The Best London PR Perks: a look at the most innovative benefits from PR employers
Offer a London PR person a company car and they’ll whack out their Oyster card and raise a quizzical eyebrow. Talk about unlimited holiday and they’ll put their endlessly buzzing phone on silent to learn more…
Benefits have come a long way since the advent of private health cover and pensions (both still good, but somewhat taken for granted) and the trend is towards flexibility and enabling work-life balance. This makes a lot of sense in PR. If you’re in-house and looking to stay put for some time, you may well take advantage of the longer term benefits such as pensions and share schemes. Similarly, on-site child-care, training for additional qualifications and company gyms work for large corporates, but they’re probably not relevant or even feasible for the majority of PR firms. PR is a young industry where people tend to move around every few years so the most popular benefits are those that have an immediate impact.
Here are some of the most popular and ingenious ways London PR employers reward loyal staff.
Unlimited holiday
You heard us right. No more 20 or 25 days, you can take as much as you like. In reality you still have to deliver so the likelihood is you won’t be swanning off for 12 weeks of the year, but having the flexibility to take that extra day here and there without having to go cap in hand to your boss can really help make you feel like a valued grown-up.
Inspiration Days
PR is a creative industry and it’s hard to feel creative when you’re running to stand still while staring at the same four walls day in, day out. Some firms offer Inspiration Days when you can take yourself off and rekindle your idea-generating fire. It could be an exhibition, a trade fair, a festival, a training course, a trip to the seaside – anything that will refresh your creative spark and reconnect you with the world outside.
Working from home
Ok, this is hardly new but it’s still relatively unusual for employers to be completely cool with home working. If you’re part of a team then of course you need to be in the office more often than not, but a day in the peace and silence of home can be the most productive time you’ll spend all week. Just having one day off the commute can be enough to tip the balance of your week in a favourable direction. And it makes you feel trusted, valued and recognised. Employers take note.
Holiday pay-fund
This is where you put regular contributions into a separate pot that you unleash when it’s time to book your week in the sun. Sadly the tax advantages this once offered have been abolished but it can still help ringfence funds so you can get away each year.
Ultra-Flexi-Time
Flexi has been around for a while but the new version is where you have no set hours at all. You get the job done when and where you like. It’s the ultimate in trust and you probably have to perform above and beyond to get it, but if you’re a lark or a night-owl this is a great way to work during your most productive hours rather than being constrained by the 9-5. It could also help talented women return to the fold after maternity leave.
Clothing / Glasses / Technology Allowance
It might not seem like much but a helping hand towards new specs, a suit or a laptop that doesn’t weigh as much as a small car can be a massive help – especially to younger account handlers who are expected to walk the walk but probably don’t have the funds to do it. It shows that you recognise the requirements of the job and are there to help.
Ultimately, benefits and perks are there to make your teams feel valued. Complex pensions, tax and share schemes have their place but helping your staff achieve a better work-life balance can bring more immediate rewards. So many people who come to talk to us say they are not valued or recognised in their current role – maybe rolling out some of these benefits would be one way of addressing that.
If you’re looking for fabulous talent you can shower with amazing benefits, email us on hello@workfish.co.uk.
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