“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
This quote reminds us of how working together towards a common goal brings more success and fulfillment in our roles as individuals. According to a recent study, research shows that having a collaborative and positive culture in place makes an employee feel secure and appreciated in their role and more connected to their colleagues, company’s mission and core values. A study from Gallup also found when recognition of each individual in the group is embedded in the organization’s culture, workers are 5x as likely to see a path to grow at their organization.
This is why at Bolt PR, as a fully integrated Communications Agency, we’ve developed sound programs and systems to empower all employees at every level, across multiple areas of service offerings and talents, to create a workplace environment that fully supports our foundational growth. The mission is, as we grow, our employees should feel empowered to grow with us. This fosters a myriad of positive effects we see daily as “proof in the pudding”, such as improved communication and collaboration as well as greater creativity across all teams, further fostering team morale and increased productivity.
We are undoubtedly committed to taking a people-first approach in everything we do. That’s why a handful of our programs are dedicated solely on celebrating employees’ milestones and taking moments out of our day to ensure we provide praise, recognize wins and encourage others to do the same. In addition to the pride we have in building up our team members to continue to do great work, we’re constantly fostering a strong culture of appreciation with a team of builders who believe in our clients, our people, our values and our organization. Our unique culture isn’t put into place because it’s required or sounds cool, we put it into practice because we care deeply about establishing programs that ensure our employees feel valued, heard and appreciated.
An award-winning agency team with more than 210 years of combined experience in public relations, digital marketing, social media, content development and more, our evolving programs will continue to grow and thrive alongside our employees to ensure a positive culture remains our priority here at Bolt PR.
Health and Wellness: Our leadership team is dedicated to the importance of wellbeing and has implemented our Bolt Balance Program to help employees find balance and reprieve. Opportunities include WIN (What I Need) time, which allows employees to take an additional hour of time out of their week to run an errand, walk the dog, catch up on a book, or do whatever makes them feel refreshed and recharged. Our highly-successful, newly launched quarterly Virtual Wellness Retreat is another example, where we invite speakers, including one of our own team members, to share wellness tips that will keep our minds and bodies restored throughout the week.
Professional Development: At Bolt PR, we are committed to the mindset of “never not learning” with ongoing professional development opportunities through our quarterly Bolt Up sessions and monthly Town Hall meetings. Through these programs, we host hourly trainings and workshops to provide continuing education for whatever our team shows interest in learning more about and open dialogue on trending topics.
Recognition and Celebration: As a people-first agency, we enjoy and take pride in building up our team members and celebrating them through company-wide announcements. Shoutouts can include anything from major media wins to company milestones, birthdays and anniversaries – we are here for the moments that matter to our people, fostering a culture of appreciation in the process.
Flexible Work Location: In a recent survey, 43% of respondents said that flexible work hours help them achieve more productivity and 30% of those surveyed said that less or no time spent commuting time allowed them to be more productive. It is our mission as leaders to establish a successful work-from-home policy, allowing flexible work options that help employees juggle both their family and work life. Our generous PTO policy also ensures employees are able to spend time away from work, whether it is used to explore the world, spend time with family or recover from illness. Everyone deserves the chance to reset their mindset and tackle projects when they feel at their personal best.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We strongly believe in our commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace through dedicated programs and policies that ensure we remain steadfast against the societal challenges many face, including work/life balance, equal pay, holiday celebration and an infrastructure that supports an abundance of opportunities for all.
In alignment with our programs and processes highlighted above, our core values also contribute to our collective team’s success as well as individual growth. We foster a culture that speaks to everyone, because we genuinely want our employees to feel heard, engaged, driven, fulfilled, happy and motivated to be the best version of themselves. In identifying values our teams can rally around, ensuring voices are shared throughout various touchpoints and celebrating individual contributions to our teams success, we have shouted our mission to the rooftops and shown our team what appreciation and feeling cared for truly is.
In conclusion, it’s vital to lead an organization with empathy, passionate mentoring and encouraged growth, ensuring a strong culture is met, exceeded and maintained. Because when the foundation is strong, the structure can weather any storm. At Bolt PR, our empowered individuals and powerful teams are driven to provide data-driven, integrated campaigns and measurable ROI. Because, as Helen Keller alluded to, together we can climb higher, run farther and achieve more greatness than we ever thought possible on our own. If you’re looking for an agency partner that will go the extra mile, there is no better team than one that was built for success from within, to help your business achieve it tenfold throughout. That’s the electrifying energy of Bolt PR.
Laura Murphy is the Senior Vice President at Bolt PR.
