Employee ownership enriches PR (in both senses)

I’m proud that Barley Communications, the agency James Ford and I founded in 2016, became part of this club last month. We are one of a number of PR consultancies to have made this move in the last couple of years. And whilst we and others in the EO community are still very much in the minority in both this sector and the wider economy, I believe that we can be a positive disruptive influence, by offering something unique to talent and clients alike.

Firstly, giving your people a financial stake in your business gives them the opportunity to be in the driving seat and have a say in its future like never before. There is evidence that EO firms perform better than the rest of the economy, because of their higher levels of employee engagement and therefore productivity, which may be an attractive proposition for clients. Of course, employee ownership shouldn’t be treated as a magic bullet, and isn’t going to revive a flagging business, but when done well it can strengthen a positive culture.

For a business like Barley, which is dedicated to social purpose communications which bring about a positive impact on society and the environment, there is also a client alignment angle. We’ve had a number of clients making very positive comments both publicly on LinkedIn, and privately, saying that this move underlines our shared values and strengthens their commitment to working with us. This may not have been the case if we worked in a different sector.

Clearly an agency shouldn’t consider becoming EO just in order to please its clients, and nor should an in-house PR make superficial agency selection choices. Any agency should consider whether its business model and practices uphold both its own values, and those which are important to its stakeholders. Similar discussions should also be had on the in-house side of the table – do the agencies you have appointed reflect your organisation’s objectives and outlook? Simply ensuring agencies have filled in their Modern Day Slavery form, and ticked procurement’s boxes, is only a small part of this.

Then there are the financial benefits which employee-owned companies offer to new and existing staff. These should be a positive motivator and present an opportunity to adopt a new approach to rewards that will support the agency’s values and strategic ambitions. It’s of great importance to communicate the benefits - financial and otherwise - of employee ownership clearly to your people. Employees must not be misled in any way. 

Finally, employee ownership offers a different solution to business owners. Having previously worked for a large agency, I’ve seen several acquisitions which resulted in the USP of the acquired party quickly being lost as it is subsumed by its new owner and starts doing work that isn’t the right cultural fit. James and I didn’t want that for Barley, nor did we want to engage in the short-termism involved in making the business appear attractive for sale.

We’re in an age where businesses of all sorts are considering the future of work - whether that’s about where and when you work or exploring different ownership models. Employee ownership isn’t for everyone, but it creates a new option which is already proving an effective way of engaging and attracting PR talent, both at Barley and across the sector. And as we all know, motivating and retaining the best talent is the key to success for any PR and comms team.

Sam Williams is the founder and co-CEO of Barley Communications

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