Communications Firm Wants Hybrid Workers

Ruth Drizen-Dohs describes her business as a full-service corporate communications company that is vertically integrated to control all aspects of the services it offers clients as well as to keep costs under control.

“It is about passing along the best value for the best performance and provide the most tools,” she said of the Porter Ranch firm.Drizen-Dohs Corporate Communications employs writers, designers, printers and social media experts to take care of every aspect of corporate communications.

“That might include brochures, websites, e-blast campaigns, newsletters and publications, event planning and fundraising campaigns,” Drizen-Dohs said. “Everything you could imagine that a company or an organization might need.”The firm prides itself on not offering packages – it’s “not Costco,” Drizen-Dohs said – but instead takes a custom approach to clients.“We take each company, and we talk in depth about their needs and then come up with a great communications plan that is going to get great results,” Drizen-Dohs added.The company has seven employees, including Drizen-Dohs. That places the firm at No. 37 on the Business Journal’s list of Women-Owned Business ranked by total employees. It is among the 11 firms in the public relations, marketing or advertising on the list.

Being a woman hasn’t impacted her business. She just tries to be the best leader that she can and listen to her employees as oftentimes they will know a lot more than she does, Drizen-Dohs said.

“I try to surround myself with the best people and I try to encourage a diverse culture, gender-wise and culture-wise,” she explained.

In terms of working with clients, which come from the health care, technology, manufacturing and nonprofit sectors, she likes to look at things as a whole, adding that strategy doesn’t happen “because I am a woman; it’s because of how my brain works.” She is able to back up and look at a program or a scope of work as a whole and then recommend some fresh ideas, Drizen-Dohs said.

“It is part of our culture that we are always trying to think out of the box,” she added.

Home-based workersDuring the coronavirus pandemic, companies were coming to the firm to ask how to communicate with a workforce that was now primarily at home.

Before the pandemic, the company communicated internally with employees who may have been in different locations but were still based in offices, Drizen-Dohs said.

For the home-based worker, digital communications created by Drizen-Dohs began to include such topics as balancing home and work life and how to efficiently manage their time.

“Everything you could imagine about working from home,” she said.As the economy opens up, some employees are returning to the office, but many are not. It is going to be a hybrid workforce from now on and Drizen-Dohs’s services will reflect that.

“Newsletters for internal employees are going to stay, subject matter wise, much more varied in terms of the lifestyle of the home employee versus the office employee,” Drizen-Dohs added.

Companies, too, found it challenging to work together and collaborate during a time when everyone was spread apart. It was something that the firm addressed with its digital communication on behalf of those clients.

“Our writers are journalists,” she noted. “So, we do a lot of interviews with different employees and that really helped in terms of exchanging ideas and adding tips during the pandemic.”As restrictions from the pandemic are lifted, the firm has noticed business starting to expand. Companies are going to need more corporate communications, website development and branding assistance, translating to an increase in work at Drizen-Dohs.

“In the future I believe that all of this opening up has everything to do with new marketing campaigns for companies – companies reaching out to make up for what they lost during the pandemic,” Drizen-Dohs said. “We’re really ramping up and having a lot more meetings, including with nonprofit organizations who are really eager to get their coffers filled again.” Her favorite memories about running the business deal with her and the staff sitting around the conference room table and brainstorming ideas, Drizen-Dohs added.

She enjoys being creative, writing things on the white board, drinking iced tea, eating Danish and playing off each other, she said.“It’s about being really creative,” she continued. “That is my favorite part.”