WEBER SHANDWICK WAS named agency of the year at the European Excellence Awards in Paris in December. The accolade capped a year in which the public relations consultancy's Europe, Middle East and Africa operation, which has its headquarters in London, received 68 awards. Social media have changed the way people interact with the world. Whether promoting a UN sustainable-energy initiative or launching a new skincare product for Unilever, shaping conversations between its clients and the public is central to Weber Shandwick. Founded in 1989, it has 294 employees at eight offices in the UK and Ireland. All are actively encouraged to explore new social media. Last year everyone received training in how to use Vine, the short-video sharing platform. Colin Byrne, the chief executive, announced a competition for most imaginative loop: for the winner, an expenses-paid trip to the Cannes Lions festival. New ideas are valued and disseminated via corporate email newsletters and blogs. The best are recognised at an annual creative awards competition. The brightest minds are invited to join the “creative tribe”, a learning and working group of more than 50 people drawn from all levels of the business who share their knowledge with colleagues and apply their talents to challenging briefs. Working in an environment that embraces new technology and fosters creativity, staff say the experience they gain is valuable for the future (an 83% positive score) and feel their job is good for personal growth (81%). Byrne also has a dedicated surgery hour where any member of staff can speak to him one-to-one. Managers talk openly and honestly with team members (79%) and care about them as individuals (76%). Recognising that digital change is rendering many traditional PR skills obsolete, the company changed its recruitment strategy to attract a more diverse talent pool. Those who make the grade are well rewarded. More than half the workforce earns more than £35,000 a year, and they are gernerally happy with their pay and benefits (62%), which they feel are fair for the responsibilities they have (59%). www.webershandwick.co.uk