4. Murphy O’Brien Inc.

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Murphy O’Brien Inc.


Santa Monica


Business:

Public relations


Founded:

1989


Local Employees:

36


Anna Huggins calls it the boomerang effect the tendency of job-hopping employees to leave Murphy O’Brien public relations agency only to return a short time later.


“If it wasn’t for the people, it wouldn’t be a great place to work,” said Huggins, a senior account executive with two years at the agency. “I love the creativity that comes with the job. Also, I like being able work with people, not just at Murphy O’Brien but with the clients.”


Murphy O’Brien specializes in getting media coverage for client companies that include Peninsula Hotels, See’s Candies and Morton’s Steakhouse. While working her accounts, Huggins visits hotels to meet everyone from top executives to chefs. Last year she traveled to Florence, Italy and stayed in a 15th century palace that one client is converting to apartments.


Spencer Castillo, vice-president at the agency, has lived the boomerang effect. He left Murphy O’Brien briefly two years ago for a large agency but quickly returned. “It was all about the people,” Castillo recalled. “At the end of the day, especially in a service business like this, you’re only as good as your team.”


Public relations firms usually start small and pay a lot of attention to their staff, according to Castillo, but when an agency grows past a certain size, the emphasis shifts to the clients. “They forget about their people because of the client focus,” he said.


Two common human relations tools employee training and a generous time-off policy make Murphy O’Brien an extraordinary workplace.


In the last year, the agency has hosted three guest speakers for its employees. The first discussed how to handle tense, difficult conversations. The second held one-on-one sessions to help employees read other people’s body language. The third taught “Happy Skills” so workers can feel uplifted.


“We’re giving employees skills that apply not only to their profession but to their life,” said Castillo.


However, Castillo added that in public relations, “it’s all about keeping clients happy. If our clients stay with us, and they do, that’s how we look to reward our employees.”


To motivate employees, the company bestows weekly Moby Awards, “sort of like the Emmys but the Mobys for Murphy O’Brien,” Castillo explained. The Moby recognizes extra effort on the job with the reward of one day off.


The agency also reduces staff to a minimum between Christmas and New Year’s, while even during regular weekdays, “We don’t have employees working until 10 or 11 o’clock,” said Huggins. “There’s a nice balance between the personal and the professional.”



Joel Russell

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