NEW YORK — With DEI still very much an industry issue, the PR Council has issued a set of guidelines to help agencies along with clients make communications a more equitable and inclusive field.

The PRC’s “Better Together” guidelines were created in partnership with FleishmanHillard as a means of helping agencies and their clients find ways to work together on fostering DEI — as a lack of unified efforts has been among the biggest impediments to achieving DEI, the PRC said.

Crafted by a group of cross-agency DEI leaders, the guidance includes best practices for the RPF and pitch process, staffing plans, recruiting and onboarding. The group was led by Natasha O’Dell Archer, Golin’s executive VP of DEI, and Carol Watson, BCW’s global chief inclusion officer.

The PRC is also providing a model agreement that agencies and clients can use to formalize their commitment to developing and retaining a diverse and inclusive team.

The guidance focuses on the early days of partnerships, setting the stage for joint agency and client accountability moving forward. “Our collective experience confirms that making inclusive teams a priority in the partnership from day one leads to an environment and, more importantly, work that truly moves the needle,” said Watson (pictured).

PRC is hosting a webinar at 12 p.m. Thursday to discuss the recommendations.

The “Better Together” guidance is one of three sets of recommendations the PRC is working on to promote DEI — and the first to be published. The other two, which are currently in the works, will address managerial competency in leading inclusive teams and measuring the ROI of DEI efforts.

"Our members count on the PRC to focus on issues critical to the future of the industry, including attracting and retaining high performing and diverse talent,” said PRC president Kim Sample. “We’re pleased to bring this guidance to agencies and clients and hope they serve as a roadmap to help our industry — and many others — accelerate progress.”