The study – which was commissioned by recruitment consultancy Blue Skies – found that 58 per cent of respondents cited flexibility of working hours as their main motivator.
The next most important factor was salary, chosen by 31 per cent, while only eight per cent rated location and benefits as top priorities.
52 per cent said they felt they were working longer hours than they did two years ago, with 22 per cent claiming either that they felt miserable or that work could be better.
Blue Skies head of PR Czarina Charles said the results were ‘very representative’ of her experience in the PR recruitment market.
‘The PR industry needs to address the long hours culture because it is still one of the main reasons that account managers leave the industry,’ she said.
‘As account execs, PROs are keen to prove themselves and don’t tend to mind working long hours.
But as account managers, they realise their worth and that they don’t need to put up with it.’
She added that ‘forward- thinking agencies’ are allowing staff to leave early on a Friday as a reward for early starts during the week, or encouraging working from home for a couple of days each month to save commuting time. They are also promoting a culture ‘where it’s OK to leave at 6pm’.
See next week’s PRWeek for a special feature on recruitment and staff retention
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