In a comprehensive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Tiffani Martinez, HR Director at Otter PR, shared her insights on the unique, people-focused culture at Otter PR. Tiffani emphasizes understanding each employee’s personal drivers and needs to foster a supportive and motivating work environment. She highlights the company’s flexible benefits package, including unlimited PTO and office/hybrid flexibility, as key to attracting and retaining top talent. Tiffani also stresses the importance of maintaining open communication and regular check-ins, especially during rapid company growth, to preemptively address potential conflicts and ensure every team member feels heard and supported. At Otter PR, fostering a community where staff members actively contribute solutions and support each other has been crucial to their success. This community-oriented approach not only enhances team cohesion but also significantly boosts client outcomes, reflecting positively on the company’s culture and employee satisfaction.
Tiffani is a native Floridian. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Keiser University with a BA in Business Management and a focus in Human Resource Management. Tiffani excels at putting the “human” back into “Human Resources”. She comes from a non-profit and Property and Casualty insurance background with focused knowledge of the needs of Florida residents. Her tenure in non-profit led her to manage one of the top 100 largest churches in the nation with more than 2,000 members. Her passion is in conflict management where she strives to take in all perspectives, ensuring all parties are respected and heard with fairness and empathy.
Tiffani, with your background in both non-profit and insurance sectors and a strong focus on putting the ‘human’ back into Human Resources, how do you apply this philosophy at Otter PR to enhance employee satisfaction and productivity?
I get to know the person behind the position with the staff at Otter PR and, honestly, anywhere I have worked. You want to understand the people who work for you. Some people work because it’s the field they love and want the experience, while others have a skill set and this job meets their financial needs. You can help motivate and have constructive discussion topics if you understand what makes that person get out of bed daily. No two people are alike; use that to develop a work culture that embodies everyone’s wants and needs.
In the competitive field of public relations, attracting top creative talent is crucial. Could you share some strategies that have been particularly effective for Otter PR in not only attracting but also retaining such talent?
Our benefits package has been the critical recruitment tool for attracting top-tier talent. We offer office/hybrid flexibility perks, and for the staff needed in an office setting more, we make sure to do events/lunches/perks to give them that extra gratification. We offer unlimited PTO, which is something we stand behind. If you can effectively finish your work and want to take a week or two off to travel Europe, we will ensure you get that time away. We are very flexible in the hours worked as well. Sometimes, life happens, and you need to work off hours. Otter will support you and help you if that is what you need.
You have a passion for conflict management, striving to ensure all parties are respected and heard. How do you implement this approach in a fast-growing company like Otter PR, and could you give an example of a challenging situation where this approach proved beneficial?
This is always hard because it takes discipline not to respond immediately. To have mutual respect for the company you work for and the fellow people working, you have to hear all parties out entirely and allow time to work through the emotions of the conversations to find the middle ground and come to a solution that will benefit all parties. Sometimes, one party is favored over the other, which is ok as long as everyone feels heard. Suppose you can help it and ensure you never make a gut reaction. When you have an influx in growth, like with Otter PR, consistent check-ins are essential to ensure the teams are working through bottlenecks or other problems. One of the most significant ways to help manage conflict is to get ahead of it sooner. One example is when you see a usually active staff member being more reserved or pulled back from conversations or feedback, there is a reason. Do a check-in, take time one-on-one, be honest with them, tell them you see a change in their demeanor, and allow them to open up. You may learn they are having some personal things happening, and just offering support and an ear can help them get past it. In this case, however, we learned there was a disconnect in the training, and the staff members felt they were not being offered support. I was able to tag in some other senior management and get them extra support to move past that without alienating the staff member. I make sure to word things to protect them in their disclosure of information and support them in what they need to succeed at work.
Otter PR is recognized as one of the top 100 PR agencies in the nation. How do you believe the company culture has contributed to this success, and what aspects of your culture do you think appeal most to prospective employees?
Otter PR has succeeded because of the fantastic staff here. We have a diverse group of people from all types of work backgrounds. It is unique when we need to find a win for a client, and we have so many staff stepping forward with “I have a contact for that, or I think I know an outlet we can reach out to.” The ability to know your team has your back and will help you succeed is rare now in a very cutthroat work environment, and at Otter PR, we all have the same goal: to get our clients the success they desire and to get their stories out there. I always smile at the responses when I do first-round interviews, and I ask if they have questions about the company, and they tell me, “I have looked into you, and the staff feedback is amazing.” That reflects the company and the culture we have worked hard to nurture and embody here.
You mentioned the importance of taking a pause to prevent burnout and maintain focus. How has this approach influenced your leadership style, and what advice would you give to other leaders about incorporating ‘pauses’ into their management practices?
This is the hardest thing to do as a leader. I still struggle with this regularly myself. One way I have found a way to hold myself accountable is by blocking out items daily. You would think the simple task of blocking an hour for lunch is not a big deal, but it is when you forget to take time and take lunch and fail to pause and listen to your individual needs. It would be best if you remembered that your company, whether an owner or C-Suite or manager on the front line, has others who are dependent on you, that for them to continue to grow and be successful, they need you in your leadership role to do so as well. Burnout is like a brush fire; if you don’t try to get ahead of it, the fire can spread to your staff, and I have seen it take departments down.
