Why and how you should bolster the culture at your PR agency

For PR pros, creating a strong agency culture is more important than ever.

The news cycle is getting shorter, and public relations teams are under increasing pressure to land meaningful coverage. PR professionals are held to higher standards by clients, and social media makes it difficult for people to “turn off” the news even after they leave the office.

With a robust culture, agencies can weather even the most turbulent PR storms. From unifying disparate teams to setting the tone for how employees interact with clients, agency culture should promote a healthy work environment while alleviating work-related stress for team members.

In any industry, the organizations that lack a supportive culture are at a competitive disadvantage; all work and no play can quickly burn out valuable employees and kill productivity. Although PR pros recognize they have client obligations to fulfill, they also want to work at an agency where meeting deadlines isn’t the only goal.

Culture helps maintain employee morale and alleviate work-related stress. It guides employee behaviors and teaches people how to respond in any situation, even when the manager has left the room. Culture can also strengthen employee retention and serve as a guiding light when times get tough.