PR executives consider the implications of a punch-in, punch-out working
week
Simon Lewis British Gas Energy
‘In PR it is not so much the number of hours as the unpredictability.
Journalists and politicians do not work the same hours as the business
community and so both ends of the day must be stretched. It is also
important to be flexible and to accept that certain periods demand
longer hours. Having said that, we also need to accommodate people who
do not want to work full-time, particularly woman returning to work
after having children.’
Kleshna Handel Handel Communications
‘I think it would affect me, my business, and everyone in PR, very
badly. Clients expect you to be open all hours and if you are not
available, because you have already worked a 48-hour week, you would go
out of business. I think it’s very unlikely that any of the body of
people who considered these regulations are in PR.’
Alan Watson Burson-Marsteller
‘I do think sometimes in PR we could work less and think a bit longer.
If the answer to competitiveness was to work longer, our economy would
be ahead of everybody else’s and it’s not. But it’s not about directives
it’s about self-discipline and how you run your own life. My basic
feeling about this directive is that its importance is grotesquely
exaggerated.’
Alastair Eperon Boots plc
‘It’s an irrelevance. Long hours are a feature of our industry sector.
When necessary, my staff willingly put in the time required. That said,
no one should be required to work at a pace that is damaging to their
health. People who go into PR understand that long and flexible hours
are endemic. If they do have a problem. they should go into another
sector.’
Chris Matthews Shandwick Consultants
‘The public relations industry here, and to some extent in North
America, is much more professional than elsewhere. Part of that is that
we aim to give our clients round-the-clock service. If someone rings us
up at 5.30pm on a Friday, you can’t say ‘Sorry, I’ve just finished my
48-hour week’. The fact is that the media is a 24-hour operation,
everyone has deadlines and we get calls from all over the world. That
said, allowing your staff to work themselves into the ground would be
totally counter-productive. If things are getting out of hand, we do
intervene and make sure staff take a break. That’s my job.’
Edited by Steve Bevan
