Rossendale PR firm's workplace wellbeing wins national award

“Humans do the work here – not machines – so we have wrapped a supportive culture around them”Viva PR’s MD, Tony Garner

Rawtenstall-based Viva PR has been named as a national Workplace Champion in recognition of its focus on employee wellbeing.

Viva’s PRCA Workplace Champions award comes during both Mental Health Awareness Month (throughout May) and particularly during Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May).

The awards aim to celebrate the leading places to work, live and thrive in the PR industry. The awards highlight the agencies and in-house teams from across the UK that go the extra mile to establish positive and inclusive working environments for colleagues.

The awards showcase organisations that practice what they preach, leading by example to deliver equal opportunities and positive experiences for all their stakeholders.

Tony Garner, Viva’s founder and MD, said: “Fundamentally, we believe that happy, healthy teams are more creative and productive — and that equals happier clients. In short, we take the physical and mental health of our people incredibly seriously.

“While this news is welcome and of course we’re celebrating an award win, we’re the first to accept that we still have an awful lot to of work to do. Only in recent weeks have we surveyed the team and found areas where we can provide more help and support.”

Viva PR now employs a dedicated Health and Wellbeing Manager – who is also a trained Mental Health First Aider – to provide a single point of contact and signposts people to appropriate support.

Tony continued: “Creating a positive and inclusive working environment in a high-pressure world, where deadlines keep the stress levels high and client demands are never ending, is not easy. But we are taking steps and learning new things all the time – introducing a Health and Wellbeing Manager has been one of my proudest moments.

“This period of evolution at Viva has also coincided with bringing on board a number of clients in the healthcare sector, so I feel we have a well-rounded approach to health both in our work and in our personal lives.”

Businesses recognised as PRCA Workplace Champions have proved their commitment to ensuring employees feel heard, valued and respected across all levels of seniority.

Francis Ingham MPRCA, PRCA Director-General, said: “2020 changed the concept of the workplace. The PRCA Workplace Champions awards have always mattered but they’ve taken on a renewed importance in 2021. There has simply never been a more important time for us to honour and recognise organisations that provide an outstanding workplace environment for professionals.”

Teams were judged on their commitment and performance on diversity and inclusion, as well as their consideration for the ethical and moral concerns of their employees.

Viva PR was assessed in four key areas: Employee Welfare, Account Management, Recruitment and Retention, and Business Practices.

Tony added: “Our central focus is on delivering work with measurable and meaningful impact, but we also recognise a deeper truth – humans do the work here, not machines, and so we have wrapped a supportive culture around them. We hope to be shortlisted again in 12 months’ time and will be striving to be included in the Small Agency category in 2022.”