It started as a tweet on Twitter after chatting with Melanie Seasons via Skype about where PR people prefer to work:
I insticitively thought people in the industry would much prefer office life but from the responses I received that’s not exactly the case. So in poll style, please answer the question which aptly suits you.
I’ve slightly changed the question because asking people if they prefer to work from home rather than work is a little restrictive.
Stephen is a communications consultant based out of the UK. You can connect with him on Twitter or check out his LinkedIn profile. | Email Stephen
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Becky McMichael
I voted for the digital nomad one….mainly because I am home based but go into the agency for at least a week every month. I also like the variation of working on site at client’s offices, other Ruder Finn offices as well as networking meet-ups and occasionally coffee shops, train stations, airports….you get the picture.
Working as a freelancer from home for 4 years ended up driving me a bit mental and I felt like I was working in a vacuum. Working for an agency with a healthy sized team, but being based at home is a totally different story and I find it a GREAT balance.
Stephen
I’m with you, Becky. I enjoy the digital nomad life. Would it be fair to say that an office is not a necessity in PR?
Becky McMichael
I think several offices are essential
I have a study as I need a base at home to keep all my crap in. I also have an office at the agency where I work – again, I like the feeling of having a base there but it is a luxury I guess that I could live without. I have thought long and hard for many years about a totally virtual agency…explored the prospect with several friends when freelancing and whilst I think it is possible, I think then benefits of having a physical home is good for the agency brand. Logistically though this could be done through using a member’s club or similar as many organisations do.
Personally, I think we’ll see a return to the old company flat kind of model with offices and accomodation all in one place in the future. Why? To me this makes most sense in terms of a) available office and non-residential property b) volume of people wanting to collocate or work remotely c) accomodating hotdeskers, freelancers etc as well as permanent staff d) keeping a city presence but supporting work/life balance for employees
Will watch other replies with interest.
Becks
Stephen
Re virtual agency and members club. Been thinking the same myself actually!
Given the current economic climate and also the high cost of renting an office I think a virtual agency could be the way forward for some PR companies. Not all, of course. It would never happen with a big agency as it wouldn’t work logistically. But a small nimble agency with experienced staff who enjoy the digital nomad way of life, I think it could yes.
I wonder how much the overheads would be cut if you were to take out the office rent, and thus how much you could drop staff fees?
Rob Fenwick
Though I am but a humble in-house PR, in a big organisation which expects its staff to be at their desks 9 to 5, I have also gone for the digital nomad option.
As I work for a university it would be great to get to a point where every uni in the land offered a few hot desks to staff from other unis – many of us are already able to sign in to each others wireless networks using the delightfully named Shibboleth.
Though I practically want to curl up and gurgle with joy in some of the private clubs in London, I think any organisation which is fully or part funded by public funds could find itself in a sticky situation if it payed for access to members’ clubs.
Sarah Biggerstaff
I worked from home for 2 years and very much prefer the office, surrounded by colleagues with creative energy. The “digital nomad” method didn’t work for me because I often need to reference files, books, etc. That aren’t on the laptop. I’m 100% office based now and love it.
Melanie Seasons
I know I said at home all the way, but I do enjoy the structure of an office occasionally. Only problem with the office is I can’t work in my PJs. Only problem with home is that I don’t have a proper office and I’m usually cooped up in my tiny London bedroom. Perhaps a bigger monitor would help too. My 13-inch macbook is a strain on the eyes sometimes.
I suppose it just depends on my mood!
Linda Forrest
As PR practitioners do we prefer to work at the office or from home? Yes. As an international agency, we’ve got practitioners in different countries and time zones, with clients that may or may not be in those same locations, but more often than not, are in another spot altogether. We’ve found that we’re equally productive whether working from home (http://inmedialog.com/index.php/archives/home-is-where-the-workplace-is/) or in the office (http://inmedialog.com/index.php/archives/the-benefit-of-being-in-the-room/)
As some of the other commenters have said, I think it depends on the mood, but time management skills and work ethic play a part, regardless of wherever you’re set up to work.
Lucie Bickerdike
I went for mostly office / elsewhere occasionally. I tend to nest in my desk, with all my paper, mags, notes etc around me, so having to travel around to work would be a pain. Working from home would be lonely. I like having colleagues around me and a busy work atmosphere, but having the flexibility to work elsewhere when necessary would be ideal
John Ozimek
Hmm, I think that anyone that can do PR within a team environment and do that without physically being in the same office is a special case. I certainly like the ability to work from home when it suits me; I often find my ‘alpha time’ (when I am best at writiting, thinking and strategising) doesn’t always confirm to work hours, so the ability to work wherever I have wifi and power is very empowering.
But PR is still about communication and interaction. As much as I read, see or do, I can never beat the creativity and ideas of a collective; it’s in the work invironment that I need to be to do the work behind the work, if you know what I mean.
The caveat to all this is that I have a senior position in the agency, so face time is essential for me to manage teams and agency growth. But even when I spent time as a freelancer, I needed that balance between digital nomad and working with others.
Stefan
I vote for “The digital nomad life is for me. As long as I have an internet connection I’m happy”. In fact im workin from home and i make good money with it. I worked in some offices before but its not the same. Youre just free in what ever you wanna da if youre working from home. I am my own boss and thats the best way to live. I made the expirience that if you work in an ofice and you got a boss…you just live for working…im mean in most cases. Now im making even more money than before and my work really became a hobby
Greetings