Since I graduate in less than two years, the “what am I gonna do with my life?” panic has begun. What field of PR am I going to go into? Corporate? Agency? Or Non-profit? When I envision myself 5 years from now, I see myself walking into my office with Starbucks in hand and a cute Target blazer. According to the PRWeek article “Do PR agencies really need an office? Virtual working takes off in comms,” I, and many other soon-to-be-graduating PR pros, could be working in pajamas in 5 years.
More and more PR agencies are starting to convert to virtual work spaces. When I think of a job that’s completely online, I think of a better work-life balance. As PR pros, we are always on the clock, so it can be hard to find a nice work-life balance. With a virtual work space, there is more flexibility to raise a family or pursue other passions as well. With this flexibility comes more work satisfaction, I think.
Some of the benefits agencies have seen from becoming virtual are the ability to offer lower prices to clients, a more responsive team, and better employee retention because of more flexible and unrestrictive work policies. With benefits also come some downfalls, such as the ability to train new staff or the feeling of isolation.
As a PR student, it’s interesting to read about where the world of PR is headed. Now, everything is online, and bricks and mortar offices aren’t really necessary to perform a job well anymore.
Pat Pearson, an MD at Firstlight agency, said “Technology makes virtual working easier – but PR is still very much a people business where people get together to create programmes and work creatively.”
Even if our job becomes strictly online, PR is still a people-oriented career that requires collaboration.
Written By: Emma Vandermark, Associate Account Executive
