LONDON—Spark Communications has been selected as the Best PR Agency to Work For in the UK based on a survey of its employees and those of many other agencies in the UK market.

Spark, a business-to-business technology and life sciences specialist firm with a team of 38, scored the highest marks from its employees on the full range of criteria we ask about, which cover topics such about the quality of agency leadership, personal empowerment, ethics, work-life balance, and diversity and inclusion.

After adjusting the raw data from employees to account for agency size (since smaller agencies tend to score higher marks) and response rate, Spark came out ahead of four other finalists for the top spot. They were:

2. Blurred, a corporate consultancy that also finished in the runner-up spot last year
3. SEC Newgate, the London office of the global corporate and public affairs network
4. The PR Network, a virtual agency\
5. Hope & Glory, the award-winning creative agency

Asked to describe their firm in three words, Spark employees selected “supportive” and “collaborative” more than any other terms, although there were also multiple mentions of “fun,” “caring,” “honest,” “creative,” and “inclusive.”

Asked to name the best thing about their agency, the most common response was simple: “The people.” One respondent noted; “We all really care—about doing a good job and being good to each other. While we push for excellence, we always provide support to help people reach that level.”

Another cited the “extreme focus on wellbeing and making work-life work for the team. The senior management truly values work-life balance and it shows.”

In 2024, Spark hired its first-ever head of people to oversee its approach to wellbeing, training, and inclusivity. Every team member has access to 24/7 online GP, counselling, and wellbeing services via WeCare and MyStrength, with an additional annual counselling allowance if it’s needed. The whole team has adopted hybrid working, with just under a fifth of the team working remotely full-time.

Perhaps most remarkable, the firm’s unique billable hours model dedicates no more than 55% of employees' time to client work, safeguarding time for creativity, personal development and innovation initiatives.