Fellowship. Furthermore, next to offering bespoke online training on various topics, from foundational DE&I principles to managing a team with empathy, we’ve recently launched our first-ever global professional development program: Accelerate.Monks. Featuring internal subject matter experts, this initiative is all about upskilling and knowledge sharing between our talented colleagues. 

The golden thread in all of this is our insatiable curiosity, creative spirit and can-do mentality. To better understand the experience of our talent, the People team has deployed net promoter scores and found that many of us have dreams way beyond our daily work and want more purpose-driven jobs. These insights have ultimately shaped our operating model of creative-first and “break it and make it.” I believe that creativity breeds creativity, and long-lasting culture is all about constantly reinventing yourself in art, culture and business—that’s why we give our talent the tools they need to always rise to the moment. 

Another accolade closer to our mission.   

Despite our size and relative infancy in this industry, our mission is to become an industry force, and raising extraordinary talent is essential to this. That’s why I’m so thrilled that Media.Monks has received this honor, as it’s testament to our efforts and proof that we’re on the right track. As a top 10 Cannes Creative Company of the Year, Webby Production Company of the Year, and the owner of the most FWAs ever, I believe there’s no doubt about our creative chops. But as the Global Chief People Officer, entering Newsweek’s Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces just hits different, because this tells me that our talent not only creates outstanding work, but they feel appreciated, valued and cared for in doing so—and right now, that’s all that matters.