BEST PLACES TO WORK

Summary:

The team at Man Bites Dog don’t just want a good place to work – they want an amazing one and luckily for them, senior staff are doing all they can to provide just that. MD Claire Mason says: ‘I take developing the self-styled “Dogs” very seriously. I want people to grow with the company and feel supported every step of the way.’ Industry research shows home working and flexible hours are the most important issues for the PR workforce, so these have been offered since the agency’s inception four years ago. The agency’s USP is a London career by the sea and Man Bites Dog positions itself as a national agency, not a regional one, with a range of benefits and perks to prove it.

Benefits:

Flexible hours, working from home, bonuses, annual European ‘Dog Weekender’, 4pm finish on Fridays, company funded monthly socials, weekly Friday drinks, birthday party with cake and presents, guaranteed time off between Christmas and New Year and additional holiday with seniority, new client referral bonus, recruitment referral bonus, time off in lieu, duvet days, flexible working, company laptop for senior account executives and above. New benefits planned from April this year include on-site massages and increased training.

Training and development:

Each employee has a quarterly performance review and personal development plan. Each employee has a £2,000 external training budget to spend on their own needs. Internally, there are up to four annual company training days along with regular Friday training workshops. All staff have a monthly informal check-in with their line manager, and a full annual appraisal with 360-degree team feedback ‘ not even the MD escapes!

Work/life balance:

‘PR as an industry is known for long hours, stressful deadlines and demanding workloads,’ says operations manager Gabrielle Stirling. ‘We recognise this and do everything we can to ensure a positive work-life balance.’ All staff members, with or without children, are set up with the ability to work from home and part time hours are accommodated for those who need them. The team’s social lives are also well-developed. ‘Our regular “dog” nights are legendary,’ Stirling says.

Graduate recruitment and new joiners:

Man Bites Dog has a graduate recruitment programme in place and takes on work experience placements as well. Anyone who has ever worked with the company – including on placement – is regularly invited to join the agency on social events. ‘Once a dog, always a dog is our motto’, says Stirling. All employees are given a mentor to help them settle in – and the average time to promotion, from joining the company, is 11 months.