About/FAQ | NORTH AMERICA 2019: LARGE | MIDSIZE | SMALL | BOUTIQUE CATEGORY 1 | BOUTIQUE CATEGORY 2 
EMEA 2019: NETWORK | UK | CONTINENT 
ASIA-PACIFIC

Being selected as a Best Agency to Work For by the Holmes Report is considered the ultimate benchmark of PR firm culture and workplace performance, in an industry whose primary asset remains its people. 

The Holmes Report's Best Agencies to Work For are determined by a comprehensive survey of agency employees at more than 50 agencies throughout North America and nearly 30 agencies across EMEA and Asia-Pacific, each. The process solicits employee views on a wide range of issues, ranging from the integrity of senior management to the quality of professional development, from empowerment and risk-taking to compensation.

For more information about the methodology and diagnostic tools, check out our FAQs, below.

Who handled the research?
The Holmes Report tabulated the scores internally. Rockland Dutton Research & Consulting provided consulting. 


How were agencies qualified and categorized?
We use broad ranges for categorizing agencies, and in some cases, editorial decisions are made for agencies on the cusp between categories. This year, we added a new category Boutique Category 2 to reflect the volume of entries we receive from agencies that are between 10 to 30 people. (The minimum number of employees to participate is 10.)  Please note, the following categories are general guidelines and occasionally some agencies will fall outside of these ranges.

• Large (350+ employees)
• Midsize (136 to 349 employees)
• Small (71 to 135 employees)
• Boutique — Category 1 (31 to 70 employees)
• Boutique — Category 2 (10 to 30 employees)

How were the “Best Agencies to Work for” determined?
The Holmes Report determined what makes for a great place to work and designed a survey for agency employees to rank their employer on these attributes. The survey examines 14 areas of agency life: Engagement, Management, Client Service, Empowerment, People, Culture, Diversity, Work, Communication, Professional Development, Ethics, Compensation, Work Quality and Open Ended questions. Over the next few months, the Holmes Report will explore the aggregate score around several of these areas in our own editorial. For agencies looking for a full report on their scores, Best Agencies to Work For report . 

Can I Order A Specific Analysis for My Agency?
Yes, contact us for more information. Participating agencies can order individual scorecards and reports. Here's what it will you can glean from the reports:  

1) Knowing how your agency compares to the industry as a whole, and agencies of a similar size.

2) The report contains good metrics to communicate to current and prospective clients so they know how well the agency treats its employees and how likely their core teams are to remain available to their accounts versus leave for another opportunity.

3) The report can serve as either a standalone employee survey of the agency, or validation of existing such surveys an agency might already do, all at a fraction of the cost of running one's own survey. 

4) The report also includes:

a) Over 50 agency descriptors documenting strengths and weaknesses including a comprehensive breakdown of the key factors that make up employee engagement
b) Specific recommendations on how to improve recruitment and retention
c) Knowing to which agencies your staff might move if they left
d) A focus on the roles of management, empowerment, culture, diversity, communication, professional development, compensation and benefits, in driving engagement among employees of your agency.  Each of these areas have 4-6 specific metrics and characteristics

We are currently accepting submissions for the Best Agencies to Work For in Asia-Pacific. Firms can email [email protected] to receive a user name and password for the employee survey (with “A-P Best Agencies to Work For” in the subject line).

ABOUT/FAQ | NORTH AMERICA 2019: LARGE | MIDSIZE | SMALL | BOUTIQUE CATEGORY 1 | BOUTIQUE CATEGORY 2  | EMEA 2019: NETWORK | UK | CONTINENT  | ASIA-PACIFIC