The Agency Life: Get to Know the 5W Culture

PR isn’t easy.

If you’re anything like most public relations professionals, in the early stage of your career you may have had a romanticized notion of what your path would be like. Maybe you dreamed of finding the perfect job with a perfect boss and a perfect schedule right out of the gate.

And if you’re like most of us, things didn’t quite work out that way.

After all, succeeding in PR takes a lot of hard work and determination. But there is a way to get your career back on track. It is entirely possible for creative, talented professionals to learn and grow in the public relations field.

Read on to learn how you can have the relationships you dreamed about with your clients, your audience, and your colleagues.

6 Out of 10 Employees Don’t Feel They Have a Strong Work Culture. Are You One of Them?

Company culture is a blend of the values, beliefs, and rituals a particular company develops over time.

It’s what the company stands for and how it treats employees, clients and the community. In other words, culture is the personality of a company.

Here’s the thing: Research shows that 64% of all employees don’t feel they have a strong work culture. That’s a shame because company culture has a direct impact on employee turnover, productivity, and performance. Consider:

• A Columbia University study found that the prospect of job turnover at a company with a rich culture is a 13.9%, whereas the odds of job turnover in companies with poor company cultures is a staggering 48.4%.

• The University of Warwick’s Department of Economics’ original research found that happy workers are 12% more productive than average workers. The same research showed unhappy workers are 10% less productive than average workers.

• New Century Financial Corporation data indicates that companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 20%, earn 1.2% – 1.7% more than their peer firms, and are 2.1% above industry benchmarks.

• According to the 2014 TINYpulse Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture Report, only 21% of employees feel strongly valued at work.

When you work for a public relations agency, you work hard and much of the work is collaborative. Culture determines a company’s environment. Since you’re going to spend many hours in that environment, shouldn’t you find a healthy environment?

The Way PR Should Be

Don’t settle for plying your trade somewhere you don’t feel happy and appreciated. We hear common themes when we speak with PR pros who’ve worked at all kinds of agencies. Here are a few of the topics that pop up over and over:

• “When you work at a larger agency you just get swallowed up.”
• “I feel like a cog in a large machine.”
• “I don’t feel like every position does genuinely get heard.”

That’s why at 5W Public Relations (5W) our company culture sets us apart. Although we’re one of the 20 largest independent agencies in the country, we’re a family and we love what we do every day. We all pull together to make things happen for our clients.

In fact, 5WPR’s culture and attitude towards media relations and marketing earned the firm the American Business Awards’ Gold Stevie® Award for PR Agency of the Year and a spot on the Inc. 500 list.

What differentiates 5W is the energy. Life at our agency is energetic, fast-paced, and focused. At 5W, everyone knows that the work you do can have a direct impact on the client’s business. Reality is, the sky is the limit as far as what you can learn or do at 5W.

There is opportunity for growth.

It’s been said that camaraderie and peers are the main reason employees go the extra mile at work–more so than money. The people here want to do more. That’s why the environment here is one where people are constantly challenging each other.

See Why We Have Grown From 1 Employee to a Team of 150 Since 2003

There’s a reason smart, resourceful, great people join our team. We believe it’s because of our company culture. We do so many things to keep the culture different and unique from other agencies.

Here’s a quick peek into what makes the 5W culture so rich and rewarding:

• Community Outreach: We believe strongly in giving back to our community. We organize walks, drives and other events to support the well-being of our extended family. Our employees rally behind charities and causes like Ronald McDonald House, Food Bank For NYC, and Operation Backpack.

• Wellness & Benefits: Competitive medical, dental, vision, and flex spending is just the beginning. We also offer life insurance, an employee discount program, 401k, financial planning, transit benefits, on-site health screenings & flu shots, and more!

• Summer Activities: When Summer brings the heat, we plan cool activities like a Summer Company Party and a Cocktail Competition! We also have Summer Hours so we close early every Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

• Life is Beautiful: We believe you your best work when you look and feel our best. That’s why we offer perks like barber services and on-site manicures. You haven’t lived until you’ve visited the “Manicube.”

• Company Breakfast & Lunch: Every month we offer “Broke Day Breakfast,” where you can nosh on bagels and various spreads, and “Broke Day Lunch,” in which employees sink their teeth into Chinese or Mexican foods or any number of multiple dining options we have within a two-block radius of our Sixth Avenue office.

• 5W University: Continuing education and skill development are top priorities at 5W. We encourage our employees to keep their skills sharp. We offer classes on everything from pitching and writing to leadership development and supervisory skills.

• Come Celebrate: All work and no play makes for a dull PR agency. At 5W we enjoy celebrations all year round. For example, in November we offer our workers a front-row seat to view the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade-directly from the comforts of our office overlooking Sixth Avenue. Don’t forget about Cinco de Mayo…or our annual Ugly Sweater Contest during the holiday season.

Since 2003, 5W has worked with world-class brands and consumer companies, technology companies of all shapes and sizes. We’ve also had the pleasure of working with world-class employees.

If you’re ambitious and intent on succeeding,we’d love to talk to you. After all, we’re looking for our next superstar.