Did you know that employers need to be ready to protect employees from sexual harassment under a new statutory obligation?  

According to a study from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, 2023 a quarter all people who’ve experienced sexual harassment said it had happened in their place of work. Meanwhile, the TUC found that 3 in 5 women have experienced harassment at work. 

From October 2024 the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill will strengthen protection for workers against sexual harassment. This new law will place a new duty on employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment.  

If you want to understand what this means for you as an employer, Creative Access has created a training workshop covering the new legal obligations to help employers take proactive steps to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace.  

If you’re focused on inclusion, now is the time to act and not only deal with sexual harassment but to prevent sexual harassment from happening in the workplace. 

Our ‘Fostering Respect: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’ workshop includes:  

• What is ‘sexual harassment’? Recognising the behaviours that constitute sexual harassment  

• Understanding the law surrounding sexual harassment  

• What to do if you experience or witness sexual harassment in the workplace  

• Understand how management should handle a complaint and how to support all staff involved 

• Barriers to disclosure at work and creating a safe environment for disclosure 

• Responding appropriately and managing trauma responses 

• Remove or reducing risks to stop sexual harassment before it happens 

Take steps to protect your employees today and enquire now about booking a session for your team.  

Online Workshop 

We’ll also be running an open workshop on Wednesday 26th February 2025, 11am – 12.30pm on sexual harassment in the workplace for individual employees to join. 

Spaces are capped at 15 participants. Book your place now: Fostering Respect: Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. 

Last week we headed to Publicis Groupe in White City for a masterclass on all things advertising featuring our friends from ad agency powerhouse Publicis London. We touched on everything from a day in the life of an account manager, to why being a strategist is a bit like being a detective, as well as understanding why TikTok can help you become a better creative, and what it takes to thrive as a producer! 

Panel: 

🎤 Guergana Stoytcheva, account director 
🎤 Prianka Ramlugun, strategist  
🎤 Pierre Lavenir, content creative  
🎤 Bea Icke, production assistant  
🎤 Ella Darlington, head of comms at Creative Access (chair) 

Want to know what really goes on behind-the-scenes in advertising? You’re in luck. Here’s the breakdown of the four key parts of an advertising agency… 

Think of the account management team as representing the client within the agency and the agency with the client. They’re responsible for the day-to-day client contact, they help sell in the work to the client and oversee budget, timelines and delivery.  

Account director at Publicis London, Guergana, has been working in the advertising agency for three years with a background in travel and tourism (talk about career-switcher inspo!). Here’s what she had to say about working on the accounts team…  

The stakeholders when you’re in a role like this are everyone – we’re talking finance, clients, SLT, creative, strategy, and production. It is vital that you are able to build and maintain trust with both the clients and everyone at the agency.  

• Understand the client’s business challenges and personal goals (you’re their champion and they become yours) 

• The agency team need to know they can depend on you: if they have a different strategy idea to what the client wants, your team needs to know you’ll have their back.  

• You’re not just the yes person for the client! You’re there to help them see the vision. 

• Good communication skills 

• Empathy 

• The ability to read between the lines 

• Detail oriented 

• Presenting skills 

If you have zero experience in the field but want to get in, Guergana’s been there. Her advice for getting in without the industry experience is…  

“Be honest and highlight your transferable skills – the things that make the best account management people are rarely taught, everything technical can be learnt” 

Our very own Creative Access alumni Prianka started off as an account & strategy intern at Publicis London and three years later, she is now a strategist at the agency. She said she always wanted to do everything and admitted to ‘applying for every positive action scheme that Creative Access had’ when she finished uni. But realised, after finding the internship, that advertising and the creative element wasn’t just something she’d like but it was a space where she could actually use the skills she had: her research abilities from her history degree and her ability to chat to people from her Saturday job.  

Brands come to strategist with business problem; it’s the strategist’s job to find the gap in the market and think about the people to help solve this problem. 

• Immerse yourself in news; polls and surveys; you’ll use market research platforms like Mintel (which Prianka calls a strategist’s best friend); you’ll analyse other products on market; and good news for those immersed in internet culture, you’ll constantly be researching on platforms like TikTok and Reddit – “if you’re going to talk to people, speak their language”, Prianka says 

• You’ll have to research how the client can stand out in a crowded space. Some good examples are products and campaigns like Liquid Death, Heinz and CeraVe’s Michael Cera ads  

• Working closely with the creative team, you’ll distill all your research into one line to help them bring the vision to life  

Here’s how strategy comes to life:  

Garnier came to Publicis London with the launch of a new Vitamin C daily UV. Prianka and the team of strategists found out that 9/10 brits admit to never wearing spy on their face. They realised that the SPF category is constantly talking about sun and, unfortunately, Britain isn’t the sunniest of climates. So, their strategy to help Garnier stand out in the market was to make SPF an everyday habit for British people: ‘phone, keys, wallet.. SPF’. The campaign hinged upon the idea of wearing every single day versus every SUNNY day. 

• Be like a detective: find the insights  

• Be like an architect: curate a plan of what story you want to tell and what you want them to feel 

• Be like a presenter: zoom out and tell everyone the one thing you want to create based on all your research 

Strategy is all about storytelling. She told the audience: “Remember in your applications that you’re talking to strategists so present your career journey and story for them to showcase your storytelling skills!” 

The creative team are the ideas people. They use imagination to produce the work, turning a product into memorable ideas, campaigns and activations.  

Pierre was working in marketing before he started as a content creative at Publicis London. One day he saw a beautiful Gucci x North Face ad with Francis Bourgeois that stopped him in his tracks. He felt inspired and wanted to work on bigger campaigns. He joined Publicis a year later on accounts team and then made the switch into the creative team.  

• The creative teams focus a lot on the concept  

• You’ll work lots with strategists, account team and producers, as well as ‘the makers’: designer, video editors, film directors, photographers 

• It’s a really varied role! Pierre says from his own experience, “one day you might work on an idea for LFW and the next you’re doing social content for Renault and the next you’re working on OOH campaigns” 

• On that, a recent campaign for Thayer’s skincare, Publicis London honed in on a Gen Z audience who love their phones but can find them overwhelming and launched a campaign called: “Tone it down”. The campaign was a play on the fact the product is a toner and the team even got the Bimini to wear a life-size version of the bottle’s red lid at London Fashion Week.  

• The best part of the job for Pierre?  “Sometimes you come up with really crazy ideas and sometimes they really do happen!” 

• You’ve got to be a conceptual thinker! 

• A trend lover with your finger on the pulse. Pierre says, “I watch TikToks to get inspired – that’s part of my job and I get paid for it!” 

• You need to be able to build trust with your client to help sell in the more ‘crazy’ ideas and prove to them you have the knowledge it will succeed 

Pierre says your portfolio is most important thing as a creative, it shows your taste and what you’re all about so get building it! He also recommends competitions and awards such as the D&AD New Blood Awards to get some practice working on campaigns, and you might even win!  

Production assistant Bea always knew she wanted to do something creative and cites the Coca Cola Christmas adverts as her biggest source of inspiration to enter the advertising world.  

The production team brings it all together. They’re there for the whole ride that is a campaign: Before, during and after the shoot. 

Before an advertising shoot/campaign… 

You’ll be working within the agency, as well as exterrnally with casting, locations, art department and wardrobe and – vitally – making sure everything is within budget!  

During an advertising shoot/campaign… 

You’ll be there on shoot, making sure everyone is sticking to storyboard and that everyone is happy 

Post-advertising shoot/campaign…  

You’ll work with post-production, this includes sorting out titles and working with legal too to ensure that everything meets the brief and fulfils any legal requirements, as well as working on all the final touches with experts such as colourists 

• Organisation is KEY! There are so many moving parts, there’s lots of meetings with different people and emails to keep on top of 

• And on that note, it helps if you’re a people person with good communication skills and you’ll be meeting people with all sorts of different jobs and approaches 

• Good time management skills 

• Project management skills 

Bea says that in production you’re the middleman. “Sometimes it is a really tight window and managing everyone’s expectation can be difficult… You’ve got to learn how to do this.” 

Thanks so much to the wonderful panel at Publicis London for shedding light on how everything works behind-the-scenes at an advertising agency – we definitely left feeling inspired!  

If you’ve not already registered with us, do it here. You’ll be the first to know about the hottest paid internships and jobs in the creative industries, as well as FREE events and masterclasses like these! 

• 82% of creatives from lower socio-economic backgrounds report financial barriers preventing job applications. 

• 86% of disabled respondents cite financial barriers as a significant hurdle to applying for new roles. 

• 94% of those in the Music, Theatre, Dance, and Visual Arts sector have faced financial obstacles when applying for jobs. 

• Creative Access 2024/25 Career Development Bursary launches, supported by WME & McLaren Racing 

 
Recent data from Creative Access, the UK’s leading diversity, equity & inclusion social enterprise has uncovered stark financial challenges faced by under-represented talent in the creative industries. These include those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, disabled individuals, and Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse communities. The findings reveal that these financial barriers – such as high living or commuting costs – are not only deterring talent from these groups from applying for and accepting job offers – but also severely hindering their career progression. 

With 81% of respondents indicating that financial barriers, such as high living or commuting costs, have prevented them from applying for new positions, the survey underscores the persistent inequities within the creative economy. This figure rises even higher among disabled respondents at 86%. Meanwhile, those working within Music, Theatre, Dance, and Visual Arts sectors are the hardest hit, with an overwhelming 94% affected. 

The financial burdens do not stop at job applications. 38% of respondents report that financial barriers have prevented them from accepting job offers, with senior-level creative industry professionals (8+ years’ experience within the creative industries) feeling the pressure most acutely at 53%. The burden is particularly high for those in the Film, TV, Radio, and Audio Production sector, where 41% have had to turn down roles due to financial constraints. 

Bursary initiative launch: 

In response to these pressing issues, Creative Access is proud to announce the launch of its Career Development Bursary aimed at supporting under-represented professionals in the creative industries. This initiative will offer financial assistance to enable more under-represented talent to access and thrive in creative industry roles. The Bursary is generously supported by William Morris Endeavor (WME) and McLaren Racing. 

McLaren Racing has worked with Creative Access since 2021 as part of the team’s flagship DE&I programme, McLaren Racing Engage, which was launched to open pathways into motorsport careers and support talent from under-represented communities. 

2023/24 Creative Access Career Development Bursary testimonial: 

“Thank you so much for the support. We already had our first film festival success and will be screening at Aesthetica Film Festival in November – a big win for us that wouldn’t have been possible without the Bursary”. – Naomi 

Mel Rodrigues, CEO, Creative Access: 
“These concerning trends demonstrate just how difficult it is for talent from under-represented groups to get a foothold and progress in creative careers. Our Bursary is a step towards dismantling these pervasive financial barriers, by addressing the economic constraints that are blocking both individual and collective potential to thrive in the creative industries.” 
 

Sagina Shabaya, Senior Director of Impact and Inclusion, Endeavor: 

“At WME, we are committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent talented individuals from thriving in the creative industries. The survey highlights just how significant these financial challenges are, and we are proud to support Creative Access in providing tangible, financial assistance to under-represented talent. Through the Career Development Bursary, we hope to empower the next generation and ensure that the industry better reflects the diversity of voices and experiences that fuel its success.” 

 Kim Wilson, Director of Sustainability, McLaren Racing:  

“We are immensely proud of our collaboration with Creative Access, which has been a key partner in our Engage Alliance since 2021. Through these kinds of initiatives, we can break down some of the barriers to working in industries like motorsport and help support talented individuals through their journey. We want to set the benchmark for diversity and inclusion in sport and programmes like this helps us to ensure that everyone, irrespective of background, understands that they can have equal access to opportunities.” 

What can the Bursary fund?  

• Training courses (including driving lessons)  

• Equipment or software purchase (at an appropriate specification for your career stage)   

• Equipment or venue hire  

• Relocation costs (e.g. deposit or rent support)  

• Contribution to living costs whilst working or training (e.g. travel and accommodation)  

• Disability access support  

• Care costs  

• Bespoke coaching or mentoring  

• Participation in career development programmes (e.g. Springboard and Thrive)  

Unfortunately, we cannot fund: academic courses, debts, costs that should be paid for by an employer, expenses for activities that have already occurred.  

How much money can I access?  

The maximum amount you can apply for is £1,000 and you must provide evidence about your costs (e.g. if you’re applying for equipment, you must specify the exact make and model required and be able to justify why it’s appropriate for your needs).  

We can only consider one application per person. If you’re applying for several related costs, you should make one Bursary application and itemise the different elements, including the grand total.    

What do I need to apply?  

An aspiration to work in or to develop your career in the creative economy. This encompasses any role in the creative industries, or creative roles in other sectors (e.g. design, marketing, branding). Industries include:  

• Architecture  

• Art  

• Book, newspaper and magazine publishing  

• Campaigning, government and policy  

• Fashion  

• Film, TV, radio and audio production  

• Museums, galleries and libraries  

• Music, theatre, dance and visual arts  

• PR, marketing and advertising  

• Product design & graphic design  

• Talent management  

• Technology and gaming  

• A clear idea of what you would spend the Bursary on and the ability to demonstrate how it would contribute to your career development  

• Evidence of your expected cost(s) e.g. website link(s), itemised breakdown of costs  

Apply for the Career Development Bursary by 4th November.

Creative Access’ executive chair & co-founder Josie Dobrin OBE talks to The Bookseller’s Matilda Battersby about the prevailing use of the term ‘BAME’ in publishing, despite UK government research by the Race Disparity Unit finding it ‘unhelpful’. Josie discusses Creative Access’ decision to ditch the term years ago.

Creative Access partnered with world-renowned brand strategists Ogilvy UK to devise and deliver the first cohort of its Borderless Mentoring Programme, aimed at boosting retention and progression of Ogilvy UK staff from under-represented backgrounds within the company in order to impact retention, confidence and progression.

Individuals from Ogilvy UK’s enterprise resource planning groups (ERGs) were invited to apply for the mentoring programme, with individuals approached and nominated from across the business to participate in the programme. A cohort of 20 staff from historically marginalised backgrounds were nominated by leadership at Ogilvy and matched with senior level mentors from outside their sector. Partnerships began in October 2023 and ran for 6 months of virtual mentoring until April 2024. The joint aim was to use mentoring as a tool to improve mentee confidence, knowledge, optimism for career progression as well as expanding contacts & networks. 

Campaign measurement indicates 100% of surveyed mentee respondents agreed the mentoring programme had boosted their confidence, with 75% agreeing it had made them more optimistic about opportunities for career progression open to them. 72% of respondents also agreed the mentoring programme improved their knowledge and skills they need to progress their career in the creative economy. The programme wrapped with a celebration event – hosted at Ogilvy UK HQ – that brought mentees and mentors together in person to celebrate the success of the programme and provide a platform to highlight individual achievements. 

Despite 2023’s challenges, Creative Access made remarkable strides in supporting under-represented talent directly and helping organisations within the creative industries on their DE&I journey. With the writers’ strike and financial hurdles affecting 68% of film and TV workers, Creative Access stepped up to provide critical support & development opportunities across the creative economy.

• Mentoring programmes: 418 participants
• Career development support: 312 people
• Careers advice and training: 4773 individuals
• Increased confidence: 84% of individuals
• Boosted career optimism: 90% of individuals
• Enhanced knowledge and skills: 87% of individuals
• Expanded professional networks: 64% of individuals

Join us in celebrating these achievements and explore how our efforts are transforming the creative economy.

Browse and download the full Creative Access Impact Report 2023-2024 here.

To celebrate Pride Month, we’ve pulled together 4 tips for employers on how to make their workplaces more inclusive for their LGBTQIA+ employees.

1. Pronouns
   Including pronouns in email signatures or wearing pronoun pins helps avoid accidentally misgendering people. Encouraging all employees to include their pronouns in their email signatures not only normalises the use of pronouns within the workplace but also makes trans and gender non-conforming employees feel less singled out for using them.
   
2. Gender neutral bathrooms
   Many gender non-conforming and transgender employees feel uncomfortable when the only options for bathrooms are either women’s or men’s. By having gender neutral bathrooms, it shows employers care about inclusivity and diversity. These bathrooms can be used by anyone and help avoid unsafe or frightening situations for trans and gender non-conforming people.
   
3. Uplift the LGBTQIA+ community outside of Pride
   Although it is lovely to see companies showing their allyship during Pride Month, it is also important that employers are just as invested in the LGBTQ+ community outside of Pride. Making sure your company and workplace is just as inclusive and supportive throughout the rest of the year is what makes your workplace a positive space.
   
4. Educating yourself
   Educating yourself and seeking out training on LGBTQIA+ issues is an important step in creating an inclusive environment. This is not limited to just employers but employees too. When everyone is informed, your LGBTQIA+ employees are less likely to feel distressed in the workplace.

If you would like to learn more about inclusive practices, sign up for one of our upcoming open workshops or contact us to explore our bespoke training courses.

As part of our Enhance Your Career series, we’ll be compiling resources to help you climb the career ladder in the creative industries and advocate for yourself in the workplace. 

More and more in the creative industries, employers are looking for transferable skills from varying experiences, versus direct industry experience. If you’ve figured out an industry or career path you’d like to pivot into but are still stuck on how to make the jump, we’ve pulled together our expert advice for getting prepared to switch careers and start applying for those dream roles! 

These could be from work, volunteering or your personal interests. Don’t feel worried if you don’t meet each and every one of the job criteria – demonstrate your passion and ability to learn. Something we often hear from industry experts is that passion and interest from candidates about the job they’re applying for is one of the most important factors when considering who to take on.  

You can also ask yourself these questions about the industry you’re entering: Do you need a qualification? Is there a free course you can access? Can you upskill within the company you currently work at e.g. undertake training? Is there anything you can do in your own time to hone your skills and make yourself an expert on a subject? 

Remember, your individual experience has value; use your own knowledge and expertise to let employers know why they need your unique perspective.  

When positioning yourself and your expertise, something to consider is how can you future-proof your career in this industry and adapt to change? A huge topic affecting most industries at the moment is AI. Think about if this is going to impact your new industry, and what skills can you develop to make yourself indispensable? 

We know that everyone bangs on about networking – and, whilst it can feel cringe – we promise it’s worth it. People enjoy talking about their interests and career journeys, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed for heading to a networking event or reaching out to someone you admire on LinkedIn to ask how they got into the field and if they know of any opportunities, events or industry bodies you could access. Most of the time, people are willing to help and would be happily reminded by a follow up email – just make sure not to overdo it.  

You can also attend relevant industry associations and events to expand your network and get advice from others already in the roles you want to enter. 

You can access career advice for free through resources like the government-funded National Careers Service, and charities like the Young Women’s Trust which offers free coaching for women under 30.  

Research shows that people from under-represented backgrounds who advance the furthest in their careers all have a strong network who nurture their professional development. Creative Access regularly runs mentoring programmes with the likes of Penguin Random House UK and ITV, as well as our own mentoring programme for those on our career development programme. 

You can also ask your employer to sign you up for our career development programme.

Get your CV ready for the industry you’re entering; update your personal profile, make each experience relevant to the skills/transferable skills you’ll use in that role. Read our advice on how to craft the perfect CV and cover letter for the creative industries.

And if it’s been a while since you put together a CV and you’re looking for some more support, you can join one of our monthly CV workshops led by our recruitment team.  

LinkedIn is also one of the best tools for finding new connections and expanding your network. So, make sure it’s up to date with those transferable skills. 

Are you unsure how to navigate *that* salary conversation with your line manager? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! As part of our ‘Enhance Your Career’ series, we’re sharing our top tips and resources that are relevant for every career stage and will help you put your best foot forward when negotiating your salary for a new role or for your next step up at your current one.  

Our expert team see hundreds of CVs every week, we’ve placed over 2,000 individuals and our data shows 92% of those we place stay on in the creative industries a year on, so you can trust us to help you make the most of your career! As research shows, those who are underrepresented in creative industries are often underpaid, so it’s an important conversation that you really want to be prepared for, should you choose to have it. Now let’s get straight to the tips! 

You want to be able to provide a timely reason for wanting to renegotiate, so ask yourself, why now? Potential triggers include: 

• A job offer. If you’ve been offered a job and the salary is less than what you think you deserve, you could leverage either current salary trajectory or industry standards (GlassDoor is a great resource for checking) 
• A promotion. Perhaps you’ve been promoted but the salary increase doesn’t match with what you’d discussed, industry standards, or reflect what the role entails 

• You’ve gained further qualifications. Knowledge is power, and if you’ve recently gained a qualification that significantly enhances your work performance and results, you want to be paid for it 
• You’ve taken on a leadership role. Managerial responsibilities shouldn’t be taken lightly and if you’ve recently taken on a leadership role, it’s a great prompt for renegotiation 
• You’ve gained in experience. Often, companies appreciate loyalty and for their employees to stay put, but continue to grow and add value, so it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a reward for that 

If you have no justification as to why you think you deserve a salary increase, it’s probably not the best time to ask for one.  

Having established why now is the right time for a salary increase, it’ll be much easier to make your case if you can show why you deserve it through evidence of your hard work and the positive impact it’s had. 

Hopefully you’ve kept a log of achievements, projects or outputs and the part you’ve had to play in those, but if not, dig deep into recent projects and make note of: 

• How you contributed to that successful project  
• The positive impact your involvement had on those results 
• The value of your skills to the company 

• How you hope to continue to contribute to overall business momentum & success 

• Make sure you’re informed of industry standard salaries – check out GlassDoor, Indeed Salary Search, Check-a-Salary – and adjust for your position, location and level of experience  
• Research other factors worth negotiating besides monetary ones – amount of holiday, ability to travel or work remotely, responsibilities, flexible-working, investment in training – however you should expect to back up reasons why any of these contractual changes will provide greater benefit to the company 

• Prepare exactly what you want to say and memorise a strong introduction to get the best footing: ‘I’d like to talk about a salary adjustment because of the additional responsibilities I’ve taken on in the last 8 months. I’ve been producing X value for the business, and here’s what it’s resulted in’ 
• You’ll feel more confident in your delivery if you practise with a friend first, and ask them to prepare you with tough questions 
• Top tip: why not try role-playing being the other person in the salary negotiation. It can be a good reminder of what the person you’re pitching might want from you. Such as evidence, specificity or reassurance that you’re invested in the business! 

The outcome might not be what you had hoped for; what are you willing to compromise on? 

• Before you go into the negotiation, have a clear idea of the package you’re happy to agree upon 
• Know that your line manager may not be the end decision maker and understand their constraints 
• You might decide to pause negotiations, renegotiate a different salary package or walk away 
• Think about what your next steps would be for multiple possibilities 

Remember, there’s no one better to advocate for yourself than you. We wish you the best of luck and keep an eye on our #EnhanceYourCareer series this summer. Check out our other ‘How to’ resources.

If you’re an employer, check out our blog on why stating the salary puts your organisation at a competitive advantage here. 

Creative Access ‘The Class Ceiling in the Creative Industries’ report findings mentioned in opinion piece, ‘Crossing the class divide: are the creative industries a closed shop for the working class?’. Read the article by Tom West at Marketing Beat.

Freelancers are all too often the lifeblood and the lifesavers of a creative organisation. They’re the flexible extra resource we bring in when the workload suddenly increases and there’s no time (or budget) to hire; they’re individuals with incredible specialist skills who can change your organisation but you could never afford to hire permanently; they’re the crew on a theatre or TV production who make mind-blowing, award-winning work or in the case of many sectors in the creative industries, like film and TV, they are quite literally your entire workforce.

And yet, as Creative Access’ freelancer report shows, many employers are not treating their freelancers in this way. They are treating them as ‘other’ to their permanent employees; investing in training or wellbeing for everyone except their freelancers or worse, claiming to create a culture of ‘belonging’ that includes everyone except the large proportion of individuals not on permanent contracts.

If you have a creative organisation, at some point you will need freelancers. And here is our best practice for how to attract, retain and support the best freelancers in the business:

• Being a freelancer can be especially hard on your mental health
• Employers can play an important role in supporting freelancers with their mental health and wellbeing by opening up access to training and employee assistance programmes to freelancers

• 78% of freelancers in our survey said professional training was one of the most important areas employers and industry bodies can support them
• Ensure your freelancers can access all of your internal training
• Really progressive employers are now offering freelancers a stipend for further professional training – it’s definitely one way to ensure the best freelance talent will remain loyal to you over your competitors
• Or there may be professional training that your team could provide freelancers such as personal brand building, legal or financial management training

• For any freelancer working with you for more than a few weeks, they should be allocated a line manager, who should check-in with them regularly and provide performance reviews as they would with a permanent employee
• You could also consider offering your freelancers a mentor through Creative Access

• If you are truly building an inclusive culture you can’t segregate employees based on their employment contract
• Freelancers should be included in all social events, if you celebrate birthdays in your organisation make sure theirs is marked too
• Make it clear you will make reasonable adjustments for disabled freelancers – 91% of disabled freelancers in our survey highlighted this was an issue with employers

• Having a strong and growing network is critical for freelancers to find new projects and earn money
• Look at where you could help by writing testimonials for them on Linked-In or for their website or introduce them to people in your own network
• Showcase the work they’ve done for you on your organisation’s channels and name check them

Read the findings from our freelancer report: Freedom or working for free? Freelancers in the creative economy.

Creative Access data from their report: The Class Ceiling in the Creative Industrues reveals that over half of Public Relations professionals (PRs) say working class is underrepresented in the industry. 70% of PRs agree working class representation is worse at senior level – research from Creative Access and FleishmanHillard. Article by Elizabeth Wiredu at PR Week