Surprise, agency culture has changed
Catherine Slogrove, director at Papaya Agency suggests agencies have changed in their approach to work, and the narrative around the old ‘work til you drop’ stigma is counterproductive for the entire industry.
With recent articles showcasing a fairly negative viewpoint about agency careers, there’s another side that needs to be told. People, like our team, are working a nine-day fortnight or similar for full pay with hybrid working and as much flexibility as they require, provided their work performance isn’t impacted.
I experienced late-night, long hours, high pressure agency life as a 20 something PR account manager. So, I’m not saying that there wasn’t some old truth behind the stereotype, but I am saying things have changed.
The talent shortage in PR, a general preference for in-house roles, the pandemic has caused a need to change for agency survival. And now, in some cases, agency roles can offer equitable, if not more, flexibility and work life balance than in-house, particularly where PR is concerned.
