By Amelia Bennett, Account Coordinator
After the whirlwind year that was 2020, we decided it was the perfect time to revisit our organizational core values. We started by detailing the ways in which people make our values matter, but now it’s time to take a deeper dive into each specific value — starting with “Everyone is Valuable.”
At a high-level, this means having a deep appreciation of each individual’s uniqueness, as well as communicating how every single person — no matter the job title — is crucial to the success of the agency.
Here’s what a few Hoffmanites have to say about it.
Matthew Burrows, Account Manager (U.S.)
“Everyone is Valuable” means I can rely on each and every team member to bring ideas to the table, and they can be assured they’ll have a hand in doing key work for the account. Interns aren’t gofers here, and ACs don’t do “menial grunt work” — everyone has a hand in building the success of each account team. I believe that this value matters as it’s one of the fundamental pillars that keeps team members feeling like they have ownership of their work, and a share of the success. When everyone knows their input is valued, we get more ideas brought to the table.
For my personal work, I take feedback from anyone at all levels. If an AC or intern points out an error or comes up with a way to phrase something better, I’ll incorporate it to improve the task. There is no “seniority” in how I do things in that aspect.
Furthermore, my team members know they can always come to the group at large with a story idea, and we’ll either let them explore turning that into a reality or give them suggestions on how to improve the story idea. Some of our greatest successes in the past couple of years have come from team member suggestions when we gave them the runway to explore it.
Overall, finding value in your work is more important than ever before — it’s key to job satisfaction. Simply put, everyone deserves to feel that way.
Lydia Lau, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Operations (APAC)
Think of it this way: even for things as small as nuts and bolts, they have their value to the bigger scheme of things. This goes the same for Hoffman, and it is absolutely fundamental to the agency’s success. We are a team, and we also emphasize efficiency. We play our part well, and everyone can contribute to others’ success. In everyday work, I solicit opinions from everyone and try to connect the dots. When we each play our roles well and share values, we become efficient and productive — ultimately bringing us joy when coming to work every day! I think it’s important that you enjoy your workday as much as family time at home while doing meaningful things.
Matthew Medlin, Account Executive (U.S.)
A company’s values say a great deal about what it stands for. A lot of companies can “walk the walk” in this sense, but it takes something special to really put it into practice. At The Hoffman Agency, I feel more valued than I have in any of my previous jobs. This means feeling like my work matters, and that none of what I do feels as if it’s irrelevant “busy work,” or inconsequential to client success. It means knowing my teams can count on me, and that I’m willing to put in the work not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because I want to.
This value is fundamental to Hoffman’s success. The harsh reality is that no matter which industry you work in, work is still work. It can be long, hard and stressful, regardless of how great a company you work for. Feeling valued at work gives you the gumption you need on those hard days to push through, to tell yourself that you’re making a difference (because at Hoffman, you are), and give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Feeling valued improves the quality of your work. It’s like when you have an amazing teacher in school; since you like them and feel heard, you want to do better. The same goes for value in work.
In my everyday work, I always make sure to keep it in mind. Knowing that I’m valued by my team and company pushes me to put out my best work day after day, to remain engaged and strive to be a better team member and professional. Amid the pandemic, feeling valued is more important than ever. It makes connecting easier, whether it’s in a happy hour or a phone call, and adds a layer of much needed humanity to our interactions, even over Zoom. And I can say with confidence that my teams do the same. It takes all of us to make sure that everyone feels valued, and that their work matters.
I want to encourage everyone to think about their value at work and make it a focus of their day-to-day comings and goings. The more effort everyone puts in to making each other feel valued and important, the better work is produced. More importantly, each person feels better about putting in their time every day, because it’s for people — and a place — that care about them.
Kathy Kwok, Senior HR Manager (APAC)
I believe that each person is just as valuable as everyone else, and everyone has something that we could learn from. “Everyone is Valuable” means being respectful, understanding and appreciative of people from every walk of life.
This value is important to Hoffman’s success, because it is a vital component of both interpersonal relationships and personal identity. It all starts with valuing yourself as it is important to see your worth. When your self-esteem rises, your life follows. When I apply it to work, I will always give advice to others based on my expertise, and I will show respect by listening to others while being open minded, despite their job level/title.
In the operations team, we encourage our team members to step out of their comfort zone and show their value and expertise to others. And as a whole, all Hoffman values are integrated and cultivate the Hoffman culture.
DD Zhang, Accountant (APAC)
It’s simple — “Everyone is Valuable” means that I respect everyone’s unique life experiences and different personalities. Moreover, I respect the importance of this value and everyone in the workplace.
