I’m just coming up to finishing my first two weeks at Whistle PR and what a learning experience it has been!
My first day at Whistle was an exciting one. The interview with Sarah had been over Teams so it was my first time getting to see the office and meet the team in person. Upon entering the office, everyone was so friendly and welcoming that I felt instantly at ease and was even presented with a little present on my desk. Personalised mug, bar of chocolate and new notebook at the ready, I was thrown into the weekly Monday morning team meeting. The idea of this was much more daunting than the meeting in reality. Rather than a formal update on the company activity for the week, instead, everyone filled others in on what they’d done that weekend and how they were feeling out of 10. It was a really nice way to start getting to know everyone right from the off, as well as getting a feel for what projects were happening.
After the team meeting, most people were in a client meeting, so I got the chance to sit down with Claire and go through the more practical parts of training; getting set up on my computer, new work phone and got to chat through a standard day at Whistle.
It was then that the inductions began. In my first week I got to sit down with Sarah and have an induction to Whistle as a whole, learning about the different clients and what packages we can offer. This really helped everything I’d heard everyone talking about around the office make a lot more sense.
I then got stuck into inductions on specific clients. Launching straight into producing work for clients would have been very daunting as I naturally started with little background knowledge. These inductions, with the Account Manager or Director that leads the account, really go into depth on Whistle’s past work with the client and what the vision is going forward. This helped when I was given work to do as I had a better understanding of how it would fit into the wider picture. Coming out of these meetings sometimes felt a bit overwhelming, having sat in on discussions with people who know every detail of some complicated accounts can make you feel a bit clueless, but it does all begin to click into place!
The main thing I have taken away from Whistle after my first two weeks is the supportive and healthy atmosphere that Sarah has created within the company. Whistle really do practice what they preach with flexible working and letting staff work in the way that is best for them. Staff can choose days to work from home or in the office, obviously dependent on meetings, but largely this remains completely up to the individual and can change every week. If I know I have somewhere I need to be by 6pm that the commute home might impact, I’m able to work from home for the afternoon or whole day, making the desired work-life balance easier to achieve. As an early bird, I’m able to get into the office for 8am, and finish at 4:30pm, which lets me beat the worst of the traffic home, but others can do later starts If that’s what works best for them.
I’ve found the atmosphere in the office so friendly and welcoming and have felt like I can ask the many questions I’ve had over these few weeks. It’s a chatty and relaxed environment, often with Smooth Radio playing over the speakers, that really values how everyone is feeling. On starting, I was allocated a buddy that I have a scheduled coffee and catch up with as an extra check in about how I’m settling in and finding life at Whistle. Despite the comfortable and sociable environment, which is often added to further with regular cake mornings, (courtesy of the GBBO sweepstake – if your contestant is voted out, you bring the cakes), it is also a hardworking and motivating office that is making me really excited to get stuck in and get to know the industry further.
Thanks to everyone at Whistle for making my first 2 weeks so fab!
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Courtney Caile is an Account Executive at Whistle PR which offers a range of integrated communications services including strategic consultancy, PR, social media and internal communications. For further information, email info@whistlepr.co.uk or contact us here.
