For our 40+ year history, relationships have been central to our success. As we’ve transitioned from in-office to lockdown-enforced remote working, and finally to a fully remote agency, those relationships have taken on greater importance.
We’ve asked a few of our team about the importance of good working relationships, how we keep ours strong despite less in-person time, and how we balance technology with the human element of working.
Alex Blake, Creative Developer
A good working relationship might have different nuances depending on who you ask, but ultimately, it’s based on trust and efficiency. You need to be able to trust in that person’s ability, you need to be able to communicate efficiently, and you need to be able to support one another whenever necessary.
With a better understanding of each other, we can collaborate in ways that play to each other’s strengths, which helps us do better work for our clients.
“A good working relationship for me is one where you can depend on that person to collaborate.”
All good working relationships I’ve experienced have been with people who I can trust to align on shared goals. Doing that requires a degree of flexibility, and without that it can be tricky to work together effectively. It doesn’t matter who it is or what department they’re in - if we can align on what we’re doing and trust each other to do it well, we’re in a very good place.”
Joe Mercy-Marshall, Strategist
Without real understanding, communication is ineffective - it needs more than people saying their piece, popping a comment on Slack or adding to an email thread. Real communication means asking questions, giving feedback, and challenging ideas when you think it’s necessary. That’s how ideas are refined, strategies are perfected, and quality is improved.
“Good communication happens in environments where clarity and curiosity are favoured above pride.”
When people feel able to challenge ideas, and give and receive feedback, suggestions that could otherwise be suppressed can be made with confidence, mistakes are more easily avoided, and everyone is empowered.
Amy Wood, PR Account Executive
We’re really proud of how we’ve maintained our closeness and company culture despite being fully remote. Keeping these connections requires everyone’s input - it’s one thing having the tools to do it, but it’s another to make the effort needed, and all of us play an important role.
“Small things like check-ins and team catch ups ensure that we feel connected to each other. It is so easy to reach out to someone on Slack just as quickly, if not quicker, than being in an office.”
As a recent graduate, starting a remote job was quite daunting, as I was unsure it’d affect the way we connect with each other. But it’s actually been easy - comms channels are always active, whether we’re talking about a project or getting to know each other as people. Because of this, it’s easy to pick up where we left off when we get together for team days.
Joe Mercy-Marshall
Technology allows us to work quicker and handle tasks more efficiently, whether it’s discussing projects on Slack or using AI to transcribe meeting notes. But that’s all it is: help. Tech and AI will never be able to replace judgement, creativity, and empathy, and we’ll always rely on these uniquely human skills of ours to drive our work and our agency.
“The human touch can’t be meaningfully replaced. Whether it’s checking sources or using AI as a springboard for manual research, creative work doesn’t work without us.”
While there’s no denying that tech has made some aspects of our job easier, I think it’s important that we always retain creative control and limit the influence of technology on our work. RKH has built a stellar reputation on the back of human creativity, and it’ll stay that way.
Kirsty Bonner, PR Account Executive
Being relatively new to RKH, communication has been particularly important as I've been learning the role and getting to grips with new processes. This makes my working relationships all the more important - people have helped me settle in, find my feet, and make a strong start at the agency. You can’t replace the value of strong working relationships. Being able to trust the people you work with carries so much weight - it increases your confidence, it makes you more comfortable, and ultimately, it helps us do better work.
“Being surrounded by people who are kind, understanding, and always willing to help has made a huge impact on my confidence and, in turn, my work.”
We're an agency that places full trust in one another, and that's how we have the confidence to create great work for our clients. If you'd like to partner with us on your next project, get in touch.
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