It seems like every workplace has a conversation going on about working from home right now, and the affiliate marketing industry is no different. Lee-Ann is discussing this sudden lifestyle change with Webgains UK Managing Director, Alona Malinovska. Alona prides herself on leading a “nurturing, innovative and creative culture”, and a better work-life balance is clearly at the centre of that conversation.
Listen to the podcast for all her thoughts on the matter, here:
Affiliate managers are more than admin
Lee-Ann asks Alona about the role of the affiliate manager, saying: “In our industry, this role is still grossly misunderstood in terms of the complexity that’s required to run affiliate programs. Often, the role is treated more like an administration position.”
That perception is very reductive of the role of an affiliate manager, as Alona goes on to explain:
“Happy employees mean happy clients. It starts at the very beginning when hiring new members. We go through quite a strict process of finding someone who is genuinely caring about the partners they get to work with. Then we look at people who are extremely curious and eager to learn, and they have this commercial drive to grow their accounts and improve the product and make those connections with affiliates.”
Flexible working schedules won’t solve everything
It’s an undisputed truth that flexible working, at the very least, is a great help to employers. Working around children’s schedules that cannot be compromised, such as the school run, is very much preferable to working against them. Flexible working and work-life balance is a big part of that, opening up options for parents and carers, but it doesn’t solve everything.
As Alona points out: “I feel that in our industry, we are fortunate to be so flexible and so progressive, to an extent, with working from home, with flexible hours, with part-time roles – which are available across the industry. At the same time, of course, it never feels like it’s enough because childcare, specifically in the UK, is very, very expensive.”
“Companies also need to make sure that these support systems are sustainable for them, because ultimately we also need to make money. Really, it’s just about trying to find this balance to make sure that we are as supportive as we can be.”
Normal is Over?
Alona references the Disruption Index Report by AlixPartners, which has the subtitle “Normal Is Over” and focuses on the drastic change in workplace atmospheres and the time of experimentation we’re all going through.
Alona says: “Welcome to the Age of Disruption. Absolutely. One of the key findings they’ve discovered is that most members of the companies across the UK right now are finding it more and more difficult to actually predict the trends due to all the increasing complexity of the world and all the playing factors.”
Alona goes on to point out that this experimentation will soon lead to roughly 98% of businesses changing their business models, according to this report. The horizon is quite exciting when you consider all the changes that are just beyond it for the industry.
To hear more from Alona about her insights on affiliate marketing, be sure to register to join our ELEVATE Summit which takes place on 18th and 19th July. Make sure you have your ticket booked before 10th July to secure the Early Bird price. We’ll be hosting panels, workshops, and talks featuring a selection of industry experts, with all content available to stream from our website.
Also, be sure to check out our blog for all the latest news and insights or book a free call with a member of our team for personalised guidance.
Listen to find out more about:
- Is flexible working enough to offer positive work-life balance?
- Disruption in the workplace? Normal is Over
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune into go direct
[10:00] – Affiliate management being more than an administrative role
[20:00] – The importance of teaching, rather than replacing, staff
[30:00] – The biggest misconceptions about growing in the affiliate marketing industry
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