PROVOKE MEDIA - 2020 BEST PR AGENCIES TO WORK FOR (BOUTIQUE)
Zapwater Communications awarded PRovoke Media’s Best Agency to Work For – Boutique for the Second Year in a Row
Best Agency to Work For is possibly the only predictive PRovoke Media award. Over the years, we’ve noticed a direct correlation between the agencies on this list and those that take home our biggest honor (oftentimes at some point in the future) — Agency of the Year recognition. That’s, in part, because firms that take culture seriously tend to attract and retain smart and creative talent who, in turn, produce stellar work. It’s a simple formula but one that’s easily overlooked amid the breathless pace and tremendous pressures that are a seemingly inevitable reality of agency life. But this pace is exactly why agencies shouldn’t underestimate the power its culture has on the work its employees produce.
This year’s employee surveys were taken before the Covid-19 lockdown, so we reconnected with many of the CEOs of the agencies featured on this list. We asked them what being a Best Agency to Work For looks like in this pandemic era. For more on that, see here.
BEST AGENCY TO WORK FOR, BOUTIQUE
#1 Zapwater (Independent)
Last year’s boutique agency winner, Zapwater, emerges as the best boutique agency to work for again. Boutique is always our most voluminous and competitive category — so Zapwater’s consistently strong showing should be noted. The 29-person agency — with offices in Chicago (HQ), Miami and Los Angeles — infuses its culture around creativity, quality, productivity, collaboration and enthusiasm. Of course, those values have to be backed with action and in 2019 Zapwater elevated many of its offerings in this regard.
For instance, last year Zapwater established a Wellness Committee comprised of representatives from a variety of positions and backgrounds across all three offices. The committee’s mission is to empower and advocate for the well-being of employees through a variety of programming, policies, and educational opportunities. Using staff-wide feedback through anonymous surveys, the committee generates and implements new initiatives consistently, while encouraging employee participation in wellness benefits on an ongoing basis. Zapwater aims to integrate sustainability considerations into agency and clients’ business decisions, strategies and recommendations. Zapwater also recently launched ZapU, an ongoing professional development and team building program that’s built around off-site staff retreats. Approximately 1.65% of gross revenues are spent on staff training and professional development programs.
The firm has built a culture of trust that enables healthy flexibility. Zapwater has an “open door policy” with all staff to receive advice or address any issues. All employees are given four weeks vacation/PTO per year with another week added after five years. Zapwater also provides an additional paid week off for anyone using it towards volunteering.
Other perks include summer hours and “bring your pet to work” policy. — AaS