I sat down with Law on a typical
London morning (read: damp and
gray) to find out how he has taken a stand against the corporate
status quo by creating the most unconventional of companies.
Even in a dot-com world St. Luke's is unusual. The employee-owned
company really is run by the employees, and everyone from the
creative director to the receptionist has a say about the important
stuff (like which clients to take on) and the not-so-important
stuff (like which cappuc-cino maker to buy).
Rather than the typical hierarchical corporate structure, there are
no bosses at St. Luke's. The trustees of the Qualifying Employee
Share Ownership Trust (Quest) - a group of agency members voted
upon each year by their peers - "manage" the organization. No one
reports to Law or his partner, David Abraham; in fact, Law and
Abraham report to the rest of the company.
And when employees become a part of St. Luke's, they do so with the
understanding that their jobs can change if the trustees feel that
their talents might be better served in a different position.
Ownership, feels Law, increases responsibility and breeds a high
level of trust. It also, as the record shows, seems to breed
loyalty. While a turnover rate at a typical ad agency is around 25
percent, since its inception, St. Luke's has had a turnover rate of
just 10 percent.
Factor out those who left the company for personal reasons, such as
to raise a child or change careers, and the turnover rate drops to
just 1 percent.
But while employees at St. Luke's can lay claim to a part of the
agency, they can't lay claim to an office. At their London
headquarters, the site of a 19th-century toffee factory, the only
designated offices belong to the clients. Each client has a room in
the building, usually decked out in that account's advertising,
which they can use for meetings when they visit the office, and
which agency members can use for creative inspiration at other
times.