Partnering With Progressive PR Agencies And In-House Communications Teams To Acquire Top Talent In An Ever-Changing And Competitive PR Landscape
After reading all of the Doom and Gloom in PRWeek's last issue, the Agency Business Report 2024 (read: 3% industry growth as opposed to the 15% in 2021/22, Layoffs, Cost-Cutting, AI's uncertain impact on the industry etc.), the last page of the magazine struck a chord with me. Industry Veteran Don Spetner's (Weber Shandwick) article titled "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" (alla Biggie Smalls) looked back on his PR career with a tinge of regret. He had been hyper-focused on his salary and career progression and missed out on a few things he later realized were much more important... As PR industry pros, we often get caught up in the stress, long hours, and ambition of our careers. But in today's uncertain economy with layoffs and cost-cutting, it's more important than ever to prioritize work-life balance. Our family memories, fun traditions, and cherished moments together - those are what will truly endure. I'm not saying professional success is unimportant. A good income provides stability and psychological benefits. But we need to be mindful of that tipping point where work demands overshoot quality time with loved ones. If our legacy is just PowerPoints and client meetings rather than laughter, adventures and undivided presence with family, we've missed something precious. His last two sentences summed it up nicely: "What I do know is that if my kids ever write a song about me, it’ll be about something I did while coaching their little league team or perhaps falling out of a boat while on vacation. It certainly won’t be about the killer offsite I put together for the senior management team. It’s something to think about." #TWSearchpartners #PRWeek #PRagency #PublicRelations #balance #family
His summary is so true! Sometimes we have to intentionally be in the moment and ensure work isn’t becoming too one-sided in our life.
Carole Barrow
4mo
Definitely strikes a chord! So important to remember the corny but accurate saying: “it’s PR, not ER!”
Sapna Oberai
7mo
Great reminder Tristan to prioritize work-life balance and cherish moments with loved ones. Professional success is important, but not at the cost of precious family memories.
Communications & PR Recruiter | Career Coach | CEO | #WeKeepHiringHuman |
7moSo true, Tristan. Similar thoughts have been going through my mind a lot lately - and especially when I speak to industry PR/comms pros about what they want in their future roles. IMO - the industry feels way too off balance. We are such a people-centric industry - progressive in so many ways. But, when it comes to work-life balance, I feel like things are moving in a difficult, unsustainable direction for our talent and the industry as a whole. It's no question that PR/comms can be a 24/7 job - but we need to find a better way to support our professionals in a reasonable way that allows them to have personal lives. I've spoken to too many PR pros who are leaving their jobs because they have had to cancel numerous planned trips, skip out on special occasion celebrations and miss many important family moments - all because of work. Things have to change.