Mission North Named to Inc.’s Annual List of Best Workplaces for 2022

The last few tumultuous years have forced us all to rethink the fundamentals of work and to confront tough existential questions: What does it mean for a company to take care of its employees? What should a modern workplace look like? How can an organization truly make a positive social impact? 

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At Mission North, as we’ve been debating these questions, we have also experienced immense company growth— we grew our team by 45% in 2021 alone. We have successfully navigated this period of global uncertainty by investing in our people, building flexible workplace practices and holding ourselves accountable for social good. Our efforts have allowed us to attract the most talented teams in the PR industry and to maintain high employee retention and happiness within a field known for its high turnover. Today, our work has culminated in Mission North being named to Inc. magazine’s annual list of Best Workplaces for 2022. 

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We’re honored to be recognized as an organization “dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic.” In addition to an audit of company benefits, much of the data used in determining Inc.’s Annual List of Best Workplaces list comes directly from employees via an anonymous survey, which is why this recognition is particularly meaningful to me. Such positive feedback from our team is a clear indication that we’re building a resilient culture for all of our employees. 

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Here’s a closer look at the steps we’ve taken to create an award-winning workplace, while holding ourselves accountable to our values.

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Investing in Our People

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Our employees’ physical and emotional well-being is of the utmost importance to us. Before the onset of COVID-19, Mission North already offered unlimited paid time off, fully paid health insurance for employees, mental health support networks, monthly wellness stipends and generous parental leave. To meet the changing needs of our team during the pandemic, we introduced more flexible work schedules and established company-wide mental health days throughout the year to help our team recharge.

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We make space for conversation and community around shared experiences, identities and social causes. Mission North has several employee resource groups (ERGs) that provide our staff with support and actionable resources, along with dedicated spaces for discussion and connection. Our current ERGs include LGBTQ+, people of color, and parents, as well as mental health and sustainability. Each group includes employees drawn from all levels of our company.

Prioritizing Flexibility and Balance 

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At Mission North, each employee can choose where they work. We do not mandate in-office days. In fact, about 30% of our people are 100% remote and are located outside of our office cities. Those who live close to an office have the option to work there as often or as little as they wish. We also rolled out Focus Fridays, intended as meeting-free days that allow our teams to re-energize. Our goal is to empower our employees to build out a career that always leaves space for every facet of their lives.

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A hybrid working environment also poses new challenges. Namely, how do we continue to connect and learn from one another? We’ve tackled this challenge head-on with new ways of engaging both virtually and in-person, from Zoom cooking classes and online game nights to holiday dinners and pumpkin carving. 

Giving Back

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Our primary mission is to make a positive impact through our work, culture and community investments. Through our E3thos program, Mission North commits at least 2% of our company’s time, profits and owner equity to nonprofits. We work with organizations focused on education, equality and the environment. Since launching E3thos in 2016, Mission North has surpassed $1 million invested through employee-directed grants to nonprofits. In addition, we provide 40 hours of annual paid volunteer time for every one of our employees.

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This year, we’ve launched an inaugural scholarship and fellowship program for BIPOC communications students as well as an internal sponsorship program with the goal of increasing representation at the senior levels of our industry.

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It’s important that we continue to hold ourselves accountable to this social impact work and to the culture of belonging that we’re building. Earlier this year, we also introduced an Executive Advisory Group (EAG), a diverse group of staffers who advise our leadership team around critical decisions and investments to ensure these actions represent the interests of the whole company. The EAG improves transparency in a distributed work environment where our employees live across more than 25 cities.

We’re All In 

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Navigating the past couple of years would have been impossible without the dedication and collaboration of every single one of our 100 employees. Being named an Inc. Best Workplace is a testament to the fact that we’ve emerged from this challenging period of change as a strong, collaborative and supportive team.  

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There is always more work to be done as the needs of our employees continue to evolve. What we’ve learned is that the strong culture we’ve built and the core values we use to guide us will enable Mission North to weather whatever comes next and come out stronger than ever. Now, more than ever before, we’re all in.

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