A people-first comms agency—no bullsh*t

To anyone looking for a new role in PR, communications or content, let me tell you about my first three months at LaunchSquad.

Actually, let me back up to my hiring conversations. 

When I first spoke with our SVP of Talent, Meghan Cavanaugh, I warned her I would have a lot of questions. You see, throughout the pandemic, navigating policy changes, shifts in company culture, and generally just trying to figure out a new life in and outside of work was—well, you know—really difficult! And emotional. And stressful. And full of constant worry that I might be the next to go.

Let me be extremely clear: I am beyond grateful to have kept my job and good pay throughout 2020. And, at the same time, me feeling grateful is not divorced from me still living in constant anxiety. I knew if I was going to start a new job I didn’t want more of the same. I felt like I deserved to work with a group of people who cared about the same things I cared about. I wanted to work with an organization that was viewing the pandemic as an opportunity for self-improvement and meaningful change—just like I was for my own life. 

So in my very first conversation with Meghan, I was like, “Look, I need to know how y’all have been operating this past year.” And so I asked direct questions like:

• How many people did you layoff? (None.)
• What’s the plan to return to the office? (We’re all still remote and just conducted a comprehensive staff survey to gauge comfortabilities on many aspects.)
• What’s the LaunchSquad POV on work/life balance? (Basically, we strive to do really great, creative work, and we recognize that we’re ultimately full human beings who have robust lives outside the work we do. Maybe you need to play golf with your mom on Wednesday afternoons, or drop-off/pick-up kids from school, or flex your time when childcare isn’t available, or start the weekend at 3pm every Friday.)
• What does performance management look like? (Because people still deserve quality feedback during a pandemic!!)
• How has the company stayed connected, culturally, through the pandemic? (We gather co-wide every other week, and in the off weeks, we gather in bi-coastal groups. We get real business updates, we play games, we acknowledge great work, we bring in outside perspectives, we share ideas.)

I moved along in the hiring process and realized I had been so focused on what the company had been doing throughout the pandemic. I forgot to ask about the agency’s foundational guiding principles. I called Meghan back and asked, “So what are your core values??” We have nine core values at LaunchSquad, but Meghan responded, “To put it simply, we value our people. We’re a people-first agency.” 

So let me share how I’ve seen that notion come to life in my experience so far: 

• On the first day—without prompt—my boss made it clear I could flex my time for the workout routine I had established while WFH. I know I have to take care of my body before I can be my best self at work. 
• We make sure we have the right team to support new client work (talent, bandwidth), that we vibe with the prospect and their goals, and that ultimately our team will enjoy and grow from the new account. If our people are happy, our people will create great work. Then the client will be happy. People first. 
• We have active and inspiring co-wide conversations—on Zoom, in Slack, over email—about balance and creating guardrails, about the violence against AAPI communities, about the change-making women in our lives, about anti-racism, about authentic human stories. About the people we are and the people we want to be. 
• We were reimbursed to buy pizza on international pizza day and to treat ourselves on employee appreciation day. 
• We dedicate time in meetings and on Slack to lift each other up and show off great work. And to show off our dogs. 
• The company is paying for us to subscribe to independent journalists. Women writers encouraged. 
• Don’t forget all the answers to my previous questions above.
• I know I’m forgetting things, but I also know this list will grow. 

Anyway, I’ve never met these people in the flesh, and yet here I am vouching for them all. Less than 3 months in, I already feel like I’ve found a new work home—from my actual home. It’s weird. But I like them a lot and I’m so glad to be collaborating with a group of people who genuinely care about one another. People who know we can’t do great work if we’re not being great to ourselves first. 

We’re hiring at all levels for our PR roles, looking for a senior editor to join our content team, a product marketing lead and a head of finance. Check. It. Out.