Category: TJA Culture

Let me get a couple of things out of the way: One, I am more than fortunate to work at TJA. I’m able (and encouraged) to bring my dog to work and we consistently employ people who love dogs. Two, my dog is the best dog. (HI, BAILEY!) Okay, the second point is debatable, but I need you to know that I am writing from an extremely biased viewpoint.

Bringing Bailey to work is fun. I like having her here. There are obvious benefits like the fact that I don’t have to rush home right after work to make sure she can go outside and I certainly don’t need to buy one of those treat-dispensing pet cameras. It gives me peace of mind that she isn’t sitting at home, bored out of her adorable mind. Which, in turn, prevents me from spiraling into an existential line of thinking. “Why do we even have dogs (or pets) if we just ignore them? Is she really bored or is she fine? What does she even want out of her life?” Selfishly, and a bit more realistic, I like looking at her face and petting her throughout the day. It also allows me to do things after work like dinners, meetups or happy hours.

However, what started as a selfish decision to bring my dog to work has turned into somewhat of an obligation. The thing is, I’m not the only one that benefits from bringing Bailey to work. After she came with me to work a few times, I started to get questioned about where she was when I didn’t bring her. I loved that my coworkers love my dog, so I kept bringing her. Soon enough, she was at work 3-4 times a week and became an installation in the office. If she’s missing on a day that isn’t Monday or Friday, I get questioned about her whereabouts almost immediately.

My coworkers don’t love Bailey because everyone here loves small, fluffy and somewhat grumpy dogs. It’s because she provides comfort for everyone. She greets everyone in the morning (and sometimes when they return after lunch) with a rooster-like series of barks (she carries a tiny tennis ball in her mouth and barks through it—it’s delightful) and then sits dutifully on my desk throughout the day where she waits for people to pass by and pet her. Most people need a little break from whatever worries are bouncing through their head. Bailey provides a smile and a fluffy body to pet. Baby and/or Muppet voices are optional, but appreciated. She has developed into the official TJA therapy dog over the years. It seems like my duty to bring her to work all the time, and it’s especially important during busy times at the agency.

Bringing your dog to work sounds great. So why am I even writing this blog? There’s more to the story. Bringing your dog to work requires even more work than what you get paid for and it can be very annoying if someone brings in a dog that disrupts the entire workday. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the past few years:

1. Get to work early. Dogs will probably be amped/curious to be in a new place and generally don’t know what, “I have to work now” means.
2. Keep track of them. Even if your dog is perfectly behaved at home, this is not your home. Even the best-trained dogs have accidents and it’s not a good look to have that happen at work.
3. Bring treats and toys. Make your dog comfortable so they aren’t barking or disturbing everyone all day. If your dog likes to squeak toys until they break, maybe leave the squeaky ones at home.
4. Take them outside often. Dogs are more active in an office, which means they drink more water and generally need to go outside more often than if they were at home sleeping the day away.
5. If an accident happens, clean it immediately and teach your dog that it’s not okay. This shouldn’t need an explanation.
6. Be ready to take them home if there’s an issue. Please take your dog home if they aren’t behaving.
7. Expect to take care of your dog all day long. On the rare occasion you have to leave, you might have to ask someone to watch over your dog, but it should never be your coworker’s responsibility to take your dog outside or to watch it for an extended period of time. It’s a business, not a doggy daycare.
8. You will probably need to stay later than usual. It’s not fair for you to take extra breaks to care for your dog and then leave exactly on time. Be fair to your coworkers and work for the entire time you are obligated to work.

Unfortunately, not all dogs are ready to come to work. Your dog is obviously a Good Dog, but might not be appropriate for your workplace. Here are some reasons to leave your furry friend at home:

1. If they are aggressive. This is potentially dangerous and rude. If there are other dogs, there might be a fight, or worse, there could be an injury inflicted by your dog. At TJA, we have clients, vendors and delivery people coming and going pretty often which can cause a lot of disturbances.
2. If they bark a lot. To be fair, my sweet baby angel face dog, Bailey, barks on occasion and doesn’t love children at the office. She can generally be consoled and I am always ready to take her home if she gets out of hand.
3. If your dog is active when people are around. Eventually, your dog will need to settle in for the day and be quiet. If your dog isn’t able to do that, it’s best to leave them at home where they can get some rest.
4. If they aren’t well-trained. Accidents happen, but are only forgiven if it is a rare occurrence. If your dog is known to mark everything or doesn’t know how to tell you they need to go outside, leave them home.
5. If you are in meetings or off-site for a good portion of the day. If you aren’t going to be with your dog during the workday, they should stay at home.

Now that you are wiser about office dog etiquette, bring your fuzzy friend to work! Or don’t. Be considerate to your coworkers and remember that work comes first. If all else fails, you can always stop by and visit Bailey.

As the sole proprietor of a growing agency and mom to a four year old and an almost-three-year-old, I’m always trying to achieve the magic work/life balance ratio. I also know that it is not always realistic to effectively achieve this balance, especially in our industry of tight deadlines, childcare unknowns and last minute fire drills.

Years ago [before I started my own business], I worked for an agency that had a fairly strict vacation policy. You were required to accrue your days, and requests made by senior team members would take precedence over my own. As a 20-something designer with zero responsibilities other than my dog – no dependents, no mortgage, no yard to manage – I wanted to get out of dodge as much as I possibly could. I promised myself that when I controlled my own destiny, I’d rewrite the game of PTO.

Fast forward almost 12 years later, I own a business made of uber-creative, free-spirited employees. The creative environment is a tender environment, one which drafts large amounts of energy from these folks daily. My creative director once said that “working in advertising is like being an actor. You are expected to perform on demand, but if you are tired, burnt out or not creatively turned on, it’s really difficult to do your ‘job’ well.” This is so true for our line of work. Agency life is fast paced and requires you to be “on” all the time. There isn’t a moment that doesn’t demand you to keep your thinking cap on. Most importantly, you have to stay refreshed and inspired to provide the best work possible for the client. All of this sums up why I don’t say no to PTO.

At TJA, we have 10 business days of personal time off for each employee. It doesn’t matter whether you are fresh off the schoolyard block or you are a tenured team member, you get two weeks! It’s not accrued so they are able to use it when they want, as soon as they want, and however much they want at one time. We also close for two weeks during the holiday season and give the team those days paid as well, which totals up to an average of 27 paid days off annually. It’s more than a business month off!

I cautiously warn them however, TJA does not offer a separate ‘bank’ of sick days. I remind them that if they are prone to catching whatever annual catastrophic ailment is going around during flu season, they should plan ahead and not blow through all of their days. You can clearly draw a line in the sand between those employees who savor their days and others who have spent them all before first quarter’s end.

Because we are a smaller agency, I also ask them to have respect for their fellow peers. If half the creative department has already requested days off for approval, I tell them to be conscientious that they may be putting the firm into a bandwidth predicament. I am very fortunate to have a group of people under my roof who genuinely respect and admire each other, so this has never happened.

As an employer, I see the effects of a flexible PTO policy return to the company ten-fold. Team members get to spend quality time with their family, take off on an adventure they likely would not have had the ability to do at their last position, or just rest at home. However they decide to use their time out of the office, they always return refreshed, rejuvenated and re-inspired. I’ve heard some often say that they were excited to come back to work after being away.

That’s music to Boss Lady’s ears.

Veronique James | Boss Lady

For those of you who don’t know, 2017 marked TJA’s first annual Summer Recharge: a week in July where our team can top off their batteries and come back with renewed stores of creative inspiration. As we approach the 2018 edition (happening July 3–July 6), we’d like to share why this practice was put in place.

There’s a reason we don’t call this vacation. It isn’t time spent lounging on the couch or frittering days away. Last year, members of our crew experienced truly life-changing moments. A couple people moved into their first house, others explored the streets of new cities while gaining hospitality insights, some explored international locales to seek out new perspectives—and then there’s me.

I (probably somewhat stupidly) took one of our Boss Lady’s favorite credos to heart: “If you’re not doing something that makes you uncomfortable, you’re doing something wrong.” I put that philosophy into action by buying a new-to-me motorcycle on Sunday, outfitting it on Thursday and taking off for a 3,500-mile solo road trip on Saturday.

This is something I’d wanted to do since college, but had never had the proper bike nor the time off. Lucky for me, TJA’s unique company culture encourages such foolish decisions. Throughout my first few days on the road, I met very nice desert juggalos, saw California’s wine country for the first time, explored the place where Star Wars was shot, watched morning mist roll through a pristine redwood forest and stayed in some cheap motels with plenty of “character”—and that was all before my layover in Portland.

After eating some of the city’s best food and reconnecting with wonderful friends for two days, my road trip kicked back into gear—starting with a ride across the entirety of Oregon. My first day back in the saddle included a dead battery, some helpful locals and beers at a hotel bar with a legit biker that had “seen some shit.” Day two immersed me in all things Idaho and Utah, from rolling hills to soaring peaks. The final day treated me to views of Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks, Arizona’s iconic Monument Valley and Flagstaff thunderstorms. It all culminated in a rain-soaked ride down tight curves while battling mechanical failures and rolling smoke from forest fires—right before a kind woman selling dog food out of her car jumpstarted my battery.

All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime for more than a couple reasons. Yes, it was a chance to explore a side of the country I was only faintly familiar with. But it also opened me up to new sources of creative inspiration. I met true characters, heard insane stories and flexed some different writing muscles by keeping a loose travel journal. It was my first chance to take on a personal project since forever.

It’s experiences like these that make our summer break a recharge instead of a vacation. Our time in 2018 is sure to include even more inspiring adventures for our team, from time in Japan, Singapore and Mexico to reflective moments with family. I anticipate our weekly “one word” exercise on the first Monday back will come with some pretty interesting responses—and translate into even more interesting client work. We can’t wait to share it with you.