MAAG Supports Furloughed Agency Staff with Dedicated Online Community 

The Marketing Agencies Action Group (MAAG) - the association for independent agencies - today announced a new initiative that aims to create a community for staff who have been furloughed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Called Independents FC, the online community launches on 24th April and will offer free training and support sessions so that furloughed staff can keep in touch with the creative industries’ sector and their industry peers. 

The first in a series of free-to-attend sessions kicks off at 10am on Friday 24th April and will cover ‘work, rest and play during furlough’. The launch programme will include a special project for participants to get involved in, free training options, plus coping mechanisms for mental health and wellbeing.

The on-going initiative includes skills-based training sessions covering areas such as presenting with confidence, knowledge-based sessions on sustainability, and support sessions on mental health, which continues to be a key issue for the agency sector. All initiatives will be supported by Slack groups as well as a wider community channel. 

The move chimes with one of the key characteristics of MAAG’s other training programmes: developing peer-to-peer communities among those working in the independent entrepreneurial agency community.  

Clive Mishon, director of MAAG, comments: “During these challenging and unprecedented times, we’ve seen a new and large community of people emerging – those who have been furloughed by independent agencies. So MAAG has worked with its team of trainers and other professionals to develop a series of training initiatives with highly relevant content for furloughed marketing staff. As with our other programmes, we’re offering it at no charge during the lockdown.

“It’s likely to be a very difficult time for those that have been furloughed. But we firmly believe that while they’re not available to work for their agencies, they should not be cut off from their industry or their peers. In fact, this is a great time for them to learn more about the industry so they can return to work stronger than ever.”

Furloughed staff from independent agencies who would like to be part of the initiative can sign up to Independents FC directly by either going to www.marketingagencies.org.uk/independent-fc-events or via the Slack Group independentsfc.slack.com.