Not the agency it once was - Anonymous employee BORN SOCIAL Employee Review

While the people remain the best part of Born, the business feels very different to the one it was just a few years ago. There is an increasing disconnect between senior leadership and the teams delivering the work. Capacity concerns are regularly raised, yet decisions continue to prioritise utilisation and growth over realistic resourcing. The expectation of maintaining around 90% billability leaves little room for collaboration, strategic thinking, mentoring, training or even the inevitable admin that comes with doing the job well. "Rolling your sleeves up" has shifted from being an occasional necessity to the default operating model. Teams are expected to absorb the work of colleagues who leave, while senior specialists are increasingly pulled into day-to-day delivery simply because there isn't enough resource. The biggest concern is what this is starting to do to the quality of the work. Creative agencies don't produce great work by running every team at maximum capacity. The best ideas require time to think, challenge, collaborate and refine. When everyone is stretched, that time disappears. The focus becomes getting work out of the door rather than producing the standard of work the agency is known for. Many of the benefits and perks that once reflected Born's investment in its people have also gradually been reduced or removed. On their own, those changes wouldn't matter. Combined with increasing workloads and growing pressure on teams, however, they contribute to a wider feeling that people are no longer viewed as the business's greatest asset. There are still incredibly talented people across the agency, which is why it's so frustrating to watch. I hope Croud uses this as an opportunity to reset the operating model, because without meaningful investment in people, resourcing and quality, I worry Born risks losing the culture and reputation that made it stand out in the first place.