BBDO is the first agency to sign on to the online resource, which agencies can use to create custom curriculum for their employees.
Mental health has moved from being a workplace taboo to an increasing area of concern for leadership and employees alike. 
That’s why the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and Made of Millions, a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health advocacy, have teamed up to launch MADE Academy, an on-demand mental health resource for agency employees. 
MADE Academy aims to empower employees to “take control of their personal wellness needs” in the workplace while creating a “culture of belonging” at agencies, Sean McGlade, the 4A’s senior vice president, talent and learning solutions, told Campaign US. 
The videos, quizzes and resources found on the MADE Academy website offer wide-ranging perspectives and experiences from the eyes of workplace mental health advocates. The content is deliberately intersectional, helping industry professionals understand how race, gender and socioeconomic status influence how we see and experience mental health. 
“Every person needs to be seen and heard,” McGlade said. “Our wellness education is inclusive because compassion should come from every direction in an agency.” 
MADE Academy also allows participants to co-create custom training and workshops. Self-paced curriculum is important for the ad agency world, in which “the demands for creativity, speed, measurement and money must be balanced with the ongoing challenges of those who spend their time and energy on the work,” McGlade said. 
BBDO is the first ad agency to adopt MADE Academy’s curriculum. Chief diversity officer Jason Rosario said the agency signed on because it feels a “sense of responsibility” to create a safe space for its employees to “thrive and do their best work.” 
Rosario said BBDO has already incorporated MADE Academy resources as part of its onboarding program for new hires. 
“The phrase ‘bring your full self to work’ has been overstated, but we don’t often consider the mental health implications of saying it,” he said. “The 4A’s has led the charge to advocate for people-centric work that features diversity, equity and inclusion in the advertising community for years.”
Paying attention to mental health is imperative for agencies as they seek to attract and retain talent during the Great Recession. Simon Fenwick, executive vice president, talent, equity and learning at the 4As, said he believes most advertising industry employees are “tired of the status quo” and “want to feel aligned to an organization’s vision and ethics.” 
“They have reassessed their priorities, which have made work-life integration the new expectation,” he said. “Workers want to be seen and heard in equal parts. That means they won’t stand for poor managers who don’t trust and lack personal development opportunities.” 
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