Five ways to engage your team for high performance in PR
In this blog, Tara Williams, HR Director, explores:
- The relationship between performance and engagement
- How to keep the spark alive for high performance teams
- What Whiteoaks does to keep employees engaged
When it comes to B2B PR, the pressure to deliver results is real. Tight deadlines, demanding clients and a rapidly evolving media landscape all come with the territory. But amidst the drive for performance, it’s easy to overlook the fuel that powers it all: an engaged team.
At Whiteoaks, we know that performance and engagement aren’t separate goals – they’re intrinsically linked. When your team feels valued, connected and clear on their purpose, they don’t just show up – they show up with intent, energy and commitment.
Here are a few ways we focus on keeping our team engaged and performing at their best:
Clarity first, always
Confusion kills motivation. We’re big on setting clear expectations, goals and priorities. Whether it’s a campaign objective or personal development goal, we ensure everyone knows the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’.
Our behaviours and values adorn the office walls, acting as a reminder of what’s important.
Career conversations that count
We hold regular, meaningful career conversations to help our people see a future with us – not just a role. When individuals can map their growth to business goals, performance becomes personal.
With team members having been with the company for up to 28 years, the proof is in the pudding!
Celebrating the wins – big and small
Recognition is a powerful motivator, so we ensure we celebrate success. Whether it’s a game-changing campaign result, a new business win or someone simply stepping up when it counts, a well-timed shout-out can go a long way.
We champion each other and shout about each other’s successes, with our reward and recognition schemes celebrating individuals who go above and beyond. And for team and company-wide successes?
Flexibility and belonging
We’ve recently made changes to our in-office days to bring people together more often. In a hybrid world, face time still matters, not for presenteeism, but for connection, collaboration and culture.
We balance this with flexible working hours, allowing our team to strike a work-life balance that suits them.
Listening, then acting
Engagement isn’t a one-way street. We actively listen to feedback through surveys, one-to-ones and informal check-ins. More importantly, we act on what we hear because listening without action breeds cynicism.
As an employee-owned business, we ensure the mechanisms are in place to allow everyone within the agency to have a voice, with our Employee Council taking the lead on driving changes our employees want to see. So far, that’s resulted in enhancements to our maternity and paternity leave packages, increased holiday allowance and social events ranging from the Crystal Maze to curry nights that bring us all together.
The bottom line?
Engaged teams deliver better results. They’re more resilient, creative and invested in outcomes. At Whiteoaks, we don’t just aim for performance – we aim for sustainable performance, powered by people who feel seen, supported and inspired.
Want to join the Whiteoaks team? Take a look at our latest vacancies or learn more about our team.
