The Story Mob

The Story Mob is an agency specialising in esports and video games, staffed by gamers for an authentic team culture. We have prioritised employee mental health and wellbeing since day one, five years ago, and for the past four years have worked to a four-day week with a five-day salary.

Having been named runner-up for PRW’s People & Places Mental Health Champion last year, we have gone further in the past 12 months. For example, three MHFA Champions are being trained and a dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy was put in place to formalise actions and practices.

Our 18-strong full-time team is 44% female (inc. CEO and MD) and based in the UK, Amsterdam, and America. Increasing our numbers by five (38% growth) last year has driven increased flexibility across multiple time zones.

From industry-leading parental policies to enhanced rights for carers, we strive to spot struggles early on and deal with them. Annual leave is sacrosanct so colleagues are not disturbed.

We also prioritise individual training and growth in annual reviews that include full peer feedback from the whole agency.

And because we’re all gamers, we don’t bat an eyelid when time off is needed for a new patch upload, watching an esports tournament, or attending a major tradeshow/fan event.

MD Karen Low says: “Our definition of success is entirely internal. We ensure that when a person develops, they then ensure the agency thrives alongside them.”