Equality Media + Marketing has won the 2026 AFR BOSS Best Places to Work media and marketing category, marking its third win in four years.
The Melbourne-based independent agency was also named Best Place to Work – Small Organisation in Australia, adding a second national title to this year’s result.
The win is likely to resonate across the agency sector because it comes as more businesses reassess workload, flexibility and retention in an industry long associated with long hours and burnout.
What Equality won
Equality previously won the media and marketing category in 2025 and 2023, and was recognised in 2024. It also picked up Most Outstanding Practice: Employee Flexibility in an earlier year.
This year’s dual recognition suggests the agency has been able to maintain its workplace model while growing its team and client base.
How the awards are assessed
According to the release, the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work awards assess organisations using workplace practices and independent employee survey results.
Equality said its latest result was underpinned by 100 per cent of employees reporting that they feel empowered to work in a way that suits their lives.
Agency points to a different model
Marilla Akkermans, founder and managing director of Equality Media + Marketing, said the result reflected a broader shift in agency culture.
“Three wins in four years is incredibly special, not just for us as a business, but for what it signals about where our industry is heading,” Akkermans said.
“There is still a perception that agency life has to mean long hours, burnout and constant trade-offs. But we are seeing more and more people question that, and ultimately walk away from models that are not sustainable.”
She said the agency had built its operating model around sustainable performance from the start.
“We have always believed that if you design work properly from the start, you can create an environment where people do the best work of their careers and build full lives outside of it,” Akkermans said.
“To see that recognised again at this level reinforces that a different way of working is not only possible, but already happening.”
Inside the agency’s workplace model
Founded in 2018, Equality now employs 30 people and works across property, retail and not-for-profit categories.
Its workplace model includes Equality Time, a four-day, full-pay 32-hour working week, alongside hybrid work arrangements.
The agency also offers Equality Care, a leave framework with 19 additional days covering areas including menopause, menstruation, mental health, pregnancy loss, pawternity and gender affirmation.
The business said those policies are designed to remove structural barriers, particularly for women and carers.