China Office Doesn't Live Up to Global Reputation
Pros
It has a good global reputation that strengthens your résumé/CV (but only if you're searching for a job outside of China).
Cons
As with many PR agencies in China, the Beijing office is a sweatshop and offers little opportunities for career and personal growth, particularly for junior employees. Senior staff also seem to have little interest in the growth of junior staff, leaving this instead to the middle managers. Rampant bootlicking has resulted in favorites being promoted quicker regardless of their capabilities. Employees that leave the company are often not replaced, resulting in existing staff working long and often unreasonable hours. This leads to a vicious cycle that eventually sees them leaving for the competition as well. The inability to find relevant talents means that a number of employees (many of whom have no China experience and don't speak the language) are brought in from other offices to do a job they are not well-equipped to carry out. There is a general lack of professionalism and business ethics practiced in this office. Clients only find out about the departure of their account leads and team members long after they have left the company, many smaller accounts are serviced only by junior staff with little senior presence, former employees receive wages several months late etc. Having worked in the PR industry for a decade and encountering senior management from various practices, I have to say the quality of senior managers here is mediocre at best. A lack of strong leadership skills, strategic direction and adequate market knowledge/ experience seem to be the main issues with a number of the senior managers I have worked with. I spent a couple of years in an in-house role and have been trained to look out for red flags when it comes to hiring a PR agency, i.e high turnover, absent senior management on smaller accounts etc. The Beijing office is exhibiting a number of these warning signs, which unfortunately, is testament to how it is performing in the market and/or is how the local industry views the agency. My advice for those looking to join Weber Shandwick's China offices is to research the agency thoroughly and ask around the local PR industry for insights into the company before signing on the dotted line.