When I first founded Kite Hill PR, my goal was to create a tech PR agency with a more balanced approach to agency life for all employees. I’ve worked to build the business with this clear vision in mind.
Maintaining a positive work environment and strong company culture throughout the pandemic presented many challenges and now many opportunities as we prioritize the needs of our team members and focus on their wellness overall.
Here are a few key ways that we have made changes in our agency to truly represent what we see as the future of work.
We moved to a fully Work From Anywhere, at any time model. We moved our team managers’ mindsets away from timezones and timesheets, to instead be laser-focused on results. We embraced parts of the popularized Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) model and adjusted them for today’s workforce. Our agency is built on a flexible work policy that allows team members to develop their own approach to balance. Our Work from Anywhere approach means that our team can work wherever is most suitable. We also offer the flexibility and ability for employees to relocate as needed.
We added balance as a core value and model balance from the top down while encouraging it from the bottom up. As a working mom, I understand that balance is also critical when juggling home and work. We give our team extended parental leave, ensuring that each individual can focus on their children and enjoy a seamless transition into parenthood. Parents also have access to emergency childcare reimbursement and flexible hours to accommodate childcare. We encourage team members to take breaks when they need to - from vacations as a part of our unlimited vacation policy or a yoga class on ClassPass, which is a part of our broader benefits and wellness plan. We put our team's health and wellbeing first, providing access to Kindbody, which specializes in women’s health, fertility, and wellness services, and online therapy via Talkspace.
We ensure that every person at our company has a clear professional development track and plan to help them learn and grow while at our company. In 2021, we launched “Kite Hill University,” creating more opportunities for learning and development, in addition to existing programs like peer-to-peer mentoring and coaching. I personally believe in the power of executive coaching and am excited to offer this to our next generation of leaders.
As an agency leader, I strive to pave the way for a new type of B2B PR agency culture, prioritizing balance, agility, and flexibility. By bringing thoughtfulness and empathy to the workplace, we’ve created a high-performance agency environment that respects work/life balance for everyone.
- Tiffany Guarnaccia, Founder and CEO