Bryanne Lawless opened BLND Public Relations in 2013 to focus on what she loves most, lifestyle brands. Follow her @bryannelawless or @blndpr.
What interview question do you always ask potential hires and why?
First and foremost, we ask about their commute. We want to keep our office culture happy, enthusiastic, and energetic throughout the day. A terrible morning commute can shift the dynamics and the entire mood of the office, especially when an employee is bummed out the entire day.
What makes your company culture unique?
We are an extremely collaborative group and all work in one large space — no cubicles, no private offices. This flows into better mentoring for new hires. On day one, a new hire can be going through the onboarding process, while simultaneously listening in on a client meeting or consultation. I love working with talented young adults because they are sponges that soak up everything quickly, but bring their own personality to the mix. I have a huge personality and most of our executives have their own outspoken personalities, so it’s generally a busy, loud, productive madhouse in the office. It’s not stuffy, or presumptive as you may assume most PR firms to be. Our company culture boasts a fun, empowering, and get-shit-done attitude.
How can you make sure team outings or activities appeal as best they can to all employees?
We make it a point to always include and involve the entire team in any outing and/or activity put on by our firm. We believe that involving everyone promotes team bonding and allows us to learn from one another.
What’s your best tip for keeping a personal touch to onboarding and training as you grow?
Every new hire has a specific training session with a senior staff member who has moved up through the ranks of the company. That way, the staff member can relate and impart their best tips and tricks to the new hire to help their onboarding go as smoothly as possible. It also shows the employee how they can grow with the company.
What’s one quick, easy way any company at any stage can invest in their company culture?
Scheduling time weekly to mentor staff, or hold training sessions and webinars on topics that interest staff members so they can implement those lessons in their everyday work.
