Weber Shandwick Reviews

Pros

Smart people, great client work

Cons

Lack of work/life balance
Managers need to take the time to develop their people

Advice to Senior Management

n/a

Pros

it's a great learning experience in a very competitive & fast paced environment
work with large clients

Cons

work-life balance was 90% vs 10%
compensation package was on par with other companies in the industry but it is just too little for the job you put into
management style

Advice to Senior Management

-local management needs to offer more training to the employees in terms of company's tools
- should leverage Weber Sahndwick's advocacy tools
- Bonus system

Pros

Weber Shandwick is a very diverse company, with many different sectors to work for. The people were generally friendly and nice.

Cons

In the Cambridge office the majority of the work is very computer oriented. The office setup is nearly of all cubicles, and then large offices on the perimeter. The work set up can be isolating.

Advice to Senior Management

Management should restructure the office setup.

Pros

- Global agency allows for PR execution on a global scale
- Diversity in types of clients (e.g. healthcare, technology, public affairs, consumer, etc.)
- Resources are plenty and new tools are always being introduced to employees
- Assignment of a career manager to all staff to help individuals grow and develop

Cons

- VERY rigid employee review process (i.e. higher likelihood of not being promoted even when you've proven you are performing at the next level)
- Managers known to delay reviews for months at a time with no sense of urgency to hold them
- No secret, but low compensation compared to the rest of the industry
- Work/life balance is consistently off

Advice to Senior Management

Take the time to listen to all staff levels and what will make them more productive and motivated. It's not just about client service; your staff is just as important to the agency. Have reviews in a timely manner, not allowing it to be delayed for more than a month from the targeted date. Be flexible when it comes to the standards employees must meet during reviews, as no one will be perfect.

Pros

Smart, dedicated people. Great flexibility and work/life balance.

Cons

Same as other PR firms... hard to retain good staff.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

Diverse accounts and workload
Ability to rise in the ranks if you put in time
Fun culture and people
Great place to start your career

Cons

Poor compensation
High burnout and turnover

Advice to Senior Management

Great professional platform

Pros

Global, creative, a collection of great minds.

Cons

Very political in the London office, CEO is a headache and somewhat bi-polar in treatment of staff.

Advice to Senior Management

Be less political and focus on the work.

Pros

Great culture, opportunities for advancement, ability to work with smart people, great brainstorms (lots of times with free food) and beer cart!

Cons

Big-agency mentality, lower-level employees tend to burn out quickly, lots of turnover

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to reward those that do a great job.

Pros

Excellent clients, top quality work, commitment from employees to doing good work and doing the right thing. Award winning, highly ethical top senior management team. All about the client work and a collaborative culture. Some of the nicest people ever.

Cons

Lots of hours but that seems to be everywhere these days. Need to explain who the company is to people outside the industry but much better than it was. Need to give more credit to people who get the job done every day--at all levels. People so focused on their work that they don't look up and enjoye themselves as much as they could. More all-hands meetings.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing because you've built a dynamic, collaborative team-driven culture where people care about each other.

Pros

Very hands-on, gained a lot of experience, everyone was supportive and wanted the interns to learn as much as possible.

Cons

Long hours, work could be tedious.

Advice to Senior Management

Consistent feedback throughout internship.