Following the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the world were forced to work remotely, and over the past 2 years, we’ve grown accustomed to working from our couches and holding meetings over Zoom. While we’re all a little sick of WFH-ing, we’ve come to appreciate the flexible work environment it’s given us. Publicis Groupe wanted to find a way to keep the freedom and flexibility of working remotely while giving its employees the ability to get out of their homes – a fresh take on the hybrid model to make the future of work more creative.

Work Your World was born out of the desire to make the hybrid work model an opportunity for growth – transforming working from home into working from another home or even another continent. The program allows employees to browse over 100 destinations where Publicis has offices, access information on local health and business regulations to take necessary precautions before traveling, connect with other employees across the world, and offer their homes to others using the Home Swap Home feature – all on the Groupe’s AI platform, Marcel. Our 24-hour contact center provides employees with real-time support from experts to make the future-facing initiative as accessible as possible.

We launched the program internally with a film featuring our very own Publicis celebs, Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun. Our 75,000+ employees watched as Maurice and Arthur made their way through Hollywood’s most iconic scenes and settings, and the industry quickly took notice.

We’ve spent two years working from home, and while we’re tired of the view, we love the flexibility. To give employees a more creative hybrid work experience, Publicis Groupe launched Work Your World, a unique opportunity to work from anywhere in the world there’s a Publicis agency for up to six weeks a year. Marcel is a central, easily accessible platform for employees to find new WYW features such as Home Swap Home, an exclusive network enabling our people to share and swap accommodation with colleagues.

We launched with a unique visual identity and an internal announcement video featuring Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun trying to decide where in the world they’ll work, using deepfake technology to take the pair on a trip through iconic movie scenes.

Work Your World was unveiled to the Groupe in December 2021 as part of the annual Wishes film, a yearly Christmas skit that enjoys legend status among not only employees, but the industry as a whole. After the initial announcement, the program was celebrated at Publicis Groupe’s second annual Viva La Différence seminar on Marcel, with an audience of more than 75,000 employees, speakers, and industry leaders across the world. The Work Your World site was officially launched on January 1, 2022, allowing employees of any Publicis agency worldwide to simulate trips, check international rules and regulations, and submit travel requests.

With 13 million views in just three weeks, the Wishes film launching Work Your World was a huge hit among all major industry outlets. Earning a spot on Ad Age’s Creativity Top 5, the film was dubbed “a much-needed dose of comedy after another rollercoaster pandemic year” and “one of the funniest pieces of content we’ve seen all year.” The program itself earned media attention, as well, with Ad Age, AdWeek, Campaign US, and more highlighting its contribution to the flexible, employee-first culture of Publicis Groupe.

More importantly, Work Your World was a hit among Publicis employees. In the first 3 months, we had 5,000 travel submissions on Marcel. Our people have traveled to places such as Australia, Switzerland, and Los Angeles, and each day, hundreds more submissions come in to Work Your World. And because of the future-forward attitude and employee-centric nature embodied in Work Your World, Publicis was named Ad Age’s first ever Holding Company of the Year for 2022.