A recent HolmesReport study came out with the 50 Best Public Relations Agencies To Work For, but what makes them so might surprise you. They aren’t the firms that offer the fattest pay cheques and the biggest offices, or the ones that require the fewest work hours. Instead, they are the firms that have been shown to give their staff stimulating work, and reward their efforts with unique, innovative incentives.
Topping the list in the number one spot is the Carter Ryley Thomas agency, based in Richmond, Virginia. What was it that pushed this firm to be ranked the best in the industry to work for? The answer boils down to one simple secret of success: values-based management.
CRT is an employee-owned firm, with no individual having more than a 17 percent share in the company. Everyone from corporate executives to administrative staff have their hands in the company. But, this democratic structure is only part of a larger vision towards creating a firm that shares a core of fundamental values.
CRT is just one of a few public relations agencies that have set in writing nine values as part of its corporate philosophy. All of these values emphasize respect for the individual, shared responsibility, and the balance of both work and home lives. Almost of all CRT’s employees can recite the company’s values by heart. And, creating a good working environment at CRT isn’t just something enshrined in the company’s written policies. Instead, it is something that company management tries to filter into all of its staff’s daily routine.
“We Work” is a unique program that CRT management has come up with to reinforce its stated values and create a unique, positive working environment for its employees. At the beginning of every year, each employee is given 12 “We Work” slips, which they are told to distribute to colleagues over the course of the year, colleagues who are living examples of the company’s values. At the end of every quarter, the employee who has received the most number of slips is rewarded with a prize. Everything from a dinner for two at a local five-star restaurant, to car detailing has been given out.
In addition to its program of offering incentives, CRT is heavily involved in the local communities where it has branches. The company also has a generous and comprehensive benefits package, as well as on-site child care resources available.
While CRT stands out for its encouragement of values, the rest of the public relations agencies on the Top 50 list do so primarily for their encouragement of initiative and the amount of independence employees are given. For instance, both Cone and Fleishman-Hillard, numbers five and six respectively on the list, were scored high for the challenging nature of their work and the high level of job satisfaction.
What can be learned from these firms is that money doesn’t always speak the loudest. When it comes to motivating your team and creating a productive work environment, you really do have to think outside the box.
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