From burnout to AI: 7 trends defining agency talent in 2025

See seven HR trends at agencies, via the 4As Advancing Talent conference
Written by: Karl Sakas

What will it take to attract, retain, and grow agency talent in the coming years?

At the 4As Advancing Talent conference in New York, agency leaders, HR executives, and outside experts came together to share what’s changing—and what agency executives should do now.

The focus was clear: in an AI-driven world, talent isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic priority.

Justin Thomas-Copeland, the new CEO of the 4As, set the tone in his opening remarks: “Competition now prioritizes talent over technology.” I think it takes both talent and technology—but it’s notable when the head of the major agency trade association leads with talent as the differentiator.

Across the sessions, I saw seven big themes emerge. Here’s what stood out—and what it means for your agency.

1. Agencies need the right talent, not just more talent

Justin’s “talent over technology” point reflects the industry mood. But in practice, you need both—and the right kind of both.

As agency owner Wil Reynolds recently noted: the people you hired during the Great Resignation may not be the people you need in the age of AI. AI is changing roles, expectations, and skill sets. Agencies need to be intentional about who’s in the room.

That starts with personalized learning, upskilling, and expanding knowledge of and appreciation for neurological diversity. For example:

  • More than 50% of Gen Z identifies as neurodiverse.
  • Nearly half of agency employees overall are neurodiverse.
  • Agencies that ignore these realities risk mismatching roles and people—or worse, burning them out.

My take: technology evolves fast, but people remain the core. The agencies that win are the ones that align the right talent with the right tools.

2. Gen Z faces a burnout cliff at 25

Michele Mavi presented a preview of findings from the 4As 2025 Agency Engagement Survey, which gathered input from 1,848 agency employees across generations.

  • The good news: people are inspired by their colleagues, excited by the work, and challenged by the pace.
  • The bad news: they’re less impressed by how agencies are managed.

Employees report that:

  • The work can feel repetitive.
  • They aren’t always using their best abilities.
  • Agencies aren’t contributing enough to the greater good.
  • Leaders aren’t decisive enough.
  • And yes—there’s a culture of complaining.

The generational data revealed something more troubling: satisfaction plummets around age 25. Employees ages 20–25 are largely positive. But as soon as they hit the mid-20s, they slide from the “learning phase” into the “burnout phase.”

It’s not just Gen Z. Millennials are also less happy than Gen X or Boomers—but the Gen Z cliff is sharper. Interestingly, satisfaction rises again as employees hit their 30s and beyond.

I wonder how much of this is from survivorship bias, where some people choose to exit the industry by age 30 while those who choose to stay move forward with a different relationship to their job.

The perception gap is also striking: 91% of leaders say they care about employees. Yet many employees—especially in production and creative roles—don’t feel valued or cared about. I’m not surprised. As my grandfather’s organizational behavior research found in the 1950s, employees want to be treated as people, not just workers. Decades later, the sentiment holds.

My take: this is a wake-up call. Agencies can’t assume employees will “just grow out of” current sentiments, as further detailed in Fortune. Think back to when you were in your 20s; approaching this generation’s challenges with curiosity will provide insight for retention and growth. If you’re not intentional about managing burnout, you’ll lose people before they ever reach their prime.

3. Manager training is a growth engine

Ashley Butturini, Chief Client Officer at Tombras, shared how their agency’s focus on manager training became a turning point.

Tombras had been stuck: for every client they won, they seemed to lose another. Enterprise clients—many led by people with MBAs—had higher expectations, and Tombras needed to raise its game.

Their solution: invest heavily in management training for account leaders.

  • They flew 30 mid-level account leaders from Knoxville to New York for 4As-led training.
  • They treated it as a major event, not an afterthought.
  • They set up an ongoing Slack channel to keep the learning alive.

One of the exercises stuck with me: If you could only keep one person on your team, who would it be? Why? And what would it take to make sure you don’t lose them?

As Ashley put it: “There’s no faster way to lose a client than to lose the account person.”

That’s the point. It wasn’t about training “managers” in the abstract. It was about strengthening the account leaders who carry the client relationship day to day.

My take: agencies often treat manager training as optional. It isn’t. It’s directly tied to client retention and growth. Here’s more about 4As management and leadership training.

4. AI is everywhere—but it’s a change management challenge

AI was the “drinking word of the day.” Every session touched on AI. But the smartest conversations weren’t about tools; they were about change management.

CP McBee from Microsoft shared a striking stat: Employees are interrupted every two minutes at work. That’s before you even factor in personal distractions. AI promises to help, but only if we implement it well.

Katie Weinstein from Google emphasized that AI transformation isn’t a plug-and-play exercise. But at the same time, we can use insights about change management to navigate AI. Google even brought in Boston Consulting Group to help analyze what agencies need to succeed in an AI world. The answer: leaders must guide organizational shifts, not just roll out software.

My take: most agencies overestimate how “AI-ready” they are. A maturity model can help leaders see where they are and where they need to go. But at its core, AI adoption is about clarity, not chasing shiny objects.

5. Neuroinclusion drives creativity

One of the most discussed sessions tackled neurodiversity—and it resonated across the room. Nearly every hand went up when attendees were asked if they were neurodivergent or knew someone who was.

Nathan Friedman from Understood.org shared the following stats:

  • 53% of Gen Z identifies as neurodivergent.
  • Nearly 50% of agency employees overall identify as neurodivergent.
  • 90% of creatives say they ‘mask‘ at work.

Masking is exhausting. And it holds people back from bringing their best ideas forward.

The encouraging part: changes that help neurodivergent employees—like applying a universal design mindset—help everyone. Think:

  • Don’t book back-to-back meetings.
  • Share agendas in advance.
  • Use automated note-taking tools so people can focus, and understand that people focus in different ways.

My take: if agencies are serious about creativity, neuroinclusion can’t be an afterthought. The “creativity crisis” is real, and one of the best solutions is making space for people to think differently.

6. Rethinking early-career talent

The panel on early-career talent challenged a lot of old assumptions.

  • Early career isn’t just college grads. It includes veterans, career changers, and parents returning after extended leave.
  • Some agencies have dropped degree requirements entirely. Instead, they look for passion for the industry—like people following Breaking & Entering Media.
  • Others are experimenting with AI-driven screening tools, which can run video interviews at scale. One agency used a tool called Talent Llama to screen 300 candidates via AI before moving finalists to human interviews. (I would be careful about implementing this without considering—and testing—the candidate experience.)
  • There’s also a shift toward hiring for passion and values, not just resumes. As one recruiter put it: “I want to see an obsession with the industry and a passion for learning.”

Some agencies even eliminated resumes altogether. Instead, they evaluate candidates against clearly defined agency values.

One agency had Gen Z employees pitch a large client. The leaders chose to take the risk—and the team won.

My take: smaller agencies may struggle with early-career hires because of limited support structures. But the trade-off is simple: if you don’t invest in early-career, you’ll pay more for mid-career talent. Decide which model you want.

7. Middle managers are under pressure

The closing panel focused on mid-level leaders—aka middle management.

  • Middle managers are strained. Many spent the past five years managing “in 2D”—on screens during the pandemic. Now they’re often back in person, but expectations have only increased.
  • Some agencies are investing in business leader training, covering financial literacy, EQ, and executive presence. Others are bringing in professors from top schools to teach and challenge their managers.

But the cultural shift may be bigger than the training. Gen Z often doesn’t want to manage people at all. They value expertise over authority. For agencies, that means rethinking career paths beyond the traditional “become a manager or stall out.”

A few side notes stuck with me:

  • Consulting firms came up repeatedly—not as competitors, but as problem-solvers. Leaders see them as the people you call for the toughest challenges. Agencies should take note.
  • A panelist noted that Wendy Clark (ex-Dentsu, ex-Coca-Cola) once said (paraphrased): “Lead from the front in a crisis, but otherwise lead from the back.” That balance is rare—and worth aspiring to.

My take: middle managers are often overlooked, but they’re linchpins. If you don’t support them, you risk both stability and growth.

Conclusion: What agency leaders should do next

Across the sessions, one theme kept surfacing: agencies succeed when they take talent seriously. Not just hiring, but:

  • Preventing burnout at critical ages.
  • Investing in account leaders.
  • Adapting to AI thoughtfully.
  • Embracing neuroinclusion.
  • Redefining early career.
  • Supporting middle managers.

It’s not talent versus technology. It’s having the right talent using the right technology.

The agencies that adapt now will future-proof themselves. The ones that don’t will struggle to keep clients and staff—and struggle to grow their exit valuation.

If you’re serious about building a stronger, more resilient agency, don’t leave this to chance. Start with an Agency Growth Diagnostic or my new Agency Growth Assessment.

Learn from the speakers

Want to learn more from the people who shared insights at Advancing Talent? Here are the speakers:

Question: What’s your next step based on these HR and talent trends?

See More On: Scale Your Agency | Benchmarking & Optimization | Build a Stronger Team | Prepare to Sell | Work Less Earn More
Agency Growth Diagnostic from Sakas & Company

You’ve outgrown guesswork.

At this stage, vague advice won’t cut it. The Agency Growth Diagnostic gives you the clarity, confidence, and custom plan to scale—without burning out or bottlenecking your team.

Ready for clarity? 

Let's talk