Pros
- Wonderful team of like-minded, driven individuals who are delightful to work with everyday. It truly felt like going to work with friends every day - A catalogue of delightful artists who are genuinely thrilled to be working with the company - The opportunity to work on exciting projects with the most prestige companies / brands across the globe. - A great ethos and purpose behind the business- helps maintain a sense of purpose to the work.
Cons
- Senior Leadership - desperately needs fresh eyes and the input of someone who hasn't been promoted internally. A seasoned MD needs some time with the team to truly analyse the function of the company and give impartial recommendations for improvement (and existing strengths!) - Systems - Are letting your clients and team down consistently. ARTIQ hire some of the very brightest people in the industry and they are burntout gradually by repetitive, outdated systems . I understand this takes time to develop but the importance should be placed on its' implementation above all else as it is truly the root of why you lose people who otherwise love the company. Human error is just that, and no one is perfect, despite the expectation to be. -Staff retention - Needs a serious overhaul. Grand sweeping gestures do not keep staff, if someone is close to handing in notice the damage is already done. There needs to be a stronger focus on consistent, small and meaningful recognition of work and consistent review of pay and benefits to keep your team with you. You of course can't offer a pay rise every month, but you can check-in and speak about it candidly to make sure your staff are happy before it's gone too far and they're half way out of the door. Growth- Help those to grow who aren't necessarily pushing down doors for themselves. The internal promotion structure needs to be much clearer so that shyer, hard working individuals can progress and grow. Especially in non-sales roles. Graduates specifically who join the company will have no prior experience of pushing for promotion and you need to let them know the potential of what they can achieve from day 1. Pay - Yes it's a buzzword, but the pay situation and lack of clarity is dire within the company. No, the Fine Art industry doesn't pay as highly as other private industries, but ARITQ still come in way below average, especially in comparison to other design consultancies which salaries should more closely align with (as opposed to the gallery structure). Put simply, loving the work is not enough to keep your team going and with the company when they can't afford to live. Size - Other consultancies and companies purposely keep themselves small. Uncontrolled growth (when systems can't keep up) is killing your team. Keep your team small and be selective with projects. It will prevent the burnout of the team and give a level of prestige that comes with being in a position to turn down low-profit and less desirable projects.